Bad battery or something else?

From that information its impossible to tell!

Measure the voltage across the battery with engine running, and report back!

so eric was, like...

If the battery is marginal, you will get lights but not enough juice to energise the starter, hence the clicking. My guess is a dead battery. Easy fix, but I'd want to know what had killed it in such a short time. A check at an auto-electrician wouldn't cost much.

Could also be a duff earth, allowing enough current to fire up the lights but won't take the massive 400 odd amps required for an engine start.

TonyB

Yep, that was a problem with my sluggish 90. Sorted out the earth leads by cleaning etc. and starting / charging was back to normal service.

Regards

Richard

Yes but try leaving the headlights on as you try to start it, if they don't dim off appreciably as you try then the starter is not drawing any current, possibly due to supply or earth connections or just a duff starter. If they do dim then it could be any number of things, battery, battery connections or starter still duff and taking too much current.

HTH Martin.

Are the lights bright all the time, even when the solenoid is clicking? If so then the starter is drawing very little, if any, current.

Could just be a dirty or loose connection or maybe a duff solenoid. If the starter whizzes the engine round normally and just occasionally you only get a click then my money's on it being a dead solenoid.

Hmm, that reminds me. I've got to buy a new solenoid for my SIII. Now then, where's that web address for Beamends...

so PDannyD was, like...

No connection, ect ect.

In message , TonyB writes

That would be my first guess too, especially as the OP had already changed one battery.

In message , Oily writes

Problem I had with my 90 was the crimped connector on the earth lead. Took a while to find, and only after having removed and checked the starter. There was just the very slightest of movement when pulled hard. Local auto electrician said it was quite a common problem and he always soldered the terminals on.

my understanding is that the lights dim when you start because the ignition barrel is wired up to do so, not because the voltae drops over the battery. the barrel turns everything off except for ignition coil and started (and efi stuff if present) to give the starter the best possible supply.

Sam.

On or around Sat, 10 Sep 2005 16:22:56 +1000, "Samuel" enlightened us thusly:

on some things, yes, the headlights are switched off. This is not the same as the lights going dim. lights going dim applies to all the lights, as well, so try the interior light, for example. If it almost goes out, there's a shortage of volts in the electrical system, to quote the MZ user's handbook.