Got a 1969 Camaro with a 230 inline
So here’s a good one:
About 4 weeks ago, I pulled into a spot at a gas station and when I came out to leave my starter started clicking. First once, then rapidly. Positive battery terminal was decently corroded, so I sanded it and all of the contacts with it. Eventually I had to have it jumped and drove it home.
A week later the battery dies (at least I believe so) and all of the electricals turn off; nothing works. Battery gets jumped again and the car is driven home.
Naturally I have the battery tested and alternator tested, they are fine. The starter and solenoid are not more than 2 years old and barely have 1,000 miles on them. I just replaced the voltage regulator as the symptoms the car was having seemed to match a failing one. Problem is better; everything in the car works but as soon as it’s cranked the starter clicks and only one of my courtesy lights is lit (barely at all) and everything else will not work. Come back in a couple minutes it’ll do the same thing. The last two items on the list that I wanted to check were ignition switch on the column and solenoid, but these don’t really seem to fit the crime. Thoughts?
I wouldn't necessarily assume the starter and solenoid are OK, the quality of rebuilt and new parts these days is in the toilet. As a test you can short across the contacts on the solenoid and see if the starter spins as it should. Also check battery cables for voltage drop, if they're decades old they could well be corroded internally.
https://www.aa1car.com/library/voltage_drop_testing.htm
Pardon my ignorance, but I still don’t get why a bad starter/solenoid would cause all of the other electricals to fail? Is that the voltage drop you’re mentioning? My battery cables are only 2 years old also and I made sure to cut back to a fresh spot that wasn’t corroded.
If bad they'll draw excess current which can affect the electrical system. You're fortunate that car has a very simple electrical system by today's standards and you don't have to go around chasing problems with computer modules. If your cables are that new they're probably OK but still worth checking out just to be thorough in diagnosing the problem. Also make sure the ground strap between the engine and chassis is in good condition.