especially in hot weather or with a warm engine, the starter needs sometimes 2-4 tries to engagge and start. The problem is this: the starter spins freely without engaging....turn off, retry...maybe same again..or...it engages normally and starts. Sometimes the pinion engages normally then disengages after the engine has turned a little (maybe fired without starting?)...and the starter continues to spin until key released. I am wondering if this is easy to fix...a bit of lube somewhere? (The ring gear has all its teeth btw...I had a '75 with the terrible screech of missing teeth)

if itM's spinning but not engaging it's the "bendix" which is a one way gear/clutch on the end of the starter. It will get worse and worse and one day it won't engage ever again. You can pick up rebuilt starters cheap pretty much anywhere, and there are only 2 bolts holding it on to the car, + the 3 elctrical connections. I can change one in 1/2 hr max, first time 1&1/2 hrs maybe. If you loosen the bottom bolt first your life will be more enjoyable.

I hate to say it but I think it is starter time.. I do know that your solenoid it not working properly as you say it engages sometimes and others it does not..You might try taking the cables off from the starter and clean them .. making sure that you are not turning the backing nut on the solenoid while trying to tighten the nut that holds the cable,,This happens due to a loose backing nut or excessive pressure while tightening the cable.. also check the other end for a loose or corroded connection.. The solenoid has a contact inside the housing that is the bolt you are tighteing the cable nut on..in other words the nut and what looks like a stud coming out of the solenoid is actually a bolt with a rounded head inside the housing..anyway this makes contact with a round ring inside the unit,, if this archs a few tiems then it causes a bad spot that seems to make the solenoid not respond well.. if you loosen the cable nut and the backing nut behind that one then you can turn the bolt a little and get it past the bad spot... as for the starter disengaging this might take care of the problem as well..This all sounds a lot harder than it really is,, Max
--
Max..1989 244 DL 5 Spd., Bilstein HD, Turbo Swaybars, Poly Bushings all round, Turbo Wheels, Black leather interior, Electric mirrors, LED dash and gauge lights.

thanx Max - I will try that and if no success probably toss it to the auto elec to get thier hands dirty pulling + repairing it