‘89 civic fails to crank
 

Hey guys,
I have a 89 civic DX. I have replaced the starter, alternator, and a new battery within the past month and a half. I am now having problems cranking the car. Sometimes it will fire right up and other times it will only make a clicking noise under the dash. The car will crank if you put cables on it but not with a jump box. Any thoughts on what’s wrong? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ignition switch?

Thank you, that had crossed my mind. But why would it crank with jumper cables if it was the ignition switch?

Nothing. That tells me the cables are not attached correctly. Need to clean and tighten.

Exactly, yes. Battery posts are both cleaned and tightened but the issue is not resolved.

Is the battery fully charged?

yes, brand new batter (bought within 2 weeks) and a volt meter shows it’s fully charged.

How many volts as it cranks? I think you have a weak battery.

might also check all the ground wires/strap, take off the clean scrap and reinstall for good contact.

thank you both for your help. I have come to the conclusion it is a ground issue. I am working on cleaning the thermostat ground now because it was very dirty/corroded. This ground has to do with grounding the main relay if I’m not mistaken which is the clicking noise I’ve been hearing under my dash when trying to start the car. I’ll update when I have an update. Thank y’all again.