93 ford escort lx 1.9 liter won’t start, click.

Hey all, I have had this car for awhile now and it has been even more reliable then my 2014 Honda crv. It just passed 100,000 original miles, all I’ve had to replace are the front axles and master cylinder.
The front brakes were worn low, so I replaced the pads earlier today. No issues starting the car at least 5x earlier in the day. I took a few hour break with it, then went to start it to go to work. Won’t start. One click, and nothing. Dash lights illuminate for a moment and turn off. So I took my other car to work.
I got home after 11pm and I’m trying to figure it out. Thought maybe I accidentally turned on the headlights and drained the battery.. but headlights were off. So I tested the battery with a multimeter and it reads 12.6 or so. Now I get back into the car, turn it on acc and try the headlights.. multiple clicking sounds- continuous until I turn them off. Headlights never illuminated fyi.
Thoughts? Is it the battery?? The mechanic I brought it to just recently gave the battery the all clear- however he said there was a lot of corrosion around the terminals. He cleaned them and sprayed them with a sealer.
This is all of the information I have.
Ask questions.. please help me figure this out. I love this car more than my 2014 honda and it even has less miles on it. Again, all day it was reliable, driving it around to multiple places. Suddenly nothing. One click when I try to turn it over. Clicks constantly when I try to turn on headlights, and the don’t turn on.
Thanks for your time!! I’m sure there’s an obvious reason for this.

Claire

 

I get scared when someone says ,"All I had to do is ---"

If you followed the maintenance schedule in your owner's manual, you certainly had to do more than that.

Even today's new vehicles require routine maintenance or they become undependable. Let's face it , as far as maintenance goes, you will do it or have it done SOONER OR LATER. .But,,,it will get done. It it is planned, there are usually no surprises AND less is usually required.

Attempting to diagnose over the net is not smart. From what you describe , it does sound like there is a poor connection bringing power to the rest of the vehicle/
A battery if due for retirement, can show a full charge reading and yet under load, attempting to start the engine, that reading now under load will show almost nothing , so the reading you received is not reliable..
Watch what that reading is when you attempt to start the engine and please get back to us, OK, thanks.