This paper describes results obtained from the Prognoz 8 ion composition experiment which indicates that He+ ions may be more abundant in the solar wind than previous measurements have indicated. The experiment has a sufficiently high mass resolution to accurately discriminate between H+, He++, He+, and O+ ions over the energy range 0.35--5.2 keV/el. Furthermore, the fact that the experiment is continuously monitoring in the solar direction means that fairly good statistics can be acquired as well. In a few cases, He+/He++ ratios up to ≈0.05 have been found, but in most cases when He+ was observed it was generally of the order 0.3--3% of the He++ content. We compare our results with previous measurements of He+ ions in the solar wind and discuss also other constituents with M/q=4 as alternative candidates. Finally, a possible explanation for the high He+ abundance in the disturbed solar wind is given.