Hi all,

My '93 LX 5.0 has been sitting for a couple of months. It ran fine when I parked it. I went to drive it today and it won't crank. All I get is a loud "click" from the starter relay.

The battery is good. I shorted the terminals on the starter and the starter cranks. I checked the cables from the starter relay to the starter and they're fine. I checked the alternator per the book and it's fine. No fusible links are blown (that I can tell.) The battery ground to the block is fine. With the key on I get voltage on the power side of the starter relay, but not on the "start" side; the book says this could mean an open circuit somewhere, but I don't have a wiring diagram.

Any idea what could be causing this? It's driving me nuts!

 

I can almost guarantee that your battery cables are green and corroded underneath the plastic coating. Cut some of the plastic away that is buy the battery terminals and you will see.

 

Yea I agree, check the cables. They can be 80% corroded inside which will kill their amperage carrying capacity, but still have a couple good strands left, and that is all you need to see a voltage reading.

 

Thanks, I'll check them out. They're probably due for replacement anyway. The thing that gets me is I can short the terminals on the starter and it will crank, but won't crank when I try to start it using the key. I'm wondering if the clutch safety switch could be bad. I don't get the click from the relay if I don't engage the clutch, but maybe it shorts out somehow?