It turned out that the click I heard was not the solenoid, it was the relay on my firewall. When I put the new starter in (ok it was a dark and stormy night with not enough light) I missed the wire from the relay to the spade lug on the solenoid. I forgive myself because it was a black wire.
When I found it the next day, I did notice the connector was loose on the lug and used the old electrician's trick of squeezing it with a pair of BFP (pliers). They didn't need to be big, that's what was close at hand. When I get to it, I'll make it purple or something other than black! The motor spins much faster now on startup. There is a whiney noise after a few seconds of cranking that sounds a little like a slipping belt. I'm hoping it's just a normal noise for that starter Thank you to everyone who helped with their 2 cents. The discussion on the necessity of a relay helped me realize "Doh! I have one!" Stevan Thomas 73 Berlina with a 131 ring gear that starts! -- to be removed from alfa, see http://www.digest.net/bin/digest-subs.cgi or email "unsubscribe alfa" to [email protected]
