Hi all,
Have been away for a bit as my current obsession has been bbq. In the meanwhile I have been daily driving my nightmare of a 98 with no interior and a million half assed rigs done to keep it going by the previous owner

The other day, I went to start the car after it has sat overnight and got nothing. I hear a click from the starter relay but replaced it anyway. Applied 12v to the small spade terminal that gets juice from the relay with no result. When I jump the starter motor directly it seems to spin well but not engage. What could be the chance that the whole starter took a dump and the solenoid died and the gear isn't moving outward? It seems like an odd coincedence. When I crank the car nothing, when I jump the terminals on the starter it turns but doesn't crank. What am I missing? I have a 19 month running around and my wife is about to give birth any minute, so my mental capacity is minimal

 

boil water, and replace the starter ......

 

That's what I'm thinking, I just wanted to avoid putting money into this thing if it doesn't solve the problem as its knocking on deaths door