Rapid clicking (not from starter) and won't start.

[1989notchback5.0]

Recently I'd gone out to my car and found it won't start. At first it would just click once and I thought the starter would need a tap. Had a buddie try to start it while I'm under the hood and this relay on the driver's fender started rapidly clicking during cranking attempt. Not sure what this relay is or if it is even the culprit. Not wanting to spend alot of money to get my, up til now, reliable transportation back on the road.
Thanks

[dalev]

The relay is your problem, and it is easy to replace and inexpensive. I wish that was all that was wrong with mine,,,lol

[1989notchback5.0]

Originally Posted by dalev

The relay is your problem, and it is easy to replace and inexpensive. I wish that was all that was wrong with mine,,,lol

I bought a new starter solenoid to replace the one that was clicking and installed it, but the new one does the same thing. I can't think of anything else. The battery is dead and I have to jump it to get this result. Maybe it could be the alternator?

[BigDanTheMan]

yea, check the back of the alternator for signs of burns or broken cables. when i installed my alternator incorrectly i got the same thing and then once i reconnected it properly it started like there never was a problem. if the soilnoid was just replaced and the first one may have been broken you might have no installed the new one properly which is why the problem would be persisting.

[HiFlow5 0]

That starter relay will click when the starter is bad. Replce the starter and you should be set. I just did the same thing on my 92 project.

[Stangs4Life]

Starter Relay will also click when:
battery voltage is low -

it's been my experience that if the voltage drops below 10 volts, because of the remote soleniod setup , Mustangs just click. Get ahold of a multimeter and check the voltage after giving it a full charge. Also if the battery isn't a matinance free version and you can pull the caps off, check the cells to make sure that electrolite is covering the cell plates. If not, you can top them off with distilled water

Another thing to check is the conection of the clamps to the battery terminals. Bad connections here can also cause the clicking. Clean the post and clamps.

I know these are very basic, but more times than not it's the basics that bite ya in the butt

best of luck.

[RUDebtFree]

Try checking all of your battery cables. I had the same problem and it turned out to be my negative cable.