Intermittent clicking starter

My 1987 Camaro IROC-Z with a 305 TPI, 5 speed, 64,000 miles, has developed a little starting problem. When I try and start the car, sometimes it just clicks, like the battery is weak. If I try a few times, then it turns over and runs fine. If I make several stops, and shut the car down, sometimes it does it, and sometimes it doesn't. My battery is only a year old (Diehard), and I keep it on a battery maintainer/charger, so I feel that the battery is OK. I took off all the wires and cleaned, and tightened the connections thinking that there was some corrosion blocking the flow. That didn't fix my problem. A guy from the auto parts store suggested having the battery checked, and if that was good, it was probably the starter. I asked if it could be the solenoid, but he said that if it is "clicking" the solenoid would not be the problem. I'm stumped, any suggestions?!?

well the cheapest deal here is to have the battery tested, sometimes batteries go bad, and actually keeping it on a maintainer all the time may not be the best thing for it, you can over charge batteries, and cause damage, not saying it happend, but i would not rule it out.

if the battery is ok, there is a possiblity your starter motor has gone bad, test it by taking a screwdriver and jumping the two terminals on the back of the starter. and seeing if it works. also check your grounds from the starter motor its self.

I asked if it could be the solenoid, but he said that if it is "clicking" the solenoid would not be the problem.

he's an idiot

pull the solenoid apart and rotate the copper bolt 180*. this is the copper bolt that the positive cable connects to, and is also what the slug inside the solenoid actually make contact with when you turn the key. the slug only makes contact with half of the this bolt and over time wears down. like i said you can rotate this bolt 180* and get many more miles out of it. if that doesn't fix it, it's time for a new starter

i think he was going with the rule of thumb that people always use, but i never do cause i can never remember which way it goes. i think if the car clicks, than its a dead battery. if the car does absolutely nothing, than generally its the starter...

a new starter solonoid is like 6 dollars.. If you go through the trouble of pullin' the starter out, Ide replace it anyway..

If that doesnt fix it, buy a DIY starter rebuild kit (i think i paid $20cdn)
And you got yourself a rebuilt starter and new solonoid

the auto parts stores around here dont sell just the solenoid, they make you buy a whole new starter. it's only $25 for a rebuilt, but still....

My 1987 Camaro IROC-Z with a 305 TPI, 5 speed, 64,000 miles, has developed a little starting problem. When I try and start the car, sometimes it just clicks, like the battery is weak. If I try a few times, then it turns over and runs fine. If I make several stops, and shut the car down, sometimes it does it, and sometimes it doesn't. My battery is only a year old (Diehard), and I keep it on a battery maintainer/charger, so I feel that the battery is OK. I took off all the wires and cleaned, and tightened the connections thinking that there was some corrosion blocking the flow. That didn't fix my problem. A guy from the auto parts store suggested having the battery checked, and if that was good, it was probably the starter. I asked if it could be the solenoid, but he said that if it is "clicking" the solenoid would not be the problem. I'm stumped, any suggestions?!?Start out by verifying your batt. is OK. Then:The wire going to the solenoid is inadequate. One of my cars had the same problem. I changed the wire from a 10 awg to a 6 awg. Now the solenoid does not click in, it slams in. This problem does not show up on a new starter giving you the impression the starter was at fault. .§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§REFUSE TO LOSE§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

arright, i have a 94 camaro with the exact same problem. it has just started doin it about 3 or 4 months ago, i had good voltage goin down to the starter and comin from the ignition so i figured it was the starter. i went ahead and forked out for a new starter, and put it in. worked great for about 2 weeks. then it started doin it again. maybe the starter was a defective one? with a lifetime warrenty i figured why not. drop the exhaust again ( either exhaust or tranny is a must for the 3.4L) and change it out. once again, worked great for about a week or two. now, its doing it once again. i've taken off the main battery cable and cleaned it, bought a brand new battery, i cant figure out whats up? i have good constant voltage down there but maybe over the years the main power cable has just kinda corroded? i have no clue what to do next:banghead: ...any other ideas? selonoid clicks...no starter does not ingage. flywheel in perfect condition...:screwy:

:yikes:This thread is just a tad outside the 3month window of being concidered stale. Solenoid clicking usually means poor contacts or low amps.

Start a new thread and give us all the details and wie'll help you out. :thumbsup: