Starter Troubleshooting, 5.7 vortec, 1997 C1500 Silverado

sorry for confusing question...the intermittent problem is the starter not working..when it does work, the engine WILL crank..this is not a cranking issue per se. it is an intermittent problem of the starter not working at all. I have also checked the relay and fuses and swapped them both with good known working fuses and relay. I have jumped power directly to the starter also, the motor has same intermittent issues...sometimes it spins...most often...ti does not..I suspect there are some corroded or water damaged internals. So, I am looking for advice on a rebuild kit, or advice on how to isolate the components that are bad, and then I can replace them.

How long was vehicle under water ? You may want to try to remove starter and take apart and dry the water and moisture from the brushes and connections going to starter solenoid.

It depends on how handy you are but you could disassemble the starter to clean it out and check for problems like corrosion. I suspect the solenoid has internal corrosion. Why not get a new starter?

thanks...I like to repair versus spending cash...particularly if the tear down reveals something simple...like corrosion, as you pointed out. electric motors and solenoids are easy to repair. I found a vendor in the last few moments that sells a rebuild kit for all the normal failure components for under 40 bucks. I'll do the tear down and see whats up, do a load test, and if it fails, then I'll and order accordingly..here is what I found for parts: https://alternatorstarterrebuildkits.com/k-series-pick-ups/

I am pretty confident I am going to find corrosion is the cause....the intermittent issue would be the result of a bad terminal connection from corrosion, or water corrosion or other debris interfering with field strength. Now, if the starter stopped completely, I would not have this opinion, but it is just a problem that occurs from time to time. I will know more when I open it up and do a thorough clean up and inspection...and then load test it. If the corrossion is significant or lots of debris contamination from being under muddy water, I will probably just get the kit and rebuild it for good measure. A small amount of debris rotating at high rpm would do alot of damage over time...even if I clean it up, if there was scoring or component damage, that will eventually cause failure over time. Seems to be a simple job...I appreciate the advices..