Just a quick post in case I'm missing something. The other day, I went to start the car and everything lit up like normal, but as soon as I turned the key, everything shut off (I left the keys in the ignition in the garage and probably failed to turn the key all the way). I charged the battery and reconnected the negative cable. All the lights came back on, but when I went to start it, same thing, everything just shut down.

The battery is not charged 100% yet (I didn't want to leave the charger on overnight), but it is about 80% charged. When everything shuts down, I have to reconnect the negative cable and sometimes it takes several tries to before the connection is good and the power comes back.

I figure it's the ground, and probably the connection to the battery (side terminal), but my question is, is this expected behavior from a bad ground, or is there something else I should consider? Shouldn't the car at least crank, even if the battery is not at 100%?

Thanks
Kevin

 

Sounds like maybe your battery is bad.

 

What he said!!!!!!! If you fully charge the battery or even have it at about 70% it should crank or turn over. Have you checked the voltage across the terminals with a multimeter when this happens. I have had several batteries would take a full charge and show over 12 volts on the meter and run the lights. Turn the key and zilch, nothing happens. Put the meter on it and it would slowly climb back to 12 volts. Had the voltage but no amperage to go with it. You can also check your grounds for good measure.

 

I'll check that. The battery is less than 2 years old but has only about 300 miles on it. The car spends most of its time in the garage. It's finally back from the body shop and I should be getting my collector insurance any day. I want to be driving it with no worries. Thanks for the input.

Kevin

 

Some shops can do a 'load test' on the battery to check it out. You should also check all the connections to be sure they are clean and tight.

 

Thanks for the input. Problem solved. I replaced the terminal bolts and Dremel-ed the connections from the cables. The positive was in bad shape. Fired right up. See ya on the road again.

Kevin