hooked up battery terminals wrong-now just clicking...

A Buddy and I went to go pick up a 89 GW. We decided to jump the battery. This thing had been sitting for 2 years without starting-I put gas down carb and connected the battery terminals. I turned the key and...smoke-coming from area of solenoid? Upon closer inspection realized had hooked up booster pack onto the battery terminals backwards. When I put them correct and turned key it just click, click, click, click..etc. What did I do? What can I do to fix? What is just Clicking? HELP!

[Jester369]

I did that and popped one of the diodes in the alternator. It doesn't sound like what you describe - mine still ran, just wasn't charging - but you might want to check it out after you get it running again.

[LRRH]

smoking solenoid.......usually means a fried solenoid. the clicking you describe DEFINATELY sounds like a dead solenoid.

[andy d]

stock '89 wag has the mitsu starter and a starter relay. you may have fried the relay or a fusable link. do the idiot lights come on when the key is in the run position? if so cross the big terminals on the relay and the starter should turn over.

[ironroad29]

also if its been sitting for 2 years you will need a new battery .

[LRRH]

if he fried the fuseable he should not have the clicking IIRC.

[2MUD-IN]

When we swapped batteries, we forgot to tighten the positive terminal. When we cranked on the engine, it just clicked, and the positive battery terminal started to smoke. Come to find out that it was arc-ing to make a connection, which was not enough to turn the motor over. Was smoke coming from the battery possibly?

We tightend the terminal, and it fired right up.

[ironroad29]

yup you left that part out ..lol

[jode]

If that click click click sounds almost like a buzzing, then it is just the starter solenoid telling you that it isn't getting enough juice to hold the relay closed. As soon as the relay closes and the path to the starter (through the big gauge wire) is opened, then all the power is diverted to the starter and there is no longer enough power to hold the starter relay closed, so it opens, which cuts the path to the starter through the big wires, so all the sudden there is enough power, so it closes, which opens the path to the starter again, which diverts the power so the starter relay opens, which cuts the path to the starter through the big wires, so all the sudden there is enough power, so it closes, which opens the path to the starter again, which diverts the power so the starter relay opens, which cuts the path to the starter through the big wires, so all the sudden there is enough power, so it closes, which opens the path to the starter again, which diverts the power so the starter relay opens, which cuts the path to the starter through the big wires, so all the sudden there is enough power, so it closes, which opens the path to the starter again, which diverts the power so the starter relay opens, which cuts the path to the starter through the big wires, so all the sudden there is enough power, so it closes, which opens the path to the starter again, which diverts the power so the starter relay opens, which cuts the path to the starter through the big wires, so all the sudden there is enough power, so it closes, which opens the path to the starter again, which diverts the power so the starter relay opens, which cuts the path to the starter through the big wires, so all the sudden there is enough power, so it closes, which opens the path to the starter again, which diverts the power so the starter relay opens, which cuts the path to the starter through the big wires, so all the sudden there is enough power, so it closes, which opens the path to the starter again, which diverts the power so the starter relay opens, which cuts the path to the starter through the big wires, so all the sudden there is enough power, so it closes, which opens the path to the starter again, which diverts the power so the starter relay opens, which cuts the path to the starter through the big wires, so all the sudden there is enough power, so it closes, which opens the path to the starter again, which diverts the power so the starter relay opens

....and so-on (making a buzzing/clicking sound)

Get a new battery or recharge the old one and clean off the connections.

[ironroad29]

after 2 years i think the old one is probibly beyond rechageing

Also you may have toasted something in the booster pack?