This issue came on all of a sudden, the car never has had anything remotely like this. It has always cranked great and started right up since I put an electronic distributor in it, five years ago. I had done pretty routine work on the engine, replacing the valve covers and touching up the paint on the intake. Went to start it and all I got was a click. Checked Batt. voltage, it was 12.5. Voltage at the alternator is the same, voltage at the coil is the same. Battery cables are in great shape, ground cable is good and Pos. is almost brand new. turn the key on and checked voltage at the fuse box, it gets weird, only 8.5 volts. Pull the headlight switch on: no lights. all the fuses are good. Haven't seen a problem like this before, not sure what to check next, I don't have a wiring schematic for this car.

 

I just had a similar problem. Turned out the battery was toast - even though it showed 12.5 volts. Take battery to Batteries Plus or somewhere that can "Load test" the battery. Mine had 4 Cranking Amps instead of 600! Good luck.

Bob

 

You nailed it! Wish I had checked it before I changed the starter, I figured it was good for a couple more years, since I kept it on a battery minder all the time.