Marlin,

Thanks for the explanation. Currently my solenoid doesn't seem to have a spring to return the plunger. If the solenoid isn't hooked to any power the plunger stays at the bottom (depending on which way I have it oriented) and I can grab the wire coming out of the top and pull the plunger to the top of it's stroke. When I let the wire go, the plunger falls back down. I don't remember if this is the way that it always was, and if someone has a popper kit out of the car could you verify this?

I have a volt meter (measures ohms, volts, etc.), but I'm not terribly sure how to use it to check the coil as you describe. I'll re-read your explanation and see if I can't figure it out (I'm absolutely clueless when it comes to electricity, and car wiring in particular). I'm headed down to the garage to take the solenoid out so I'll do the tests soon. I'm also going to pull the solenoid out and wire it outside the car to a good known ground and power source to see if I can't get it to work. If not I'll have to find a new solenoid, I guess.