Chrysler Repair: 1994 Chrysler Town & Country, starter solenoid, trickle charger

Question
I have a 1994 Chrysler Town & Country mini van V6 3.8 engine. I was having problems with my mini van from starting. When I turned my key I would hear nothing but a click from the starter and from the starter relay on the driver side wall. It would start after a few tries, but now it won't start at all. Could it be my starter, starter relay, or something else that needs to be repaired?  

Answer
Hi Robb,
If you are still getting the clicks simultaneously from the relay and from the solenoid at the starter motor, then the low current part of your starter system is fine. The issue then simply: is the heavy gauge red wire from the battery directly to the starter in good connection, and if it is, and if the battery is sufficiently charged, then it has to be the starter soleniods contacts that close the high current circuit are bad, or the starter motor itself is bad. Usually rather than change the solenoid, you just trade in the motor/solenoid as a unit. But if you want to avoid unnecessary expense, you could remove the starter/solenoid, then open the solenoid and see if its switch contacts could be cleaned up with a file in case they looked pitted or oxidized and give it another try on the "bench". If it worked, then put it back in the car. Otherwise just trade in the whole unit, but I like the idea of keeping the original motor that came with the car if there is nothing wrong with it.
But before you take off the starter, I would begin by making make sure the battery is charged (do you own a small trickle charger you could use?) and not near the end of its life (how old is the battery?)?, and then disconnect the battery and clean both terminals and clamps and apply anticorrsion compound to the interfaces, and then (BEFORE YOU RECONNECT THE BATTERY) remove the heavy gauge red wire at the starter and make sure that its surfaces are shiney and then reconnect it to the motor firmly. Then reconnect the battery and try again to see if it will start reliably.
If not, then take out the starter and make a choice about whether to take the solenoid apart or trade the whole thing in for a rebuit unit.
Roland