It's been about 6 months since this problem last occurred.
Got in the car this morning and turned the key to on...
just before I turned it further to crank the engine I lost ALL power...yes dash lights and all.
Fiddled with the key off and on but nothing....the key fob wouldn't even lock/unlock the doors as if the battery was not even there.

Well came home this afternoon and tried again and still like no battery was there.
So I then checked the battery voltage.
It read 12.78V which is a sufficient charge.

Then I grabbed the Positive cable at the battery post as I had done in the past and it slightly turned around the post.
And guess what..... at that very moment I had full power again.
Locks worked with the key fob and the car started just fine.

So I went back and removed the cable and cleaned the post and clamp just to be sure
and put it back on and tightened it very tight.
Also checked the negative at both ends and it was tight

I can't believe that a very slightly loose positive battery cable could maybe be the cause of this the entire time.
Can it really not make contact when it's fully on the post but not super tight ???

I hope this has been the problem all along but time will tell.

 

As I said in my first post here ......I thought they were

 

yep my alarm was going off whenever it wanted ,, took off the batt cables and hope it is solved. jim

 

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.

 

You are the expert on this kind of stuff, but surely if a substance gave up its oxygen it would slowly or rapidly change to something else. I have not seen any of my abrasives disappear.
What am I missing? Inquiring minds and all that.

 

sounds like you found the issue, maybe twist the clamp a liitle to get a fresh grip on the terminals and tighten them in a new position

 

Back when I used to own a red Crossfire (was supposed to get turbo'd) the previous owner had starting issues and ended up buying a brand new battery moments before he loaded the car on the transport for its trip to me.
When the car arrived it would not start. No power at all. So we jumped the car to get it started and that got me home (less than 1/4 mile). Once home I checked battery voltage and it was perfect. Terminals were tight. Checked voltage from the actual terminal of the battery to the battery clamp and nothing. Removed the clamp (cable) scraped the inside of the clamp, reinstalled and never had another problem while the car was in my possession.
If you want to know if it's still working you will have to contact Corky Bell.

My guess is that there was crap on the clamp or terminal that caused the problem.

 

He says it starts every time without issue.. but is a little concerned over when you are going to get the title sent to him..

 

Ok, "Inquiring Mind"! Here it is:

Assuming that one has trapped dust from an abrasive pad, Al2O3, Aluminum Oxide, will transfer some of its O2 molecules to the Pb, lead, over time. This is assuming a tight sandwich of materials. If one were able (as I am) to analyze the resulting layers using a 2 MeV He (alpha) beam and Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS), one would find:
Lead. Lead oxide. aluminum oxide/alumina mix. Lead oxide. Lead.

The lead is always trying to oxidize and will "leach" oxygen from any environment. Even air. This is why freshly polished lead or copper or magnesium or aluminum will change color (oxidize) overnight in the right conditions.

And this is why I had such an argument with Infinite a while back about the futility of polishing our intake manifold. How is Beaners' (?) polish job doing? Has it stayed nice and bright? I'm curious.

The same reason they oxidize so readily is the same reason they conduct electricity. Unfilled spaces is the valence energy band:

Why do metals conduct electricity.? - Yahoo! Answers

As to why your sandpaper sheets haven't morphed, they are in an oxygen-rich environment. (air). They have no reason to give up their oxygen.

Next?

 

My daddy, (who you look just like!) told me this many years ago when he was teaching me how to tune up the 'Healey-never use sandpaper-use a diamond file. The grit you ALWAYS leave behind on the points or plugs will cause early fouling.

I think he even knew why. He WAS, after all, a product of British schooling.


Now, EAT YOUR MEAT!

 

We must remember that lead is not a good conductor of electricity and lead oxide is probably far far worse that's if it conducts electricity at all.

Keep the posts clean and covered with a light coat of dielectric grease like Noalox or Ox Gard.

 

Thank you all for your responses.
I'm pretty confident that the slightly loose clamp was the problem now all along.
I rarely have problems with my own car here over all the years on this forum but it is nice to have the support group when the need arises.

If this ends up NOT resolving the issue you can be assured I will post back here.

Thank you all, Gary

 

you found it...sometimes it is the simple things.....Max is right about the connections...I used to use the marine ones thinking somehow they would be better....lol.... Brass just looks good... I have a cheap terminal wire brush I use...I am sure I am leaving something behind, but, I don't care, it works and I am lazy.... These little batteries I am using sure do corrode the terminal quickly....I think I will go back to a full size in the roadster, and save the two little guys for racing....

 

Doc, you're not leaving anything behind-brass is harder than the lead. Best choice as it doesn't gouge the crap out of the terminal either!

One of the worse choices is the "scraper" type that actually cuts away material-unless someone beat the post with a hammer and you need to re-form the taper.

Valk-I hope this does it for you!

If so, you can close this thread!