1996 3.3L Starting Problem

Sometimes when I go to start the car, the only thing I get is a single "tick" coming from the engine. All that I have to do is keep trying the key a few times and it will work. Does this sound like a starter/solenoid problem or can it be something else?

how old is your battery and what condition is it in, meaning what is the condition of your battery cables, terminals, etc.?

Battery is about 5 or so years old but my car has stopped doing that problem for about 5 days. All appears normal.

a 5 year old battery, sounds like it's getting weak. Best way to tell, if you have a multimeter, as you are cranking the engine over, put your leads on the positive & negative terminals. If voltage is lower than 9.6 Volts (preferably 10.6) your battery is weak and it's time to get rid of it. Make sure you have no corrosion on your terminals and also make sure the B+ wire going to the starter is ok and tight (if you're going to tackle that, make sure you disconnect the battery to avoid maximum smoke).

I thought that if it was the battery, it would either work or not.

you could have a weak battery, but still have a little bit of juice to turn over the engine. That's why it's best to check the battery.

Battery is showing 11.6 volts when cranking.

well, if your voltage is that high, your battery is fine, you could have a bad starter solenoid.

Can the solinoid be replaced by itself or do I need a new starter?
Also, I hear of people hitting the solinoid and then they have no problems after that. Is that a good thing to do?

your going to have to replace your starter. Yes it's correct that if you tap the solenoid, it'll start, that's because the contacts are so messed up it'll take anything to make contact. So just go on and replace your starter and you should have no problems.