Chrysler Repair: Starting probs, jeff mann, starter motor

Question
Hi Roland,
Asked another expert about the following and he said check the starter wires. That's all he said and I am not sure what he meant. I tried to ask what he meant but he was "maxed out".
My 94 Voyager (165K) has had a starting problem for a few months. I might have already asked you about it long ago. Ironically it healed itself and fr a month it was 100% normal! At that time I swapped out the ignition relays and loosened and tightened the 2 wires to the starter.
Now, once again it usually needs 3 -5 turns of the ignition switch to start. Nothing happens other than I hear the fuel pump start, and a few relays (?) click, but nothing. A few tries and it ALWAYS starts up like nothing was wrong!
Well, yesterday, the same thing happened but then the solenoid did not disengage until I disconnected the battery. Re-connect, still engaged. Finally I tapped the starter motor and solenoid, and it disengaged. Same symptoms today.
Should I replace the starter and solenoid myself ot bring it to a shop who'll charge about $100 to rebuild both? I am able mechanically able, but is it worth it? I sort of like to work on my own car and this doesn't seem too bad, but can I disassemble the thing w/o special tools? Can I get parts (contacts, brushes. instructions) to do it myself?
Thanks Roland!
Sincerely your,
Jeff Mann

Answer
Hi Jeff,
If it is just the solenoid then you probably would just want to buy a new solenoid and not try to rebuild it, and once you remove the unit it is an easy exchange (in fact you might be able to change the solenoid without removing the motor, but it depends upon how much room you have and which brand of starter you have. Let me know if you want to contemplate that and I'll send you the pages from the Chrysler shop manual, telling me which engine you have.)
If you also need to service the motor then my inclination is to trade-in the entire unit at a starter motor/alternator rebuild trade shop (one that does large numbers of these units for local repair shops at a fair price, usually with a 2 year warranty. They usually charge $75-90). Doing a good job on rebuiling the motor also involves turning down to armature so I prefer to just go with a rebuilt one where I can go back to them if there is a warranty issue rather than buy one from local auto parts store where you don't really know who did the rebuilding.
You didn't say how much labor the shop was going to charge for removal and installation. If you have good access to the unit and metric wrenches then you can easily do it yourself and save on that part of the job. It does usually involve working from underneath so you want to have a jack stand or two to securely hold the van off the ground.
The symptoms you describe certainly suggest a lazy solenoid; you might find when you remove it that it only needs to be cleaned/lubed and the internal contacts cleaned/polished.
Roland