86 ranger wont start at all

[1986bronco2]

my buddy has an 86 ranger 4x4,5speed,with the 2.9 in it and it quit running on him the other day. hes checked/replaced the followinglugs,wires,dist cap,rotor,battery,alternator,starter solenoid,checked starter (checks out fine) checked the tfi module,checked all connections to and from battery,checked and cleaned all grounds and cleaned the connection at the starter. when attempting to start all that is heard is either a series of clicks or it tries to crank but only cranks once or twice very slowly then clicks again. when this first started he was able to drift start it and then it would run fine, now it wont even start when pushing with another vehicle. i asked him how it ran before this happened and he said it ran as it should and just died and wont even try to fire. he asked me about the ecu and i told him if it was shot it would still run but would like total crap and carry on like crazy but would still run (i know this because the ecu went in my b2 last yr and thats what happened) im at a loss on this and so is he. the engine can be turned by hand with a ratchet and socket on the crank. everything i can think of to check or replace he has already had checked and replaced as needed. so please everyone any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated by me and my friend. thanks again in advance,bill

 

[RonD]

I guess we tackle the starter motor issue first.

It is turning over slow, so either it is not getting enough amps or the engine is binding(spun bearing).
You can turn the engine manually so you already thought of that
So we are at not getting enough amps to the starter.
Battery cables can look good on the outside but have high resistance on the inside.
Check battery voltage first, 12.7v means battery is at full charge, 12.4v is 75% charge, 12.2v is 50% charge.
If battery voltage is low charge it up.

The clicking of the solenoid usually mean battery voltage is low, or battery cable(s) is bad, could be + or - cable.
Low voltage can also prevent firing.
The alternator is an electric motor used in reverse, and as soon as the key is turned on it can suck alot of voltage/amps if it is hooked up wrong or bad, I would disconnect the B+(larger cable) from the alternator until you get it started, tape up that cable, it's a live 12v connection.
Try starting, if it turns over better then triple check the alt wiring.

Try a jumper cable from + battery to solenoid, by-passing battery cable, try starting.
Then add jumper cable from battery "-" to engine block, try starting.
MAKE SURE transmission is in NEUTRAL!!
Try jumper cable from + battery to starter motor.
If any of this gets the starter spinning better then you needs to replace the cables, if you slice off the insulation you will probably see that whitish build up often seen on battery terminals but it's inside the cable.

If you have an OHM meter you might want to test the cables while they are in place, use 200 scale or lowest setting, battery cables need to have 0 ohms, not 0 ohms is a bad cable.