Starter was replaced maybe a year ago. Battery was purchased new last Saturday. Battery was used to start a car twice (just to move it out of the way) then removed.



I just completed my clutch job, reinstalled everything. I put the battery in the car, turn the key. Dash lights come on, turn to start, it just clicks and the lights go off. They won't go back on, nothing happens when I turn the key. Cable connection to battery looks and feels good and solid.



I hook up jumper cables do a different car. It starts, but after it shuts off (won't hold idle, totally different problem), it won't start again. Dash lights don't even come on, and it's still attached to the jumper cables.



Is this just a dead battery? Shouldn't it start again (or at least lights go on) if it's attached to the jumper cables?

 

if you hook everything up and its just clicks and everything goes dead, its the battery connections. try cleaning em, and make em really tight, at the battery

 

1st gens do this a lot, sometimes slamming the door really hard will fix it enough

 

Okey dokey, I'll try tightening them more. They're tight enough now that I can't pull them off with my hands.



It might be where the cable connects to the terminal, it's kind of a cruddy connection, with the cable clamped under the piece of metal. I may solder on a ring connect, and attach that to the terminal, for something that won't come apart with repeated handlings.



Repeat Handlings would be a good band name.

 

I had the same problem about a month ago, but it was just a yellow wire with an 80A fuse i found laying under the battery, i connected it to the positive terminal and it ran perfectly, no further electrical problems. So make sure that wire it connected to your positive terminal, if it is, look for other stuff, but that was just what my problem was.

 

oh if you put cable ends on that could totally be it, had that happen too

 

I cut the ends of the cable. I applied flux, crimped on new ring connectors, then soldered them, with heat shrink tubing covering it. Then I bolted the ring terminals to the battery terminals.



No dash lights when key is turned. Battery charger attached, or jumper cables attached, same result, nothing at all.

 

hmm, main fuse? ignition switch? (jiggle the key?)

 

Under-hood fuses are intact. I'll try jiggling the key tonight.

 

Update, battery was transferred to another car, and it started up fine. So I know the battery is definitely not the problem.