Car clicks with ignition off - won't start. 1992 Saturn SC2

My son’s car wouldn’t start after parking at burger king. In off, the car has clicks just behind the floor shifter in a black module and under and foward of engine compartment fuse block. Only way to stop clicking is to move ignition switch to another position or pull IB Battery MaxiFuse in engine compartment fuse block. No activity from car in any other ignition position. no instrument panel lights, radio. Thought ignition switch changed it, same condition. Battery checks out good. jumpstarting even using a second ground on engine doesn’t change symptom. I can’t find the modules that are clicking in my Chilton manual. Does anyone have any insight? What are the clicking modules and how can I move forward to get the car out of the burger king parking lot? Help!

Are you saying that even a jumpstart doesn’t get the car going? Is there gas in the tank? I’d have it towed to the shop…

A little clarification, with 1B maxifuse installed, still nothing works in any ignition position?

Is the clicking coming from two places?

Does the car have an aftermarket alarm system?

What positions with the ignition switch stop the clicking?

Car does not turnover, with 1B maxifuse installed: nothing happens in accessories, run or start. There is no aftermarket alarm system. The clicking stops in any other ignition position except off. I can hear the clicking from something under and forward of the engine compartment fuse panel and from a black rectangular module that is mounted just aft of the transmission console shifter (auto trans). The gas tank was just filled. any thoughts appreciated. Thank you.

The clicking you are hearing may be coming from relays. To find out why the ignition power isn’t working get a test light probe and check for power getting to the fuses in the panel under the hood. If those fuses are getting power then you need to see if power is getting to and past the ignition switch. I suggest you use your service manual to guide you in the hunt. It may also help to clean the chassis ground from the battery.

Juice is getting to the solenoid, that is why it clicks. Clean and check all cables and connections of battery cables including ground and starting motor positive terminal. If that fails to eliminate the problem get the starting motor tested.

I’m off to clean cables. But it doesn’t click when the ignition switch is in start position. It only clicks when the ignition switch is in the off position. The click isn’t coming from anywhere near the solenoid. Starting motor is relatively new compared to the rest of the car. I’m also going to pull one fuse at a time until I locate the fuse that stops the clicking. Maybe then someone will be able to tell me what the rectangular box just behind the shifter is. Thanks for the thoughts, please keep them coming. Soon I’m going to have to tow it from burger king.

I can’t believe it. I got faked out by the clicking. Finally turned up a 6 voltage drop from the battery to the fuse block under the hood. Cougar pretty much nailed it. Waterboy had me going in the right direction. Cleaned the terminal to the fuse block and it started better than it has in a few months. The clicking inside the car was the control module for the seatbelts. This one has the motorized shoulder harnesses. Not sure what the front driver’s fender was. I assume it was a similar device that requires more than 6 volts of power when the ignition is off. Mystery Solved!! Now I just have to put the interior back together, but it RUNS! Thanks for your posts!

Ain’t electrical problems grand? Usually after a lot of time-consuming troubleshooting, I feel like smacking myself in the head because it’s something simple that I feel that I should’ve figured out in 5 minutes.