"Jeff" wrote
BTW, I played that game hundreds of times with my old VW bug.
However, a few years back a friend was working under his car and
shorted the solenoid. Since it was in gear, the car lurched and fell
off the jackstands, crushing his hip. A big Ooops!

That's why owner/repair manuals caution to disconnect the battery for ALL
repairs - even non-electrical ones.