So I went to drive my '69 this morning and it won't start. Turned the key and nothing...... the starter would click sometimes, but not attempt to turn the motor.

Headlights and all the power accessories inside work fine. Voltage across the battery is 13V. Voltage at the connection on the starter is 13V. Batt terminals look good, ground cable look good ( I have big aftermarket cables, not cheap crap) Hook up the charger anyway....

Disconnect the purple wire at the starter. Used my remote start switch.... one lead to S terminal (where the purple wire was hooked) and the other to the positive on the starter (where the batt cable is connected)........ ignition switch turned on.... remote start and all I get is the "click click", no motor turning at all...

So it must be the solenoid, right ?????

Pull the starter.... take it to Kragen to bench test it before I order a new one (its a hi torque mini-starter).... they bench test it and according to them its fine ??????? It spun etc etc...

Put the starter back in..... still the same thing.... click, click....both with remote and car iginition

Unhook the purple wire... attach voltmeter to wire and ground.... turn key like trying to start car... voltmeter registers 12V

So either I'm missing something or the people at Kragen are dead wrong (boy that would be a first). I hate to order a new mini starter from Summit if thats not what it is....

So any suggestions ????

Boy, that sure sounds like a solenoid to me. There are only a few variables I can think of:

1. Ignition switch
2. Short in wiring
3. Bad ground
4. Bad connection to solenoid or starter
5. Weak battery

Sounds like by using the remote start setup and also checking the voltage at the starter, you've eliminated 1,2,4 and 5. If its not a bad ground to the starter, it would almost have to be a solenoid issue if it clicks but no start. What it says to me is that the solenoid is getting power, but not engaging the starter. It could just be an intermittent solenoid problem that did not show up for the guys at Kragen. You might see if Kragen can hook you up with a replacement solenoid to test this theory. I had an HEI unit that gave me nightmares with intermittent starting problems. Engine would spin, but not fire. Only did it every couple of weeks. After replacing the coil and cap, it turned out that the module was bad, but only sometimes. In went a new Accel HEI- problem solved. Had Kragen checked my HEI at that point, I'm sure it might have checked ok as well, but it was not. Again, sure sounds like a solenoid IMO.

I would try to rebuild the solenoid myself.It won't cost you anything.Just take it apart, any contacts that look burned, just turn them 90 degrees or turn themover. it is worth a try.

Is it possible the starter gear is not engaging the flywheel,..and simply bouncing off it? Try turning the engine by hand a quarter turn and/or add a .020 starter shim.

If you don't have the proper starter bolts for your mini-starter, it can shift out of position.

Another idea,..good luck!

The starter has been in the car for about 2 years now. It would occasionally grind, but for the most part, its been working very well.

If it were mis-aligned wouldnt it grind rather than just click ????? Its not spinning or grinding.... just clicking....

I bet you have a dead cell in the battery. They will still read 12V but have no amperage. Those mini starters draw a lot of amps to turn them over and if the battery is not full capacity it won't start.

Mike

Its a red top Optima. Even with the battery hooked up to a charger, it only clicks. The headlights dont dim and are very bright. Nothings acting like a low charge to me....

Make sure that your battery terminals are clean and tight. Those symptoms sound exactly like a bad connection.

If an automatic car check the neutral safety switch on the shifter... We were on a club run this weekend and my buddys car kept click, click, clickin as he giggled his shifter around to get it to start... I wouldn't have expected to hear the clicking of the solenoid with this problem but he kept getting his car started so maybe give it a try...

Or if she's a 4-speed, check the clutch pedal switch and the connector that's about a foot of wiring away.

Battery terminals look great and I'm getting 12 volts at the starter solenoid.

The car is a manual trans.

If I'm using a remote start switch which jumps from the batt connect on the starter to the "S" terminal on the starter, doesnt that bypass all of the ignition switch and neutral safety switch stuff etc ???

If it were a bad battery connection would all of my other power accessories be weak too ??? They all work fine.

Battery terminals look great and I'm getting 12 volts at the starter solenoid.

If it were a bad battery connection would all of my other power accessories be weak too ??? They all work fine.

The problem isn't with voltage, it's with amperage. The starter requires more amperage than everything else on the car combined. A weak battery connection will allow accessories to work but not allow the starter to turn the engine over. Make sure that the connections on the starter are tight too.

I took the starter to the guy that did the wiring on my car to have him bench test it.

He hooked it up and it spun etc. Then he use a hammer handle and gently pressed it against the gear and tried again. This time..... click click.....

He then bypassed the solenoid and the gear spun just fine, even with resistance.

So basically with a very minimal amount of resistance on the gear, it would only "click click". BAD SOLENOID

Just thought I would let you guys know the final result of all our troubleshooting

Thanks