well the truck when i try to crank wont start just makes a loud click noise
batterie is new and charged so is altonater . i dont know what to do and when i try to turn on any accesories it shuts off all the power like if you turn on head light switch it kills everything . help please

 

The only times I have had the clicking problem are when:

the battery is drained.. even if it is new you can still drain it.. once left the radio on for over an hour listening to music at my friend's ranch and had to get it jumped..

or..

the starter took a dump which sucks.. had to watch my truck get pulled up onto a flatbed then follow the tow truck to get to fixed..

 

if its the starter.. try hitting it with the handle of a hammer.. sometimes they stick and wont spin... thats what my 4wheeler starter did and i just hit it with a rock and it spun free.

 

Please check your battery terminals. If they are corroded then it will cause the clicking sound. Also just check your wires and make sure there is no mud on any connections etc.

 

^what he said.. he beats me to everything :(

i used to work it at autozone, saw it all the time, even a small amount can keep it from starting with a battery straight off the shelf

 

well guys after 5 hours ive got it running . Heres how it went down , First bought a starter solenoid only to find out its atached to the starter not the fender ... lol next pulled battery and took to have it tested (good) after that pulled starter and had it tested and the solenoid (good also)
so at this point im totally miffed so i get back home and check everything and decided to try and start it up so i notice my shifter is a little off so i held it up in park and bam fires right up so im happy again . thanks for all the help guys

 

Neutral safety switch ^^^

 

Terminals were the problem for me...ended up that the battery just died...so I got an Optima Redtop. Problem solved :)

 

I had the same problem this week . My battery cables had good continuity to the starter . I replaced the starter relay , still no start one click . I started pulling fuses and they all looked good . I turned the key and it started right up . Next morning - no start one click . so I pulled the no. 24 10 amp fuse , cleaned it , put Noalox on it - it started right up . So far it's been starting great . I was inches away from buying a new starter .

 

Gentlemen - first time posting. Recently purchased 1983 Ranger. Was running beautifully for a while. On the way home from the beach, pulled off to get gas; shut the truck off and when I tried to start up and leave again, it wouldn't make a sound, even a click. A kind stranger gave me a jump which didn't seem to be working at first; he jiggled battery cables and all was good. Drove home without issue.

Over the next week, it wasn't starting again. I bought a new battery; made no difference. Replaced the starter solenoid, made no difference. Batter and solenoid are getting appropriate readings on multimeter, so I think they are fine. Now, when I turn the key, a similar thing happens to what the original poster described - it clicks once, and then everything dies. Electronics don't work at all, and turning the key again doesn't even get a second click. Does this sound like a starter? Fuse? Starter seems easy enough to replace (I'm a complete novice), but I'm not sure how to diagnose it. Seems like the starter wouldn't explain why none of the electronics work after the first turn of the key.

All advice appreciated. Thank you.

 

This problem is all over the internet, with mine the factory crimped negative battery connection was oxidized badly with the previous owner leaving it sit for 8 years with battery acid all over it.
The connection to the solenoid on the starter was pretty hoaky too.

Check and clean all your grounds.
I also replaced the factory battery lugs with some nickel plated brass ones where I had to solder them in _ I never liked the crimped type.
I used a Dremel tool to carefully cut off the old lugs. I skinned the wire back a bit just to lengthen the ends for the new lugs, but didn't cut any of the original wire off.
The wire(s) were badly oxidized and of course wouldn't take any solder.
I took three containers, one with a tiny bit of hydrochloric acid, one with odorless paint thinner and the last with lacquer thinner.
I carefully spread the wires apart (time consuming) and with a good supply of Q-Tips in hand I cleaned the wires with the acid.
The wires will immediately turn pink and will become very clean, but you have to get the paint thinner on there pretty quick because the acid will have the opposite affect and oxidize the wires again.
The lacquer thinner is used to clean off the paint thinner so the solder will take _ and off course plenty of flux was used. You also need a big monster soldering iron for this, but I did use a small torch to actually solder the wires into the new lugs.
I'm not saying that you have to do this, but this is what had to be done to mine, and word of caution if you use the acid, keep lots of rags all over things, don't spill the acid, when you're done with it, return it to it's container right away. Do it outside, not in a garage.
Don't leave it sit on the open air more then you have to, the fumes off of it will rust metal and eat aluminum.


On my truck I also found this monster 175 amp fuse on the negative side of the battery, it wasn't bad, but I cleaned that as well.

You can check for continuity resistance and voltage flow with a meter and it will show OK, but when you put a load on the system, it will/may fail.