I rebuilt a 302 off a 1987 f150 and finished a week ago. I out the engine in and cranked it just to see if it runs for a minute. It ran just fine. After I put radiator on and all the drive accessory's then I tried to crank it with battery booster and it just clicked. I bench tested the starter and it was bad. The battery is new. And I bought a new battery. Put the new starter on and now it only cranks barley maybe half a turn or maybe 1 turn but then quits as if it does have enough amps. I check the ground and positive cables and replaced them. I even tried different batteries and it did the same thing. Any ideas?

 

Just wondering, but can you turn over the engine by hand? The starting system might be just fine but its possible then engine is binding up. Did you try and bypass the starter solenoid on the fender? Are the cables getting hot?

 

Yes I can spin it by hand its a bit hard though and yes I have tried bypassing the solenoid and still same outcome.

 

So you replaced every aspect of the starting system, from the battery to the cables, solenoid and starter but the engine still won't turn over? Are you sure the battery terminals are good and tight and every connection is clean? The starting system is very simple and thats why I'm leaning towards the engine binding. The engine shouldn't be extremely difficult to turn over. Does it turn over easier if you remove the belt?

 

I haven't tried without the belt. But I'm gonna try witch out the spark plugs first and see if its any easier.