beating on it with a hammer got it started once... now it's completely dead...

is this common ? how much is a replacement unit and how hard is the replacement ?

 

sounds like your contacts are bad, Larry B's kit will fix it. Cheep and an easy install

 

you think the starter is still ok ?

 

Depending on how hard you hit it with the hammer, the starter itself can be fine. Usually the contacts wear out.

Replacements are often a dissapointment.

Larry B's has already been mentioned. Check them out:

LarryB's Dodge starting problems solved here.

 

I can pretty much guarantee the starter is fine. These things are a hoss. The things that do go bad are the contacts. Get the larry b heavy-duty contacts and be done with it. DONT get the brushes unless you HAVE to. They are tough tough tough to weld in.

 

I just did this very fix a couple weeks ago, 24 bucks for the contacts, and took me 40 mins total time. Very simple easy fix...