Do You Have Bad Or Loose Car Battery Cables

Sometimes a car’s battery will not provide the proper power to start your vehicle’s engine because the cables are bad or corroded.

Regardless of why your car does not start reliably every time, it could lead to a critical situation. If getting your car started to get out of a potentially dangerous situation is required, it does not matter if the reason it won’t is simple.

The reason for being stranded can be that the proper power is not getting from the battery to the starter. There could be several reasons for this situation and some are included below.

• The battery cables are bad and need to be replaced.
• The connecting end should be checked for rust and corrosion.
• The battery connections are loose where they attach to the starter or ground source.

Are The Battery Cables Corroded

If clean battery posts and terminals still won’t allow your car’s engine to start, then inspect the battery cables right behind where the terminals connect to the cable. If the wires that connect the cable to the terminals are corroded or rusty, then the battery cable end may need to be cleaned or the cable replaced. There are cases where the cable can be cut below where the corrosion ends and if the insulation is stripped back the terminal cable could be reattached.

This may work only if the cable is long enough to allow it to still reach the battery if cut. This is not something a novice should attempt. Some modern vehicles have the battery cable in a bundle with other electrical cables and they are not as easy to use for a cut and terminal reattachment.

Are The Vehicle’s Battery Cables Loose

If the other ends of the cables are loose where they attach to the starter or ground location on the vehicle, it may cause the engine to not start. The positive or hot cable is the red color-coded connection. This cable carries the hot current from the battery to the car’s starter. If the connection at the starter is loose, the car may not start.

This may not be as easy to check because the starter may be located near the bottom of the engine. The black cable or ground may be attached to the body, engine block, or other location such as a bracket. A loose cable could cause an intermittent engine starting condition.

Something as simple as a loose battery cable could cause you much frustration when your car does not start up as expected. Instead of panicking just run through a process of elimination to zero in on the real problem.