Old school thinking here. Have I got this right? 1995 4.3 and when I turn the key, the starter motor turns for maybe a second, then there is a lull where it really slows down for a split second and then turns again and the motor starts. In the old days we blamed it on a "flat spot" on the solenoid. I replaced the battery and the problem still exists so it wasn't a weak battery. I also cleaned the connections at the battery but they weren't bad at all. Can I just replace the solenoid? Has anybody bought a remanufactured starter and can you tell me how to shim one if needed and how do I determine that? Any thoughts are appreciated. And PS... This has been going on for about five years now and only once did I turn the key and got "nothing" and then repeated and got a pretty good spin, hesitate, good spin... It pulls my boat trailer five miles and back from the lake so if it does fail, I will call AAA and have it dropped off at the side of my driveway. I am just looking for options and ideas.

 

I would say worn starter brushes, not the solenoid; not too hard to do a rebuild at home

 

start with the existing shim...if no problems on engagement you're good. add or remove shim depending on whether is clashes on engagement or disengagement.