Battery..Solenoid..Starter problem
 

Here is the what happened.

My car was sitting for a couple weeks or so without being started so I go to start the car and all I hear is a click from the solenoid. I automatically try to jump the car figuring my battery was dead. That didnt work, so I replaced the solenoid still getting the click.

Next I put a battery charger on my starter and jumped it, presto the car started so I moved it into my yard. I turned it off and started looking for the problem, I was switching solenoids, I switched out the battery with another one, nothing worked. I gave up for a little while and came back about a week later(today) and started messing with it again. I noticed the negative wire coming off the battery was in bad condition, so I replaced it figuring that wast he problem, no luck. Now when I try to start the car I am getting no juice from the battery and I am not able to jump the starter either. I need some advice from you guys on what I should troubleshoot next.

AIM = thetrillest ...if any of you have it and want to help

Thanks,
Abe

Since you messed with the neg cable and solenoid I would check there first. Maybe the cable isn't making a good connection or you may have forgot to hook up a wire on the solenoid.. Double check all the things you messed with to satrt with...

I fixed the battery problem.....now I just have a click.

First get a screw driver and connect both bolts of the seloniod together and if the starter turns over then it is your probably your seloniod, whats happeneing is it is not letting the connection go to the starter, it only cost about 10 bucks.
Ernie

Definitly check your solinoid as in last reply
but before you replace the starter make absolutly cetain
that the battery is good.
My 79 had very much the same problems,
Juice to the lights and everything else but nothing but a click
when I tried to start it.
Jumping it didnt help,
Put in a new solinoid, no help,
New starter, still no help,
Battery voltage test said it was borderline but "useable"
but being the only thing left I threw in a new battery
and bingo, fired right up.
From what I was told the old battery had "sulfated".
Just to be sure I put the old starter back in and it was fine.

I tried putting another battery in it, still the same problem. Turn the key and click!

My old battery I believe IS dead though because it doesnt charge when I put a battery charger on it.

Let me know if there is anything else I can do!!

-Abe

The negative wire you originally replaced...do you mean the small guage wire going to the body or the havey guage to the block? I found that my body ground had gone bad giving the exact symptoms you describe. I replaced it (with multiple redundant wires) and the car started right up. I had previously thought the battery was dead.

Sometimes starters go bad so that they don't work in certain positions. Unbolt the starter, spin it a quarter turn, reinstall and try again. If that doesn't do anything and you did check that wire then bring the starter into a local parts store and have them check it.

Also make sure you have a good connection at the starter.

Good luck and keep us posted,

Rich D.