"click-click-click" starter noises?

[OakTownPony88]

Sorry if this has been a subject thoroughly discussed in the past, but I seem to have a starter related issue with my 88 GT 5.0. Was turning around in driveway when car died. Like I had killed it by depressing clutch. When I turned key it simply made clicking noises in rapaid succession.

After determining the sound was coming from the vicinity of the relay I bought a new one and installed it. Did this after checking various ground and connector wires with voltometer. Installed relay and got same response. at this point did the battery to coil terminal test and received no response from the starter.

Admittely using a very limited amount of automotive knowledge, determined the cause of the problem was bad starter. So bought a new starter and installed it. Now am getting the same type of response as prior to doing anything at all. And left feeling like this DIY stuff is more than a little humbling.

Any clues on where to go next?

 

[MadMatt5oh]

Battery

 

[MadMatt5oh]

LOL, sorry. I tried to include this in the same post. Thats what it is. Some lessons can be expensive huh? Sux! I know Ive been there

 

[OakTownPony88]

Thought that too at one point

Battery is a 6 month old Interstate. Swapped it out with another Interstate near same age. My battery fired the other auto right up, The battery placed into my car gave us the same clicking noises as we had prior to swapping them out

 

[Mavrick]

Usually that clicking is trying to tell you that your battery doesn't have enough juice to crank the motor. Try putting it on a charger for a while, or try jumping it..

 

[BlackFox5.0]

Check your cables for corrosion, if they are corroaded clean them.

Also check for cracks in the cables insulation, mine was all cracked up water got in and corroaded it from the inside. After that I would blame the starter. but clicking at the solenoid is uaully the sign of not enough power from the battery, or the battery itself.

 

[HISSIN50]

when you say you did the battery to coil terminal test, did you jump the two big lugs of the solenoid? (dont know if that is what you mean). gotta use something big, like a fat shiny screwdriver.

i agree with the checking of terminal posts, always good. they can corrode to the point of disintegrating inside the insulation. what is the battery voltage at rest and when cranking. when you crank it, do you lose the memory to the radio, etc (you know when you try to crank a car with a near dead battery, it kills the interior light and radio presets).

i find it puzzling how this all happened. i would really check the grounds well. if one came loose or is too corroded, that could do it. esp check the motor to chassis grounds, as that is how the starter grounds. remember juice flows from negative to positive. try rigging something to ground the motor better and see what happens. also, ive had luck using another car as a "jumper" in case the battery is really at fault.

(I had a porsche that did the same thing. 1 out of 10 times, it would not start. turned out the factory used too small a ground cable. came out with a TSB years later. LOL). problem solved.
good luck.

 

[D347643]

weak pull/hold in windings if the battery is fine

 

[bmorrisj]

same thing happened to my '86 4 banger.... the ground cable disconnected from the block so the starter took ground from the little 20ga electric fan ground wire, my fan never worked properly since...

 

[astronut1885]

I had this happen, and it was a bad ground wire at my battery. It has corroded inside the insulation, becuase when I wiggled it it would work. Buy a new set of battery cables, that should do you.