Help for total auto ignoramous - electrical

Hi all,

I know almost nothing about cars. I'm hoping that I might get a little
direction here. Thanks for any help you can offer.

Car is a 1999 Mazda Protege. Suddenly, the car won't start. Not
turning over, nothing. I open the hood and the battery cables are very
badly corroded. I clean them the best I can with baking soda and water
(no wire brush, just a tooth brush). Still no crank. I replace the
battery. Still no crank. I notice that the radio will play in the
first position of the ignition switch, but not the second (the one just
before "cranking position"). But if I turn on the dome light (which
shines dimly) or the headlights (which don't turn on at all), the radio
stops.

Just thinking logically, before the battery replacement, I was thinking
A. battery or B. alternator. With the new battery in place, I'm now
thinking bad battery cables. What do you think?

Thanks for any help!

"Jenn" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hi all,
>
> I know almost nothing about cars. I'm hoping that I might get a little
> direction here. Thanks for any help you can offer.
>
> Car is a 1999 Mazda Protege. Suddenly, the car won't start. Not
> turning over, nothing. I open the hood and the battery cables are very
> badly corroded. I clean them the best I can with baking soda and water
> (no wire brush, just a tooth brush). Still no crank. I replace the
> battery. Still no crank. I notice that the radio will play in the
> first position of the ignition switch, but not the second (the one just
> before "cranking position"). But if I turn on the dome light (which
> shines dimly) or the headlights (which don't turn on at all), the radio
> stops.
>
> Just thinking logically, before the battery replacement, I was thinking
> A. battery or B. alternator. With the new battery in place, I'm now
> thinking bad battery cables. What do you think?

How tight are the cables on the battery? Clean the battery posts and the
battery clamps with a WIRE brush. Rub some vaseline around the posts before
putting the cables back on.

Did you charge your new battery before putting it in the car? Batteries
don't necessarily have a charge when you buy one new.

Definately sounds like there is barely any power getting to the car.

Jenn, make sure those cables are getting a good "bite' on the battery.
>From the sound of it, it appears that the corrosion has taken a
foothold. It might behoove you to just break down and buy new battery
cables. That way you can start fresh. Whatever you do, though, don't go
for just the repair ends on the cables...they truely suck and they make
a mess of things. 1 more thing, I don't know if you have top mount or
side mount cables, -I'm guessing side mount-be very careful not to
cross thread the cables into the battery terminals. You can also pick
up a little tube of diaelectric grease from AtutoZone for a buck or 2
and apply it to the mating surfaces of the terminal/battery connection.
Just cheap insurance. Hope this helps!
Jay

its 3 dolars for new teminals get them thats the problem im plagued by
bad terminals all u have to do is cut the old ones off and use a 7/16
wrench to bolt the new ones on then depending if its top or side post u
might need a 10 mm wrench or a 1/2


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On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 19:06:36 -0800, midgetracing28 > wrote:



>its 3 dolars for new teminals get them thats the problem im plagued by
>bad terminals all u have to do is cut the old ones off and use a 7/16
>wrench to bolt the new ones on then depending if its top or side post u
>might need a 10 mm wrench or a 1/2


Can anybody translate this into english?

AZ Nomad wrote:
> On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 19:06:36 -0800, midgetracing28 > wrote:
>
>
>
> >its 3 dolars for new teminals get them thats the problem im plagued by
> >bad terminals all u have to do is cut the old ones off and use a 7/16
> >wrench to bolt the new ones on then depending if its top or side post u
> >might need a 10 mm wrench or a 1/2
>
>
> Can anybody translate this into english?

Hes saying that if the terminals are badly corroded (or rather the
cable end clamps) to buy a replacement set , cut the old ones off the
cable and fit the new ones.

wrote:
> AZ Nomad wrote:
> > On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 19:06:36 -0800, midgetracing28 > wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > >its 3 dolars for new teminals get them thats the problem im plagued by
> > >bad terminals all u have to do is cut the old ones off and use a 7/16
> > >wrench to bolt the new ones on then depending if its top or side post u
> > >might need a 10 mm wrench or a 1/2
> >
> >
> > Can anybody translate this into english?
>
> Hes saying that if the terminals are badly corroded (or rather the
> cable end clamps) to buy a replacement set , cut the old ones off the
> cable and fit the new ones.

MANY thanks for the help, everyone. One last question: If I go with
replacing the terminals, I presume that I'll need more than wire
cutters to get the old one off, right? Hack saw?

On 7 Jan 2007 17:49:45 -0800, "Jenn" > wrote:


>
>Just thinking logically, before the battery replacement, I was thinking
>A. battery or B. alternator. With the new battery in place, I'm now
>thinking bad battery cables. What do you think?
>
>Thanks for any help!

What is the voltage reading on the new battery?

If the new battery is at 12.6 volts then get a wire brush and clean up
the cable ends and try again. It is possible for the corrosion to get
in to the physical cable and cause problems as well but at this point
it sounds like you have a dead battery or a cruddy connection.

Steve B.

I just finished replacing the battery cable terminators and everything
is fine now. I'll take it in to the shop to have the system checked
out just to make sure that everything is good. THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE
for your help!

Jenn wrote:
> I just finished replacing the battery cable terminators and everything
> is fine now. I'll take it in to the shop to have the system checked
> out just to make sure that everything is good. THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE
> for your help!

If you replaced the battery cable clamps , make sure you check them
regularly. With the copper wire exposed they tend to corrode.