You should see battery voltage at the starter terminals. If there is a difference between the voltage there and at the battery, then you have a wiring problem. Wiring is battery+ to starter relay to starter solenoid. They use huge battery cables to make sure that even during high amp draws, the voltage is essentially the same at both ends of the cable.

The trick to determining battery condition is this: how low does the battery voltage go while the starter is turning? Putting a very big amp draw (like the starter) on the battery will cause a voltage drop in the battery. The weaker the battery, the lower the voltage will drop. If you see battery voltage below maybe 10V while cranking the engine over, your battery is too weak. Needs charging or replacement.

Bring your battery somewhere to be tested. They just put a big amp draw on it and check voltage. Same test I mentioned above. If your starter was engaging, you could do the test yourself at home.

 

batt is fine but the starter positive lead isn't showing 12v... in fact its not showing any power at all. I have my battery relocated to the trunk so I am going to check all the connections from there to the starter cable lead and see if I can't find the problem... maybe a short or loose connection! Either way it looks like I wasted the time removing the starter... looks like I get to practice installing a starter here soon as well.

 

Now we're getting somewhere!

But as per earlier suggestion, please do check the ground too!

 

ooh. battery relocated woulda been a good thing to know.

most deff bad wire to the front. after you find the short you should check all your fuses..! may have blown something...

 

found the issue... the splice connector I used to connect the 1ga wire I ran from the trunk forwards to the 4ga wire that runs to the starter stock rubbed through the shrink tube covering it and shorted on the chassis. I had 2 150amp ANL fuses inline one 1ft from the battery and the other upfront right next to the splice... the one in the trunk was ok and I was thinking it was a starter issue since the solenoid still clicked, come to find out when it shorted it poped the front 150amp fuse under the dash! So I gotta re-wrap the connection better and replace the blown fuse.

THEN RE-INSTALL THE STARTER! BLAH!

Oh well I shoulda checked all that better before I took it out, I just was so confused how with the car not moving and only 30sec ago it was cranking how something could have changed... LESSON LEARNED.

Thanks Guys.

 

Great good feeling doing stuff your self