The starter on Linda's truck has been having sporadic problems lately, and I think that it's finally crapped out.

What it's doing is when you try and start the engine, EVERYTHING just DIES...no power, the clock gets reset, the radio loses its presets. When it DOES crank over, it cranks fine. I'm assuming that something is shorting out hard, but I'm not sure which it is, the starter motor itself, or the solenoid.

Clearly, I'd like to not have to pay for the whole starter if I don't have to...anybody have any thoughts before I cough up cash?