Starter Motor goes "Click" after replacing everything

[Badbobaz]

Okay I'm at the end of the preverible rope. My '88 (owned since new, totally stock) was loaned to a non-car guy for a month to haul yard stuff on remodel. Winter came and it sat for another month in the snow. He said the battery died when I went to pick it up. I jumped it and it fired right up. I drove it to O'Reilly's and installed a new battery in the parking lot.  It fired right up again and I went to the car wash where I remembered I needed another part for my MGA at O'Reilly's so I drove back to the store.  When I went to leave I turned the key and it went with a loud "click" at the starter motor. O'Reilly's (gotta love them) staff came out and push started me in a smowstorm. Got home and with the battery showing 12.78 volts I figured the new juice was too much for a 34 year starter and changed it.  Turned the key and it fired right up with the new starter motor. Drove it 2 more times no issue. Then when I went to start it, "click" again. Read this forum and changed the Starter Relay and cleaned -all- of the connections and battery terminals, and again "click".  So there is a new battery which is fully charged, a new starter motor (not a rebuilt but new manufacture) and a new starter relay and "click". Completely out of ideas except the dreaded one that the non-car guy held the key down and shaved off the teeth on the flywheel starting it which doesn't make a lot sense to me as the starter is going "click" not "whirrrr". Help please? 

[scguy]

Check voltage while cranking to your starter terminals, big wire and small. You should have battery voltage on both. If you don't, you've got a problem upstream. If you do, it's a bad starter. 

 

NEW= Never Ever Worked

[eaglescout526]

Perhaps there’s something going on with the ignition switch as well. 

[jdog]

Don't just assume that it's good because it's new.

How are the cables, original to the truck? Corrosion build up inside the sheathing and will look good on the outside. How's the ground at the block?

[MiNi Beast]

Tap it with a 🔨 give it a little rub,whisper let's get some gas! 

[Badbobaz]

okay to summarize, in the morning I will check the ground, check the voltage and the switch. I doubt it is the switch as the warning lights come on and stay on when I try to start it, but will check the circuit.  The cable are ordinal as I had to delete a battery terminal and insert a new on the battery and the cable wires were shiny.  This is an AZ desert truck so no corrosion or rust anywhere. I will let you know how the voltage is and the switch circuit in the AM, and Thanks!

 

[cruiser54]

Ever visited my website?

 

Tips 1 through 5 first chance you get. Or maybe before doing anything else. 

[jdog]

6 hours ago, Badbobaz said:

This is an AZ desert truck so no corrosion

This corrosion isn't caused by moisture but battery acid, your cables can still be bad. Ohm them out with a meter to verify

[gogmorgo]

2 hours ago, jdog said:

This corrosion isn't caused by moisture but battery acid, your cables can still be bad. Ohm them out with a meter to verify

Measuring voltage drop across the ends of the cables while cranking is a more effective measurement. All you need is one good strand of copper to get 0 ohms, but if you’re seeing much in the way of voltage drop through the conductor, you know you have a problem.

[jdog]

True

[Badbobaz]

You folks are amazing.  I jumped between the (new) Starter Relay to the (new) Battery positive terminal and the (new) Starter Motor cranked right up.  The battery connector cable, which indeed looked great when I had it off, must be bad.  Thanks to everyone for your comments!