Here's the deal-the car won't crank, it just clicks. I know the battery and starter are good, and I just cleaned all the connections to both of them. I just put new head gaskets on, so I know I must have done something wrong. Could I have adjusted the valves tight enough where the motor can't spin over? Any thought would be appreciated.

 

One more thing, I tried to spin the motor over with a 1/2" ratchet, and it takes everything I can put on it to move it.

 

did you put the wire on the starter on the right pole there are 2 small polls it goes on the one close to the block. Just a thought

 

I double checked the wires, everythings on correctly.

 

Did you take the starter off and hook it up with jumper cables and put voltage to the little terminal to make SURE it was good. It sounds like a no connection in the solenoid.

 

With spark plugs installed, it's going to take some effort to turn the motor over with a ratchet. I second the motion to test the starter and prove out the battery.

 

No I didn't, but I'll try it. I'm still concerned about not being able to turn the motor over by hand tho. How hard should it be?

 

Alright here's what I did. I removed the starter and jumped it from the battery. When I did this, the gear came out to where it would engage the flywheel, but it didn't turn. I'm assuming this means the starter is bad, right? Forgive me for being a newb, but I've never had a problem with a starter before.

 

you have to jump the big terminal and the small one at the same time if that's what you did then the starter is bad

 

Yup, I jumped the positive to the small pole and the negative to the larger pole and all it did was click.

 

"clicking" usually indicates low current. Either the battery is bad or low or there is a bad connection limiting current to the starter. Or the starter is bad and is trying to draw too much current.

To eliminate the battery and the wiring as a cause, jump right from a known good battery to the starter directly with jumpers. Then you can prove or disprove the starter is defective.

Don't forget battery voltage (and current) decrease with lower temperature. That's why so many bad batteries show up in the winter.

 

With the plugs in it will be pretty hard to turn.
If all it does is click when jumped off the car the starter is bad.

 

If the starter checks out OK, look at my post. I have just spent a lot of time tracking down the same symptoms and you might pick up some ideas from my experience:

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showthread.php?t=402110