Originally Posted by cycle_maven

1) No, just the WD-40 flush should do the trick. Might take a whole can and a couple of days, but it sounds like sticky pawls. Add a little tri-flow after the WD. If the flush doesn't work, I wouldn't try the rebuild; I'd go with the Tiagra. They're cheap enough and really not that much different than the Ultegra of 15 years ago. Ahh, maybe I'd try a rebuild after all, but knowing full well my likelyhood of fixing it would be nearly nil if the pawls are actually worn out or the ratchet is chipped. But that's not too likely; it sounds like the shifters are just old, not abused. Ultegra shifter can go many tens of thousands of miles without wearing out or damage in normal use.
2) No, the grease in Ebay shifters of the same age will be pretty much dried out as well.
3) Yes. Absolutely.
4) a) No. b) Yes.
5) No.