Good news today. I pulled off the timing belt and the tensioner, roller, and water pump all spun well. I re-installed the belt with timing marks aligned. I then checked compression in each cylinder using a strong battery from a truck. Compressions ranged from 157 to 170 psi. After re-installing ...

Thanks for the ideas. The starter does actually rotate the engine reasonably well with the plugs out. The crown gear is brand-new, and the teeth on the flywheel looked good. It just doesn't get much rotation when the plugs are in. I guess I haven't left it engaged long enough to blow the fuse.

With the flashlight I don't make out any metal bits. I'll try checking the tensioner and roller and if they are OK, I'll borrow a compression gauge at the autoparts store and see what compression I get. With the holiday I may not report back for a week or so. Thanks.

Thank you Jeff and draser. Today I attached a positive battery jump (from a good battery) directly to the starter. That made no difference. The starter did not have enough power to get much movement of the flywheel.

Next I removed the plugs, and I could hand crank the engine more easily but still ...

It takes quite a bit of force with the plugs still in. I can try removing the plugs this weekend and measure the resistance with a torque wrench if that would help. You have a good point about the possibility that the starter is not getting enough charge. I did carefully sandpaper and clean the red ...

Thanks in advance for your consideration of my problem. A few months ago the serpentine belt broke and I replaced it. A couple weeks later my daughter got stranded as she was unable to start the car. Despite attempts to jump the car with cables and then two different jumper boxes, the car only made ...