1982 Jeep CJ-7 I can't get my Jeep to start

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MEMBER
1982 JEEP CJ7
4 CYL
2WD
MANUAL
165,000 MILES

1982 Jeep CJ-7 mileage: 165,000. I can't get my Jeep to start. I turn the ignition key, and I get nothing, except a click somewhere in the engine compartment. I replaced the following items (battery, starter, solenoid, and negative battery cable) and cleaned all contacts and grounds. The dash gauges seem to peg to the right as if the system was discharging when the ignition key was turned. I have strong headlights, and the Jeep had started several times over the past two months. The Jeep has been sitting most of the winter (waiting for my son to come home on leave), but I have been running it now and again to keep the battery charged. When I went out a couple of days ago it was dead. Any suggestions?

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4,540 POSTS

Here are some things to check. Load test the battery. Check that the battery cable connections are clean. Check for 12 volts to starter solenoid with the key in the start position. These things should be checked first then the ignition switch, neutral safety switch, starter and starter solenoid. One of these may be faulty. Additionally, here is the procedure we use to isolate a battery drain. Remove negative battery cable from the battery. Using a 12-volt test light, hook one end to the negative battery post the other end to the negative battery cable you just disconnected. The test light will glow or “light” if there is a drain. If the “light or glow” is faint, that is probably normal draw for the clock or computer. If the “light or glow” is bright, then there is a large drain. That should be corrected. Now start removing and replacing the fuses one by one until the light goes out; that one will be the circuit with the drain.