Single click starter

[gprust]

Hello everyone. I am working on getting my 1969 with the 360 back up and running. I changed out the starter for a power master XS this weekend along with the headers to some short tubes. I redid the battery cables. Battery is holding at 12.5 volts. When I start the truck, I get one loud click. I jumped a wire from the battery to the "s" post on the solenoid. The same. One loud click.

I recently rewired the truck, had it running, but redid the gauge cluster and have that unplugged. The points were replaced with a crane cams xr-i ignition. It was running after all this.

Does this point toward a bad starter? Anyplace else I should look? Thanks in advance for any help.

[71Fe2O3]

Clicking is most likely a result of a weak battery, but a bad solenoid is also possible.

Follow the chain beginning at the battery. If it is fully charged, a load test will tell you if it can supply sufficient amperage to turn the starter motor. Auto supply shops often do it for free if you don't have a tester.

Make sure the terminals are clean, that you have good connections between battery and solenoid, solenoid and starter, good ground on the engine block, and that the wires are clamped firmly to the battery terminals.

Make sure the wires to the posts on the solenoid are installed correctly (wiring diagrams are available on this site), that the solenoid has good ground (to the inner fender via the mounting screws) and that all contact points are clean and all wires firmly attached. The stock connectors may have loosened up or become corroded-I replaced mine with round wire end connectors, nuts and lock washers.

If you get to this point, try jumping across the solenoid with a manual cranker or screwdriver. Or, more directly, you could establish a direct connection between the battery and the starter.

This is a fairly common problem, likely discussed many times here over the years. Here is one link.
http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... hp?t=61908

[sargentrs]

Go get a remote starter switch and connect it straight from the battery to the starter, bypassing the solenoid. It's a handy thing to have around anyway. http://www.autozone.com/alarm-and-secur ... 27094511:s See if it turns over repeatedly that way. If so, suspect the solenoid. I've also had a similar starter issue that turned out to just be bad grounded through the bell housing. Pulled the starter, cleaned all mounting surfaces and bolted it back together and the issue was fixed.

[71Fe2O3]

Connecting a remote starter switch from the battery to the starter will fry the switch, as I learned the hard way several years ago. Those things aren't designed to handle that much amperage, as you can tell from the thin wires, and should only be used across the solenoid. I believe you attach one clamp to the large terminal to which the cable from the battery is connected and the other to the small terminal marked S. You would need a thick wire like a battery cable to directly energize the starter.

[71PA_Highboy]

I had this problem on my Ranger.... Ground cable was bad and 1 click and that was it.

Try using a jumper cable from the starter directly to the battery negative terminal to simulate a block ground.