Q: Truck won't start in morning. 2nd day now. Battery seems good.
Truck works fine when I parked. Next morning, no power in truck. Keyless remote wouldn't work. I used key to enter & truck started up. Worked fine all day. Parked again overnight. Next morning no power again. Once again, keyless remote didn't work. I used key to enter but this time the turck would not start. I tried to jump start it but when positive terminal was touched by jumper cable, horn started blaring. I only touched the positive terminal with jumper cable. Truck then started normal and ran all day. Today, keyless remote worked and truck started as normal. Clock on radio looked as if it had no power until truck started as it was flashing 12:00. I had Midas test the battery yesterday. They said the battery was ok but replace it to rule out that issue. Battery is Optima Yellow Top, 2 years 8 months old. It has never died before now. I tried to buy new battery but store has to order it. I am still using same battery. Is this a battery issue or something else?
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Since the symptoms changed when you touched the battery terminal, it leads me to believe you may have a poor connection and the main battery terminals. If they are badly corroded or have any small cracks, the terminal may be too loose on the battery. You can rule out the battery by removing the connection to the vehicle then testing the battery itself. If the battery is good then reattach the terminals, tighten them and see if you are able to wiggle them on the posts. If the terminal still moves, replace the entire cable. You can cut the terminal ends and replace them, but you will never get as perfect a connection as replacing the whole cable. Consider hiring an experienced technician like one from YourMechanic who can come out and take a closer look at the loss of electrical power situation and run tests to offer a more personal diagnosis.
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