Chrysler Repair: 1996 Chrysler Cirrus, solenoid switch, starter solenoid

Question
I just bought a car and it has been sitting in a parking lot for a year. The serpentine belt broke and my uncle replaced that and the battery. Now My car will not start at all.It makes a very quiet clicking when I try to start it. and the engine doesn't even try to turn over. The lights work on the inside. and one brake light. The radio will not. We've checked fuses, cable to the start, and the ignition. Could hit something when he put in the battery or the serpentine belt in??? And what could it be so I can fix it?

Answer
Hi Ashley,
The soft clicking is probably either the starter relay in the power box under the hood near the battery (remove the lid and listen, it is in the back of the box, at a slightly lower level than the front part, it is the front one on the driver side of the rear part of the box), or the starter solenoid is clicking right at the starter motor. If the latter is clicking, and you are sure the battery is good and the cable clamps are shiny and tightly attached to the battery and to the starter motor, and that one of the - wires from the - clamp of the battery is attached tightly to the engine block, then I would believe that the starter motor may have some problem or maybe it could just be oxidized where its internal brushes touch the commutator. I would try tapping on the side of the starter motor with a hammer while a helper tries the starter to see if you can shake the brushes loose to make better contact. Other than that, a starter rebuild would be worth considering.
If the relay is the one that is clicking, then that might indicate a faulty or weak starter relay. You could remove the relay and substitute another one with the same part number that is also in the box to see it that causes the starter to work properly. And you you jump across the relay socket from the far right to the far left socket pins, which is essentially what the relay does to activate the starter solenoid when its points close, and that should activate the solenoid switch at the starter motor proper.
So give those a try and let me know what you learn.
Roland