While turning the key to START, I get only a "click" as if the solenoid were activating but it isn't turning the starter motor itself. I can usually just "click" it a few times from RUN to START, and it finally fires up like nothing is wrong. Sometimes it will go all day without clicking, sometimes it won't start for long stretches, but it's usually in between. You hop in, it does it five or six times, and then BAMN, fires right up. When it first started, it only did it intermittently, like once a week or so. Now it always does it, even though it has times when it fires right up.

I've been through two starters, a new positive cable, new fusible links, new clutch switch & adjusted it numerous times. I also hooked up a push button directly to my starter solenoid for testing, and it will turn over EVERY TIME if I use the button, not a single problem there. But back to the key... "Click, click, click, click, start right up". No security light, nothing out of the ordinary except the click.

At first I thought I simply needed to shim it out, and let it ride out until the starter died, figuring I would shim the new one in correctly and be done with it. No dice, it's shimmed fine now (the old was good too), and it would do the same with the button if that was the case.

Anybody have this problem before? It's really weird and seems to defy logic to me... It definitely SOUNDS LIKE THE SOLENOID activating... But only with the key?! It seems to me it would do it with the button too if it wasn't in the column! I'm tearing into the column today or tomorrow, and wanted some opinions.

 

I have this same problem, the infernal clicking! mine has done this for a very long time and i've just learned to live with it. I've never been able to pinpoint where the problem is either. My only guess is theres a bad connection somewhere, would like to hear suggestions as well

 

Ignition switch (not the key cylinder), starter enable relay, or neutral safety switch. Or bad wiring inbetween any of those. Diag article at austinthirdgen.org tech articles - or here - there's been 20+ folks with same issue this past month alone!

 

It's not the ignition switch or the relay and my car is a 5-speed. That's why this is bugging me, I've checked the usual places.

After poking around with a DVOM I've found it's somewhere between the starter relay and the starter itself, but can't really see anything wrong in the fusebox... I think I'll have to chase some wires to fix this one

 

Unless you meant the clutch switch, in which case yes, checked that too.