97 Cobra will not crank-need help!

[venymusdae]

I have a 97 Mustang Cobra that will not start (won't crank but I hear the solenoid click). I replaced the starter motor/solenoid, cleaned battery posts, replaced battery wire terminals, and it still won't start. Does anyone know what else it could be?

[Selectron]

I assume your battery is fully charged?

You didn't mention the engine grounding strap, so unbolt that, clean it and reconnect it - it carries the starter motor return current so a good connection there is vital. I don't know how many leads connect to the battery negative terminal on your vehicle but the one you're looking for will be the largest diameter amongst them and it will bolt onto the block.

If that doesn't make any difference then I'd try bypassing the regular starter solenoid circuit. On your starter motor you will have three terminals - two will have heavy, large-diameter cables connected to them and the third will have a real thin wire - that's the terminal that you're interested in. Connect a length of wire to that terminal and then route the other end up to near the battery. Don't connect it to anything - just have it sitting there ready. Next, check that you're in Neutral, for a manual transmission, or Neutral or Park for an automatic, with the parking brake on, and then switch the ignition to the Run position. Then go to the battery and touch the bare end of that wire to the battery positive terminal - the starter motor should crank and the engine should run - remove the wire from the battery as soon as the engine fires.

If it still refuses to crank then you'll need a multimeter, to measure the voltage drop across the 12V feed from the battery positive terminal to the starter solenoid, then across the solenoid contacts, and then across the ground return from the starter back to the battery negative terminal, because if the battery is good and the starter motor is good then you must be dropping voltage somewhere. If you want more detail on measuring voltage drop, let me know.