Update. I had such great success with my a/c I was feeling confident, and pulled (yet again) my starter. I can get the 15 mm nut (top) and bolt (bottom) and the 15 mm power cable nut and the connector off in record time now...
Ok, now for some "this thread sucks without pictures" remedy:
The previously mentioned little square metal do-hickey that fell out of my starter when I replaced the plunger and contacts, still out, still of unknown function and proper location, still undepicted in any exploded diagram of any starter I have ever seen or heard of:
In case you are an Über-nerd, here's a closer up picture of the seemingly meaningless but surely essential part which currently serves as the source of my entire life's angst (please do not steal my palm print and use it in your next robbery/murder/act of mayhem):
"Dirty", slightly oxidized plunger contact surface:
After I hit it (like yo mama) with a dremmel wire brush:
Same of the contacts, before:
And after:
Brushes, well-worn (one is much more worn than the rest..insert "yo mama's so loose" joke"), but still making excellent contact:
The replacement brushes, which I am too cowardly to attempt to solder in. when I finally give up with the starter, I'll hand them over to the real man who will rebuild this starter once and for all (well, at least another 200,000 miles).
The "binness" end of the starter, whose teeth are a little whacked, (like yo mama's), but not so bad that they don't function well.
