OK, just rebuilt the motor. It spins fine when turned over with a breaker bar. I am trying to start the car but the starter just makes a clicking noise.
The battery is new(6 months old) and charged.
The starter is new(more on this later)
I have even jumped the car with another running car with no luck.
I have used sandpaper on all the terminals going to the starter.
I have shimmed the starter away from the flywheel with a washer in case it was mis-aligning with the flywheel.

I have worked on cars for 40 years...what is the deal?

I used a screwdriver to short the neg terminal to the positive from the battery on the starter to see if it would crank. It did but the starter stayed running and I had to disconnect the battery to get it to stop cranking. I took that starter to Advance and it did not pass the test procedures.
New battery, new starter, clean terminals and no cranky *****???

 

Sounds like the contacts inside the solenoid are not sending power to the starter motor. As you stated, "the starter did not pass the test procedure", so why are you beating yourself up when the tests said the starter is bad? Bring it back and ask for a good one.

 

Test the starter on the workbench. Use jumper cables, a battery and the screwdriver and see if the gear pops out and spins. I have had starters where the gear moves but doesnt spin, or the gear spins but doesnt pop out.

 

Yeah Z28Pete, like I said this is the new starter and it does the same thing as the old one. Sure, a new starter can be bad. I guess I'll take it to Advance and have it tested too.
Oh, and the starter is a NEW Remy, not re-man.
I took the battery to Sears(10 month old battery) and had it tested. It was fine, made more cranking amps than rated.
Can someone post a diagram where the wires go? A mechanic I talked to said that the neg. wire from the battery should go to the frame or block not on the large terminal with the ground wire from the starter. I tried that, and the starter didn't even click this time.
This is soooo silly.
Another question...
when I shorted the contacts on the first starter, the starter stayed running until I disconnected the battery. Is this normal? Shouldn't the starter disengage when I pull the screwdriver off?
I would have tried that on this starter but I was afraid I was doing something wrong.

 

there should be a positive wire going to both the power junction box and the starter. your ground should go to the ground junction box and the motor block. check the grounds, one on the front of the motor on the driver side, one under the motor mount, one on the front of the motor on the passenger side under the tensioner. check to see what voltage your getting to the small wire to the starter when the key is turned to the start position. should be same as battery.

 

Thanks Craby, I have tightened and cleaned all of the connections at the positive junction box pod or whatever. I also cleaned the neg terminal just next to that pod. I am using dialectic grease to protect the connections too. I cannot locate a ground terminal by the tensioner. It is possible that the car didn't have one when I bought it. The car did not have this problem before the rebuild.

 

i dont remember what the heck was under the tensioner and cant seem to see anything goin under there, the main engine ground from the battery is under the passenger side motor mount on the block.

 

Ehhhh...if he had a bad ground issue, he would still have a bad ground when he was able to engage the starter with a screwdriver.
Since the screwdriver jumper did work the starter, that tells me it's not a bad ground. Sounds like the starter wire, or starter switch may be the problem.

 

Another question...
could the theft deterrent system be interrupting the 12 volt to the starter?

 

if it was vats you should not get a click. test the nuteral switch, dont know if you have a manual or auto trany, auto has a nuteral/park switch, manual has a clutch switch. check to make sure power is goin in and out. also check the small wire on the starter for what volts are getting through when the key is in the start position.