[adis]

well, i tried adjusting the timing and no improvement. so i installed a new starter and voila - turns perfectly. starterman, you were spot on. once the new starter was in i could hear the problem. originally, i thought the sound coming from the pinion was simply the sound of the gears engaging each other, but the buzz of the new starter sounds noticeably tighter than the ringing/scraping sound of the old one. thanks for everyone's help! - mark