No start - no crank

[Greaser]

'89 F250 7.3 with Banks turbo and auto trans. It will not crank! Solenoid clicks in start position.

Here are the things I've checked/tried:

-Batteries tested at Autozone: pass
-Starter/starter mounted solenoid tested at Autozone: pass
-Checked/cleaned cables and battery posts
-Checked ground resistance: pass (.1-.3ohm)
-Checked /cleaned terminals at fender mounted solenoid
-Checked voltage at solenoid in start position: pass (12v)
-Checked ground at solenoid: pass (.1ohm)
-Replaced fender mounted solenoid
-Did voltage drop test from B+ to starter: pass (.01v)
-Did voltage drop test from B+to solenoid: pass
-Did voltage drop test from starter to neg terminal of fender solenoid: pass
-Checked voltage at starter: pass (12v from B+, 12v at other post when key in start position)
-Checked ground at starter (to engine block): pass
-Tried starting in P and N
-Tapped starter with hammer

Am I missing something? I've searched every thread I can find on any forum. I remember seeing a thread once where someone said they had a starter tested at Autozone that passed their bench test but ended up needing replaced anyway. Could this be it? Please help before I pull my hair out!!!

[bigcountrysg]

Did you try replacing the neutral safety switch. Did they do a bench test to the starter. Hooking it up and seeing if it actually works. You can do this yourself. Strap the starter to a bench and hook up a battery charger to it.

[Greaser]

Originally Posted by bigcountrysg

Did you try replacing the neutral safety switch. Did they do a bench test to the starter. Hooking it up and seeing if it actually works. You can do this yourself. Strap the starter to a bench and hook up a battery charger to it.

I haven't tried the neutral safety switch. I thought that trying to start it in N would work if that were the problem. No?
They bench tested the starter at Autozone and said it passed.

[vitalidle]

Do you have an amp meter you can clamp to the big cable to the starter from the battery to see what kind of amps the starter is pulling. Maybe the engine is siezed up

[TennesseeDuck]

True story that happened within the last 2 weeks. Guy buys a mint caddy sts for 550 because its locked up, they thought a timing chain broke. Got it to the shop and it was not locked up but it would only click. AZ tested the starter and said it was good. I go out after work and test everything including clamp on amp probe that says it should turn. Checked the starter myself with a battery charger and it works. Everything was good so we put a new starter on just to say we tried it, he drove the car home. I would try the new starter as most places will take it back if thats not it and its worth a shot. The guy that sold the car was not happy at all, he gave that car away. If you have good ground and the amps you need to the starter then it should turn over if the engine isn't locked up. Any faulty neutral safety switch I ever saw wouldn't even let them click. If you don't have the amps to the starter then check the power cables, I have seen them get corroded under the insulation a couple of times but that was on 2 different ford taurus cars.

[Greaser]

I turned the motor by hand so it's not seized. I don't have a clamp-on ampmeter. Need to get one of those...
I may just throw a starter at it.
Thanks guys.

[GoldieStroker944]

just because the starter will turn doesent mean that its a good starter if it is bad inside it wont have enough juice to turn over the engine try a starter

[TennesseeDuck]

Most of the time you can clean the contacts with a file and get them working again but its a temporary fix. Bad contacts won't carry the amps needed to turn the engine but work fine for a bench test.