I've been having some electrical issues with my '97 Laredo.

A couple of weeks ago, my volt meter started dropping to zero about thirty seconds after I backed out of the driveway. This happened maybe one out of every four times I drove the car. I've had other issues with the dash and instrument panel in the past, so I attributed this to that.

Last night, I was driving home and the stereo started turning off and back on every few seconds. I shut it off, and the entire instrument panel went dark. The turn signals also quit working, although I could hear the turn signal relay whether the signals were switched on or off. The headlights continued working, but the power windows and the windshield wipers moved very slowly.

The engine remained under power until I got home, although it was struggling at red lights and stop signs. After I got home and shut off the engine, I checked to see if it would restart, and I couldn't even get it to turn over.

After I got it home, I got under the hood. There was some corrosion around the battery posts; I cleared that up. I also put a washer on the bolt for the negative cable, as the nut wouldn't tighten all the way. After this, the car started, although the volt meter was again reporting no power. This morning, I checked again, and now it once again won't turn over.

Did the corrosion and the cold (single digits) just combine to kill the battery? Is the battery cable itself bad? Or is there something else I need to look into?

 

This question comes up constantly and usually comes down to bad cable ends. The lead cable ends stretch and lose contact with the post, most often with the positive (+) cable being the culprit, because it's smaller in diameter.

Charge the battery first and load test it to eliminate it as the problem. It appears your engine was running solely on the alternator's output. When you tighten up the battery cables, there should be a gap between the split ends where the bolt is, otherwise there isn't sufficient contact with the post to carry the load. You can cut the slot wider, replace the ends, or replace the whole cable. Your choice.

 

I had a similar problem and Dave actually gave me roughly the same answer, he's right by the way.

I opted to cut off the end and replace the connector with a new one since they're like $7 at Autozone. Haven't had another starting/power issue since.

 

Thank you, Zodiac! It's nice to know my experience in this matter is appreciated. I sometimes get so tired of typing the same thing over and over again, but the answer is so simple. I had this happen 3 times on my 97 ZJ until I realized what was happening. Most of my experience was with GM side terminals which don't seem to have this problem. My friend with a 51 Pontiac clued me to this because he has had all kinds of trouble with his 6 volt system.