1998 SVT contour. 2.5 dohc duratec v6 with manual trans. Just wouldn’t start one day. Starter clicks like battery is dead. Not battery. Starter is good. Solenoid is good too. Shop said that they could turn the crank with a socket wrench so don’t think it seized. Any help is greatly appriciated.
Thanks in advance,
Joe
Try removing both ends of the battery cables (both of them) and cleaning both the cable and where it goes very well and reattaching making sure they are secure.
How old is that battery? Why do you say it is not the battery?
If it can be jump-started, it may well be the battery. If not, and your sure the starter and solenoid are good, then it is in the electrical system. There is a starter cut-out switch on the clutch pedal to prevent the car from starting with the car in gear. You should have to press the clutch pedal all the way in to disengage this cut-out switch. It could be broken or mis-aligned. Or, it could be a bad ignition switch. Or bad wires.
If you are getting clicking action, and you know that the battery, starter, and cables are good, I would suspect the ignition switch.
On older cars I would guess that the negative battery cable is shot.
Hopefully the testing methods used to test the battery, starter, and solenoid are the correct ones. The wrong ones may not tell you anything.
I believe this car uses a relay between the fusible link and the starter. So, is this click sound you hear the starter solenoid or is it the relay?