[chuzz]

Check the bundle of grounds on the driver side fender. You'll have to remove the airbox in order to get to them. Perhaps one of more of them is broken or loose. I THINK there's about 7 different grounds there. Check each and every one individually and make sure there's not an internal break in the wire. Clean them and the fender grounding area and reattach.

 

[chuzz]

These PT's are very sensitive to battery charges. If that battery isn't fully charged, you may want to bring it up to a full charge and check that alternator. Charging at 12.66 ain't gonna hack it. Disregard this one if you want to. I see it was another member stating that the alternator on HIS was showing a 12.66 charging output.

 

[chuzz]

Well, I'm not a mechanic but have been pulling my own wrenches for 50 years. I have no idea what could be causing a clunking sound if the starter isn't engaging. That makes absolutely no sense to me. Have you tried swapping the starter relay with another one in the fuse box under the hood? Most of the relays are the same part#, so if that doesn't work, you can either swap them back or just leave them where they are. You've got me buffaloed.

 

[chuzz]

Put a socket on the crankshaft pulley and get a long handled ratchet or put a pipe over your short ratchet and try to turn the engine over manually. It sounds to me like your engine is locked up for some reason or another. It doesn't make sense to me that with the work you began with would effect it like this. Something has to be either binding the torque converter from spinning or you just have my luck and have a bad starter. I'd pull it off and check it with booster cables. Hook the ground to the starter body and touch the large post on the solenoid with the hot cable. The bendix should run out and spin. You may want to put your foot on it to keep it steady.

 

[chuzz]

So, have you figured it out yet? Inquiring minds want to know! LOL

 

[chuzz]

Our local forecasters were predicting snow for us on Sunday and we didn't get one flake! Sorry to hear you got hammered, but I get it. I sure hope it's just your starter. Did you, by any chance, put a socket on the crankshaft bolt and see if the engine turns by hand? I'd highly recommend doing that before yanking the starter. It's a LOT easier to do. Trust me on that!