no power to starter

i have a 87 honda accord and i am not getting any power
to the starter solenoid. all my dash lights are on but when i try to
start it the lights go off. i am getting power to the ign. switch when
i try to start it i have power in to the switch but none out. i tryed
another switch but it did the same thang. what else could i try. thank
you.

 

Are you sure that you measured both sides of the switch with the
ignition turned to start?
It could be that your solenoid is shorting things out: when things are
shorted, you will also not see voltage on the solenoid (or on the other
side of the switch, for that matter).

Disconnect the wire to the solenoid and see if you see 12V there when
starting. If so, check your solenoid.

Remco

 

A quick test: Turn the dome light on. Crank starter. If light dims to
nothing, you've either got a discharged battery, dirty connections, or a
defective starter.

Check the state of charge of the battery. Turn your headlights on for five
minutes, turn off again and wait five minutes, now check with a multimeter.
You should see about 12.65V at 70F. More above that, less below. If you see
a bare 12V or less, your battery is discharged.

Clean up BOTH ENDS of the cable from battery to starter. Then clean up the
engine ground cable at the rad support.