How do can I check the ignition system?

How can I check the ignition system?

I'm having a problem with my ignition system which I can't figure out. I know It's not my starter because i've replaced it 3 times, also I've replaced all the wires including grounds going to the battery, starter, alternator, and fuse box and terminals and everytime I start my car all i get is a ckick from the solenoid but no start. My question is how can I check the ignition system starting at the starter and what voltage readings to expect using a multimeter.

thanks
Chad

I tried testing the starter and it showed around 13 volts. And yes I do have a viper alarm, is it possible this is causing the problem?

Yesterday I took the starter wire off of the starter bolt (which has a wire that goes from the solenoid to the starter), and instead touched it directly to the starter bypassing the solenoid. This caused smoke to poor out of the center console. Now that I think about it, about 6 months ago when the problem started (just a click when trying to start) smoke came up from the center console. I just found this is common for a bad ground to pass through the ebrake cables due to the current taking the path of least resistance from a bad ground and melting the plastic on the cables. So i'm going to double check all my grounds again and hope this is the problem.