I just installed a new stock engine in my car along with a new tranny.

Everything was fine when i put the car back together.. it started right away at first and after the 5th time or so it looked as if the battery was getting weak.

After 3 hours of putting the car back together, I tried to crank the car and it just clicks. i tested the battery and alternator and they are fine. All the wires to the starter are fine too. I did drop the starter on the floor from a table before i put the car back together.. but it was fine for the first couple of cranks.

Now... im sure its something to do with the starter.. but does it need to be replaced?

how can you tell?

How many fuses/relays are there for the starter and where are they?

Any and All suggestions or comments will be much appreciated!!

 

replace the battery... the clicking is the solenoid
bump start your car and it should charge your battery... or get a jump box... if it starts then dies when you remove the jump box your altenator is bad or not connected properly
12.6V should be at the battery when off
14.1V should be at the battery when running
10.5V should be at the battery when cranking... if it drops below that then the battery is toast

 

i tested the battery running it was at 14.2v. i really dont think its the battery... but you said "replace the battery... the clicking is the solenoid" solenoid: starter? so why replace the battery?

 

A bad battery will have the same voltage as a good one until you put a big load (like the starter) on it. Then the voltage drops below what's needed to keep the solenoid closed. When the load is removed, the voltage goes back up, and the solenoid closes again. That's why the solenoid clicks on and off rapidly with a dead battery.

 

So why do ppl test their batteries???

 

I guess so a clicking solenoid will not be the first sign of trouble. A load test will tell you the battery is getting weaker before it's so bad the car won't start.

 

you need a load tester to test the battery.. autozone or one of the autopart stores might have one to borrow



try putting jumper cables on the car, see if it helps or not.. sometimes the starter works less the hotter it is.

always eliminate the obvious first to diagnos problems

 

+1 on jump starting it with another car.

 

i tried jump starting the car... it wont start

 

i will take the battery to autozone tomorrow. and then we'll go from there

 

Probably the starter.

 

im gonna try to jump start it with a bigger car a V8.... i heard it makes a difference

 

I'd say you could jumpstart a Z from just about any car with a decent battery. Just be sure you've got some decent cables, and you're getting good contact when you make the connections.

In my (admittedly limited) experience, a clicking starter solenoid has always been cured by replacing the battery.

 

I tried jump starting the car with some big thick jumper cables and a dodge ram v8.... FAIL!!! Still clicking. I'm taking the battery to autozone tomorrow to check it... But I doubt that's the problem

 

That makes no difference. The amperage of the battery makes the difference, not the size of the engine or the vehicle it's in.

 

On my way to autozone. I hope it's just the battery.... I'm tired of riding my bike to work

 

so the battery checked out fine. Now i have to ride to tampa, buy a starter from Turbo Toys and come back install it and hope thats the issue.

but b4 i do that. which fuses/relays should i check to make sure its not a fuse..

 

There are two relays associated with the starter. One is in the IPDM near the battery. The other is part of the solenoid on the starter itself.

There is a 40-amp fusible link between the battery and the ignition switch. The wire from the battery to the starter motor itself doesn't have a fusible link.

It's possible that dropping the starter caused one or more of the permanent magnets in it to partially break loose from the case. It worked OK until they broke completely loose.

I have one more question. When you said,

"...I tried to crank the car and it just clicks.",

did you mean
(a) just one click each time you turn the key to start, or

(b) a rapid series of clicks a second or less apart while the key is in the start position.

(a) points to the starter, (b) points to the battery or wiring (loose or dirty/corroded connection)

I took 'clicks' to mean rapid clicking when I wrote reply #4.

 

def Option A.. im going tomorrow to pick up a starter. i'll let u guys klnow. thanks for all the help!!

 

What happened? Did u get it fixed? Having a similar issue here.