Can a bad starter relay burn out a starter

check for spark, timing, cylinder compressions, air intake if blocked can cause these symptoms,valve clearance, alternator charge rate

bad ignition switch

make sure it is not grounding out at the starter itself ,also ck the alterantor wire same deal then goes to batt.

Dirty battery cables or faulty starter. Do the lights stay on bright while starting?

READ THIS ALL BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING
NOTE: some vehicles have the starter relay and starter mounted together as 1 unit. Sometimes the starter relay and starter are seperate. When I refer to "relay" it could also mean the starter and relay as 1 unit.
Note: "starter switch" is not to be confused with "key switch", although sometimes they are all one unit. The starter switch is usually mounted on the steering column and actuated by a metal rod. On units that are all one unit, the keyswitch/starter switch (both one unit) will have to be replaced. (this is a rare problem, so don't get worried just yet)
1. Check battery voltage, should be between 12.5-14.5 volts. if low voltage replace or charge battery, and try to start car, if it don't crank with new or charged battery, move on.
2. Check connections on the starter relay, even the small one coming from your starter switch. if loose or corroded, clean with a brush and reconnect them. Try to start your car. Did it start? if not, Move on
3. Well now we know the connections aren't the problem. How about a click? did you hear one? If a click is heard, go to #4, if nothing is heard, go to #5
4. Well at least the relay is clicking, but nothing else is going on. The relay is working, so the starter must be bad. Replace the starter and start your car!
5. Humm, connections aren't the problem, maybe the relay is bad, replace your relay with a new one. Move on
6. Now we have a new relay, with clean and tight connections. Start your car. Does it start? If yes, then HORRAY! we fixed it. Does it click? If so then goto #7, If it don't click, then goto #8
7. So here we have a new relay, with good connections that will click when trying to start the car, but nothing else happens. Starter is faulty, replace the starter, and off you go, see ya!
8. So here we have a new relay, with good connections, but it still won't click when we try to start our car. This means that your starter switch is faulty. Replace starter switch and try to start your car. Vroom! finally done with this car problem!
List of shortcuts: if you remove the starter switch lead (small wire) from the relay and apply +12v to its respective prong or lead on the relay, and your starter cranks, your starter switch is faulty. You can actually hook up a starter button this way. If you jump the two large wires together on the relay and it cranks, then the relay is faulty. If you jump the two large wires together and nothing happens, then starter is faulty, or wires to starter are loose or broken.

The starter only turns over the motor nothing else,
it did not cause the car to stall


You do know the area of the problem

That is were the wiring is smoking

Find out why & resolve that issue

sounds like you have a loose or bad ground wire to your starter. those clicks are the sound of your starter relay not getting enough juice. i had a similar problem i even bought a new battery. turns out my battery connections were corroded. also even a bad battery will read 12 volts and accept a charge from the alternator but will not hold a charge for very long. check the amps at your local parts shop they will tell you better. if you can eliminate the battery as your problem then it has to be a bad connection. does your starter sound like its lagging or sluggish? if so its a bad starter.

Sounds like multiple things going on. The 1st is maybe something sticking with the throttle and why intermittent. Clean carb/throttle body. Make sure you installed everything correctly, sometimes the problem can be compounded with fixing attempts. If it was clicking and not cranking and now not clicking possibly the neutral safety switch is bad but it should still click which is the starter relay. Maybe wore it out trying to start it. It's not uncommon for other things to fail as a result of a failure. If it kept clicking I'd say definitely the NSS. Check your battery connection and get a terminal brush cleaning tool. I assume you mean by battery charge seems to go up and down you are using a multimeter. If it has a dead cell you would have this problem but maybe the connection to it is bad.

Have the battery charged and retested also have alternator tested , If that's bad the batter will not charge and drain it again .. Good luck

ok you have a solonoid on the fender that controlls the starter
there is a small wire that signal the relay to close that puts power to your starter.
you need a test light to see when that wire is hot.
and then we can go from there
later
paul