Well, I put the new starter on. It went clunk! The old starter was bad, but now I guess I am going to have to pull the oil pan and check the connecting rods and pistons. I am hoping that there isn't too much damage, but, of course, I fear the worst right now. Thanks for the encouragement, Rick. I hope mine will be as easy as yours, too. It might be a moot point, though. My van has 170,000 miles on it, so it might be that I should just put another engine in it or get something new. I'll take this weekend and see what happens. Thanks for all your help guys.
Michael