Battery died, replaced it.

Went to start it up and all I got was "Click click click".

Pulled starter, found contacts badly worn, replaced them and had starter tested. Starter tested fine.

Hooked up starter and left it laying on the crossmember: turned the ignition and it fired every time. Installed it into housing and nothing,zilch,nada. Not a sound from the starter.

Purchashed a new starter and it's doing the samething: Randomly will spin while laying on the crossmember yet doesn't do a damn thing when installed into the housing, like the armature won't extend or anything: for all intensive purposes it's dead.

Then when I take it back out and lay it on the crossmemeber it will randomly work. Turn the key off, then on, and it's dead

Thinking maybe it's the factory alarm computer or the brain for the aftermarket alarm (which I don't have a fob for). Or maybe it needs a push-start? (I think some other members have had similar starting issues that were resolved by a push start).

Ideas?

 

check where the starter mounts to the block for corrosion or oil build up. the starter uses the threads of its bolts to ground to the engine. if those check out look at the engine to chassis/body grounds for corrosion or broken wires. that is the simplest place to start

 

Thanks i'll check those first.

Also am I the only one that is HATES the factory service manuals for these cars!!!?? Like they keep telling me to check the "ECU" only problem is they don't clarify which ECU to check....They just give some pictue...AHHHH!!!! So now I have to play some guessing game as to which ECU is which. The other day I wound up checking the powersteering/telescoping ECU instead of the anti-theft ECU because they both look the exact same (according to the only reference I could fine, a un-captioned picture) and there is NO description of either of them!!!!! AHHHH!

Whats more is they tell me to "Replace ECU" if X connection doesn't read X voltage. WHAT ECU DO I REPLACE!? The main ECU or the Anti theft ECU. UGH!!!

 

Ran a jumper cable from the (-) Terminal (which was still grounded to the body) straight to the block: Fired in a split-second..WOOT!

Unplugged the (jumper) cable: nothing.

Re-attached it: VRROOOOM VROOM!!, turned over in a millisecond.

Ran a new ground cable to the block: Starter turned the flywheel but the engine just wouldn't fire.

Ran another cable to the body (along with the one to the block) and it fires instantly.

Problem ****ing solved (I hope).

 

I got here late, but I was going to say the reason it worked was because you were grounding it on the crossmember. Glad you figured that out and hope is stays working.