Also,

Is it possible / safe to connect a jumper cable going from another car'* positive terminal to the solenoid, and then ground the other and be able to start the car this way?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.. thanks

Yes, you can do that, however, keep in mind there is very little room in that area and you risk a dead short to ground.

What would the outcome of the dead short to ground be? Part damage or danger?

If the car doesn't start this way, or at least click, this would be indicative of either something in the ignition or the starter correct? Is there a better way to test this?

If no click or crank this way, the starter is shot.

What could happen with a dead short? Lots of sparks, if your lucky, exploding battery if your not.

Well neither of those sound like a whole lot of fun. Is the solenoid only receiving 12V when the key is turned to start? In other words, could I use a multimeter to check the voltage on that positive terminal on the solenoid while someone turns the key?

I also read something about jumping the pins from the positive terminal to the wire going into the starter from the solenoid and the starter should spin. Is this accurate?

I believe I posted a link in this thread about testing the starting system. Have you tried doing any of these tests?

I just replaced the upper intake on a 98 park avenue. Engine wasnt hydro locked but it did some serious grunting before turning over. It did have coolant in the cylinders. Had to remove all the plugs, turn it over and blow it out and replace the plugs to get it to start.

Coolant in the cylinders is very common with intake issues/repairs.

Did you try to turn the car over with a wrench on the crank pulley? If you can turn it over manually then its not loaded up with coolant and would then be an electrical/starter/battery issue. Good luck

Sorry for the delay, I have been out of town.

Danthurs, all the tests checked out fine. Also, that article was for the solenoid clicking. I am not getting any clicking from my solenoid, but I ran them anyway.

Can you provide more details about how to turn it over manually? I'll give it a shot.