4000s starting issue (no click/crank)

[John Larson]

  You said:  "Huw, i swapped the 2 cables with no change. I also
tried adding ground from the battery neg direct to
either upper&lower terminals on the solenoid. No click
or crank."
WHAT?!!!!!
I thought we had this handled.  You applied ground to the starter and 
nothing worked?  Of course not!
Here's the whole thing, in a nutshell.  You ground (earth) the battery 
to the transmission housing at one of the bolts at the base of the head. 
  In the middle of the stock ground strap there's a lug to ground it to 
the body as well.  ALL THREE connections MUST be clean and tight.  You 
attach the hot wire(s, sometimes it's a pair) from the battery to the 
starter to the large (8mm) lug on the outer side of the solenoid (as 
seen from the end, the side AWAY from the starter body).  The little 
braided strap that enters the starter body comes from the inner 8mm 
post.  It is NOT a ground!  It transmits 12v positive current FROM the 
solenoid TO the starter windings when the solenoid activates!  The wire 
from the ignition switch goes to terminal 50, one of the 2 terminals 
remaining.  It goes through an interlock system in automatic 
transmission cars.  (Often they're screw lugs, sometimes they're push on 
tabs.)  As I said last week, it appears pretty  obvious the starter is 
bad.  If you have a good battery and connections, and if you jump 
between the battery cable post and terminal 50 and get no solenoid 
action, and between that same post and it's neighboring post of the same 
size with no accompanying starter action, then you have NO OTHER 
possible conclusion than a bad starter.  I can't believe this has gone 
on TWO WEEKS, much less 2 days.  And, BTW, you need NO special tools to 
replace the starter, other than sockets and extensions, a wrench or 2, a 
BUNCH of penetrant, and some patience.  Maybe a lot more patience than I 
am feeling right now, after seeing this thread go on endlessly. John