I thought I had it fixed, but it had me stranded in a parking lot, i disconnected the battery, reconnected it and it started right up, i drove back, parked it, had to move it, and it was fine, went to leave. and nothing but click, click, click... I'm pulling my hair out on this car

 

need advice on this please

 

Two things come to mind, a bad battery or a bad battery connection, probably the negative but check the terminals for corrosion or looseness.

 

Got it....
It was the positive cable.
I had already cleaned the cable ends and terminals the last time it happened and everything worked fine for 2 weeks, until today. I tested the battery voltage and the voltage at the distribution block and had 12.7 volts in both spots. Still, I took it to O'rileys and it did test good. So I decided to check the cable ends again amd noticed the positive end had been replaced and the wires weren't corroded, but dirty and and a little greasy. So a bit of disassembly, cleaning, and reassembling, and she fired right up.

 

That car is headed for BIG trouble, if I read your post #4 correctly. If you have one of those HORRIBLE battery cable clamps that you can take apart, you are headed for trouble.

I'd replace it with a cable that is welded (like the OEM cables). With the connection that poor, on those times you did get the car to start, the battery's connection was resistive and therefore your battery's ability to filter the crud and crap from the starter, alternator and any heavy motor in the car is impaired. The spikes that those motors can generate can be substantially higher than 14 volts, putting various modules at risk.

I have been involved in automotive accessory electronics since 1983. But it's your car, so do as you please. Just sayin.

 

Trust me, I am NOT a fan of shitty aftermarket crap. I have other items on the agenda for her that take precedence, primarily compmete fuel system overhaul, plugs and wires, and a couple other odds and ends, but I will be making a new, higher quality cable for her.

 

I saw a compatible welded replacement cable online a few days ago. $55 but I think it's worth it. It was not OEM (it was #2 cable and 58 inches long, factory was #4 and like 42 inches).
I was thinking of ordering one for mine for use "some day" but then didn't.