Originally Posted by
James1549
Gary, If you were able to turn the cable on the terminal, it wasn't tight enough. Brand new or recently cleaned and that loose, you could get by with. It is amazing how some battery connections can look perfect, but are not. The only way to be sure of a good connection is to clean both surfaces and tighten securely.
The only other thing in the back of my mind is a bad internal battery connection. Sometimes just touching the post will correct the problem for a period of time. But since you had plenty volts, you probably found the problem.
James
I think James covered it quite well.
A couple of points- The OEM clamps do not allow a very tight connection. Unlike any other post clamp I've seen, it has a minimum diameter. As you tighten the screw, the ends of the clamp touch, preventing over-tightening. If you have removed any material by scraping or cleaning, you might easily go below the minimum. If your battery post came new with a smaller than usual post, you're out of luck too.
If one has disconnected the post clamp for any amount of time, a very thin oxide layer will develop. It doesn't even have to be visible to cause problems with these cars. Cleaning (with a brush-never with sandpaper!) immediately prior to re-attaching and tightening the clamp will minimize this problem.
As to internal battery issues-the post is "formed" into the plastic in a hex or star shape. If it breaks loose, or is able to turn at all, you'll see it very clearly. Old batteries-those with the old hard-rubber cases were much more susceptible to breakage-and leakage-from this. New batteries use "Space Age" plastics and are just a whole lot tougher.
Sooner or later, I'll cut these POS's off and replace them with the $3.99 ones I can buy at AutoZone. At least I can tighten them sufficiently.
Oh-the reason one should never use sandpaper to clean any electrical contact is that you contaminate the surface with-Oxides! Aluminum oxide, Silicon dioxide, whatever-you're trapping a source of oxygen inside (between) the connecting surfaces.
