well, drat!

[Dav]

'88 2.9 auto
haven't had a chance to work on the trans problem yet and now another one pops up.
i left the key in the ignition for a week (chain link fence and loud dogs; no problem) the dinger is so faint (and i dont hear well) so when i wanted to cruise, dead battery.
put the charger on it and battery wasn't dead! wdf. still had the rattling solenoid noise. did the screw driver across the solenoid posts and nothing from the starter.
put in a spare starter and it fired right up. hmm
went for a ride. first time i shut it off, the starter kind of dragged. 3rd try it started so home we went (if you have 'she who must be obeyed' with you, you cant say 'as long as it's running, i'm driving'; ya gotta go back to the crib and get her in the ac (even in february you need ac in florida))
fired right up this morning. went 2 miles with 2 stops. turn the key, starter makes about 1 revolution and stops. no rattling solinoid, just like hand turning to tdc or something. does it a dozen times then just fires up.
any hints of where to start?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

How old are the heavy gauge battery wires? Unseen corrosion inside the insulation can cause major voltage drop. Check all connections too, both +ve and -ve.