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bad ground



Greg P wrote:
> I'm pretty sure I've got a bad battery ground - in the FAQ section of
the
> website the symptoms match up exactly.
> Since I'm teaching myself to work on this car, has anyone done this
recently,
> could they offer any insights of what to look for?

If in doubt, clean up the cable connections. It's easy.

Start at the battery. Remove the cable attached to the
negative (-) post. Clean the battery post and the metal
on the cable. Use sandpaper, Scotchbrite, or steel wool.
You can buy a special battery post cleaner for about
US$5 at your local auto parts store.  Examine the cable
end for loose or broken wires in the cable leading to
the end.  Sometimes age and acid from the battery
will weaken or corrode the wires. If the cable looks
sound, continue; otherwise, you may have to replace
the cable terminal or the cable itself. Clean up any
white crusty crud  around the post. Use baking soda
mixed in water. ** don't get any in the battery itself;
it will neutralize the acid in the battery and kill your
battery. ** Put petroleum jelly around the cleaned
post. Reattached the clean cable to the clean post.
(You should probably repeat this procedure for
the positive (+) battery post and cable).

Next, follow the negative cable to its other end.
Depending on the vehicle, this may be to a metal
frame/body part or the engine block.  Remove
that end of the cable from its attachment point,
clean up the cable end, examine it for loose or
broken wires. Clean up the metal where the cable
attaches to the body/frame, and reattach the cable.

You're done.

HTH,
Kent