Just replaced the battery, prior owner replaced starter and solenoid, its clean as can be, can tell its new (bought car last week). Just got stranded as I got when turning key was a clicking and it would catch every once in a while, and wore the battery out.

The problem, when I go to start I get a constant clicking like a relay or solenoid is going bad in the system, seems to make the starter not engage completely but when it stops clicking the starter works fine. Sometimes when I turn the key all I get is a "clunk" like a relay but then nothing happens and I have to do that a couple times before the starter kicks. Prior owner said it did it before which is why he replaced the starter as he thought it was that solenoid, is there another relay coming from the same area I need to check? The sound sounds like it is coming from the starter area.

I thought it was low voltage so I changed the battery as it was getting wore out, so when the starter kicks in it starts very easily now, I just need the clicking to stop! any help would be appreciated.

1990 Camaro RS, 305, 5 speed.

 

The one thing neither you or the PO addressed is the battery cables. These cables transfer the power from the battery to the starter and when cranking, they carry very high current. The high current heats the wire and over years of service, the wire gets brittle and breaks. Often the breaks are inside the insulation where theyre not even visible. To locate the failed wire, perform a volt drop test accross each cable by placing a voltmeter probe on each end and watching voltage while attempting to start the engine. You will see the voltage which is "dropped" by impedance in the wire. More than 1 volt means a bad wire. If in doubt just replace both cables. Be aware also, cheap reman starters are often bad right out of the box.

 

Thanks for the tip, just to be clear, I have a fluke voltmeter, add an alligator clip and hook up at both sides of wire, set it to "DC current and anything more than one (or negative one depending) is bad correct when cranking?

Thanks again, will give that a test. Its a weird problem to me as sometimes it connects right away and fires up, while other times it wont hardly at all.
Appreciate it!

 

DC Voltage, not current. You are looking for volt drop across the length of wire.