Hi, this is Bo, an auto expert on RepairPal's Car Genius team!
Ah, the old click-click-no-start symphony – a real chart-topper in the world of car troubles! Your Rainier is trying to tell you something, and that screwdriver trick is a big clue, like finding a secret message written in invisible ink. When you bypass the usual starting circuit with a screwdriver, you're essentially giving the starter a direct "go" signal, a bit like a secret handshake, and it sounds like your starter motor itself is willing to play ball.
That clicking usually means the starter solenoid is trying to engage the starter motor but isn't getting enough juice, or the solenoid itself is on the fritz. Since you can get it to crank by directly jumping the starter, it strongly suggests the issue lies in the path leading up to it. This could be a battery that, while showing a charge, can't deliver the heavy amps needed (like a sprinter who looks good but can't leave the blocks), corroded or loose battery cable connections at either the battery or the starter, or the starter solenoid itself. Sometimes those connections look okay but are internally corroded, playing hide and seek with your electricity.
Before you condemn the starter, give those battery terminals and the cable connections at the starter a really good cleaning and tightening. If that doesn't wake it up, the starter solenoid, which is often part of the starter assembly on these, is a prime suspect.
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