1990 NA

Car started having starting issues.

Has a brand spanking new starter I just put in.

Alt less than a year old.

Tried other batteries.

When I go to start the car I get the clicking noise like the battery isn't charged enough. I've charged it plenty and still get the same problem.

Push started it today and drove it up and down the street a few times, let it sit in the driveway with headlights on to see if the battery wasn't holding the charge but it was fine.

I shut the car off and try to start it immediately and click click click click....

Is there a starter relay or something that could be bad?

 

Do you have the factory alarm. If so, then you have a relay that the starter circuit runs through.

Make sure the terminals at the battery (obviously two of them) are good as well as at the starter (two again as well). If you took the metal shank of a screwdriver and bridged the voltage terminal at the starter, which comes from the battery, to the starter solenoid terminal while in neutral and the starter kicked over each and every time then you know the starter and battery plus the two connection between the two items are good and not the cause of the problem.

And it could be the interlock switch (requires the clutch to be depressed). To bypass the switch you would jumper the two wires which feed the switch. They are B/G and B/R.

If the relay was problematic you would jumper the Black/Blue wire to the thickest Black/Green wire in the plug (there are two to choose from as one is quite thin in gauge).

 

check your grounds too

 

Yes I have the factory alarm.

I've done the jumper on the clutch switch but have the same problem.

And the relay is located driver side under the hood against the fender? That metal box?

 

The relay has two B/G wires, one Black/Blue and one Light Green wire.

The interlock switch and clutch switch are different. Interlock has B/G and B/R while the clutch switch has a different set of wires.

 

Starter ground is connected. My battery ground is not the tightest but it's been working for years like it is.

The car used to run fine until I changed the clutch slave on the trans and its had a problem ever since.

 

Well the one behind the clutch pedal I already did a jumper on.

 

Did you rehook the ground back up? There is one that is bolted with the slave

 

Nvm, thats the resistor for the oil pressure gauge, disregaurd

 

There are two switches on the clutch pedal (not one but two,two, two switches). The interlock has a B/G wire and a B/R wire.

 

It does this every start? never tries to crank at all? my 86 had a problem every now and then with clicking and it turned out to be my alt/starter/battery circuit wiring. Must be brittle/corroded or something. I added a 4 gauge wire from the alt b+ to the battery positive post and use an aftermarket terminal with extra slots for wires. fixed my clicking issue but sounds like if it never tries to crank it is probably the clutch switch or alarm issue. another idea if those don't fix it though.

 

Jumped the B/G to B/BLUE wires and still got the clicking noise.

Same when I did the jumper on the clutch interlock switch.

And yes it does this every time I try to start it and does not try to crank.

Got to drive it one time after clutch slave replacement with no problem and the next day it wouldn't start or even turn over.

 

The B/R wire runs to the starter (and when bridging the Black/Blue wire to the Black/Green the clutch also needs to be depressed). If supplying voltage to this wire doesn't turn over the starter then either the starter is problematic or an intermediate connector between the interlock and the starter is poor. Performing the screwdriver trick would tell you if the starter is basically good or not.

 

I'll guess that the ground for the harness is not getting a good connection.That or the Positive has a bad contact at the starter.(that stud can make the Connector go wonky and not sit right.
Clean the crud off the harness,and put the bolt in backwards(nut at the back of the engine).If you sand that area plus the bolt I found that it help immensely.