I installed a brand new battery and checked all the grounds. it worked long enough for me to turn the engine over. then the starter started clicking as if it were dead. i know the battery is fully charged. i even changed it with another battery from another vehicle that i drive daily. i am thinking it may be the abendix on the starter or a connection on the starter. does that make sense?

Try to Jump start it with the jumper cables and make sure your battery has enough power to turn the Engine....

The clicking noise is the starter relay, which sends power to the starter. sometimes the relay is mounted on the starter, sometimes on the fender. I would say the starter is bad and needs replaced. Sometimes you can get a bad starter from the factory. Just because its not that old, or even brand new, doesn't mean that its a good working starter. Replace that starter.

The alternator would not come into play until the engine starts.
If the starter works on a test machine, and the battery tests ok, it has to be a connection problem or the engine is stuck.
Can you check voltage at the starter terminals with a meter ?

I guess I will start by saying we can only guess because we are not there in person.
My first question would be, where is the noise coming from ?
If it is the starter, you could have missing teeth on the flywheel and nothing for the starter to engage.
Depending on the make model and year, if you have a starter relay other than the one on the starter it could be faulty.
As long as you have 12 volts and a couple hundred amps of power at the starter post, and a good ground, the starter should turn. If the neutral safety switch was faulty you would get nothing when you turn the key. And the alternator would not come into play until after the engine starts.
Can you turn the engine by hand ?
Can you jump the starter with a screwdriver or jumper wire and make it turn ?

Do not go back to any " mechanic" who told you to re-set the map sensor. Those are some baaad mechanics, giving you a schuck job. That is outrageous . If the clicking is coming from the relay and fuse center by the battery, you probably need a new $10 starter relay. If the clicking is coming from the starter solenoid on the new starter you put on, then it's not a bad part, but likely a loose connection at the battery, or at the starter where the big cable wire attaches. Are your battery cable connections corrosion-free and clean and tight? Did you happen to remove a ground wire and forgot to re-attach it? Check your battery ground, the negative cable where it attaches to the frame of the car, or to the engine. That should be clean and tight also. If the starter solenoid is clicking, it means that the starter is getting a signal from your ignition switch to turn the starter motor on, but the starter motor is not getting full battery power from the battery to start turning and thus cranking the engine. The starter motor gets its full battery power from the positive positive cable. One end is on the battery, and the other end is on the starter. If your battery is still charged up enough to start the car, all connections are tight, you have a new starter, and the solenoid just clicks, it may be a bad battery cable.
I will stop here, and wait for your response . Hope you find it, just keep looking. There is no such thing as re-set the map sensor, period.

1) Low battery, not enough juice.

2) Starter housing dirty, and engine block area where it connects to. Starter gets ground off of the engine block. (Negative connection) Positive connection from battery goes to solenoid. Clean starter, and engine area where it mounts.

3) Brushes for starter are completely worn down. The click you hear/heard, is one of the last it will make before the brushes are changed.

Test the starter off of the car with jumper cables, and a small jumper wire for the solenoid. Starter works you know it isn't the problem.

Post back in a Comment.

Regards,
joecoolvette

You say the battery is new and that the rest checked but wasn't replaced. Seems like your either not getting enough voltage to the starter or the starter solenoid has failed, in which case, you'll have to replace the starter.
Check the ground strap too. Thats a ground connection that goes from the engine block to the frame of the car. You also say you checked all the cables, but did you replace them? Cables can be corroded inside the plastic cover and may not be able to carry enough current even though they may look ok from the outside. It takes alot more voltage to kick in the starter motor than it does to light up the dash.

A rapid clicking noise in a GM starter is a sign of insufficient power going to the battery. Make sure all your connections have bare, shiny metal to metal contact. Do a "load test" on the battery. It may show enough power on a voltmeter only to fail when it is forced to produce it. On a load test it shouldn't drop below 10.5 -12 volts and it should bounce back to near 14 when the load is off. Check the ground strap between the engine and body and the ground at the battery.
If everything is good I would replace the power cable from the battery to the starter. I've had a few of them that looked good but the car wouldn't start until I replaced the cable. Hope this helps.

the starter has likely failed. have someone "whack' it with a hammer as you turn the key to start it. if it starts you need to replace it as that only works a couple of times

robert

You will have to check, at the starter, for power to the SMALL wire on the starter solenoid (which is on the starter) when turning the ignition switch to start.
If there is power to this wire ( usually purple ) and power at the LARGE cable ( from the battery ) at the starter end.....you need a starter.

If you do not have power at the small wire at the solenoid with the key in start position and battery power is OK.....check the safety neutral switch.Moving the shifter around a little can sometimes allow the car to start if the neutral switch is worn.

A new battery does not always mean a fully charged battery.
Try a boost from another car before testing the starter for power.

The battery cables need to be clean and tight....and check the ground to the engine as well.

Everything else may work OK with bad connections,they don't use the power the starter needs to turn the engine over.