No start, only click

Just cleaned all the battery terminals. Still nothing. Made sure both ends of the starter cable were tight as well as the crimps are good, still nothing.

So I need someone to turn the key all the way and me to see what's going on voltage wise with the small wire on the starter
 
I've had someone try to jump me earlier with nothing different happen. Still just one click
 
Yes while someone is "cranking the key" check the small wire for 12volts. If good after that, check power on the main cable while the key is "off". If good and like 12.5volts check it again while someone "cranks the key" and see if the voltage drops.
 
Small wire while cranking only reads 10.5 or so. Big wire while cranking ran down to 1 or less. Then big wire with key off reads 10.5 or so
 
Now check the batts with the meter, after you get "key off" voltage then check "while cranking"
 
The way it's low voltage like 10.5 sitting still it's prob a ground issue. Usually a bad positive connection will still read 12.5 until a load.
 
Darn. Ok. I'm changing the drivers side ground. It seems way too soft. And I have one laying around. We'll see
 
Changed the ground and nothing. I'm lost right now. And need this truck tomorrow. I have no idea what to do
 
Put the ground of the meter on the block, put the pos on the last Batt on the way to the starter and crank it and tell me what it reads.
 
Now leave the ground on the engine block and put the pos on the big wire post on the starter.
 
12.5 volts on the positive starter terminal that goes to .3 volts when cranking.

Sure sounds like a bad cable going between the positive terminal on the battery and the positive terminal on the stater.

I don't know what the cables and terminals here look like, maybe you can use that ground cable you just replaced and try to use it to replace the positive cable. Or if you can put a jumper cable from the positive terminal on the starter to the battery, that should make it work better. (Might not be a good enough connection to start anything, but if it helps then you're on the right track.)

Usually the problem is right at the ends of the cables, where the ends are crimped on.

You can think of your starter circuit like a hydraulic circuit, with the battery being the pump and the starter being the motor. The problem here is you have a bad restriction in the circuit somewhere. With no "flow" (amps) through the circuit, the "pressure" (voltage) equalizes and everything pressurizes up to 12.5 volts. Once you start flowing (trying to crank the engine), there's supposed to be 12.5 volts on the positive side of the starter and 0 volts on the negative side, so a 12.5 volt drop across the starter. (Same as there's supposed to be high pressure the inlet of a hydraulic motor and no pressure on the return.) But instead of the volt drop being across the starter, it sounds like it's across the big positive cable. Ergo, there's a restriction in that cable.
 
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You, sir, were correct. Put a jumper from the battery to the starter and it started right up. Need new cables I guess
Thank you all who helped
 
Cool. If there's enough slop in the cable, you can cut the last inch or so off and try to solder or crimp a new lug on. 9 times out of 10 the problem is right at the end of the cable, usually at the battery end. I've done that to my truck a couple times.

You can use a really big crimper, they make fancy hydraulic ones. The cheaper way I've had success with is to strip back about 3/4" of clean wire and brush up the wire as good as you can. Then fill a solid copper terminal with solder, hit it with a torch to melt the solder, then while it's molten shove the wire into it. (I'm sure this isn't the "right" way, but I've done several connections and it works...)
 

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