If that's a concern, check it like you would a hypoid setup. Put some marking fluid on the flywheel/starter, pull the coil wire, crank it for a bit, check the pattern.
Pretty easy to do that on a manual trans car; you have an inspection cover built in for the purpose!
If you can separate the solenoid action from the starter drive running (wiring maybe), you could do that too. Just look at how the bendix engages when it engages. No pattern marked in that case.
Cranking the motor while the car is on jacks isn't a good choice if you are underneath it at the time. A pit setup would work better than jacks.
