Starter dead

[EOD Guy]

I replaced the alt, batt has a full charge, all accys work fine including the headlights.....acts like the battery is dead....click...click....click no engagement of the starter motor. Any ideas on where to start the trouble shooting?

[X5Sport]

Are the connections to the starter all fully tightened and OK? It takes some serious grunt out of the battery to turn these babies over, especially with the battery and starter being at opposite ends of the car. Any loose connection in the starter line will cause a voltage & current drop - assuming all else in the control electronics is OK - and there may not be enough to kick the starter engage pinion into place.

Do the lights etc dim when you turn the key? That would indicate a battery problem. I think all the accessories are on a separate feed from the battery as they don't draw anything like the amount of current. Not sure what the actual requirements for starting are, but 300A would not come as a surprise.

Just my 0.02c worth.....