ignition??

yesterday i let my sister hold my car to get to work. around 3pm i get a call saying that my car wont start. so i tell her to just leave it in the parking lot and ill check it out today. i used a friends car to take her to work today, so while i was there i tried a couple things to no luck. when i turn the ignition i dont hear anything, and this person was like you should at least hear a click or something, but i didnt hear anything. so hes like lift up your hood and jiggle your connections to your terminals :confused: reluctantly i do that and the lights go out. well i screw the negative terminal all the way on and the lights come back on. but now everytime i tried to turn the ignition the lights would go out and nothing still happened. so then id get out the car, shut the door and the lights(underneath the hood) would come back on. i tried a couple more times and the same thing would happen :banghead:

im stumped, i dont hear the starter, so i figure it isnt getting power from the battery somehow, so i dont know if the starter is broken.

i have a power cord from my amp connected to the positive terminal, and when i checked the in line fuse, it was blown. so i dont know if it has anything to do with that.

and i start a new job tomorrow that requires me to travel :runaround:
im thinking once i get this problem sorted, ill just sell the buick and try to get a newer one.

could it also have something to do with the spark plugs?

If the starter isn't turning the engine over it has nothing to do with spark plugs!

You have answered you own question in your question. You need to clean and tighten your loose battery cable ends. What is happening is that there is a very small area of either terminal that is making contact with the battery. This small area can handle a small current draw (interior lights/dash lights). Once you try to start the vehicle that little area now has to supply 20 to 30 times the current draw of the lights. That area either arcs or heats up and looses its connection to the battery and everything shuts off. After a short time it will "cool down" and reconnect with the battery and the lights will come back on. This is very common on a side terminal battery. I would also not have your amp lead in between the battery and the cable. They sell battery bolts that allow accessories to be added without interferring with the vehicles connections. A much better way if you ask me!!

Clean the terminals, tighten them down and you'll be back in business in no time!!!!

thanks you so much airjer i really appreciate it. now is it safe for me to remove the power cord(running from the amp) going to the terminal without getting shocked or anything?

You won't get shocked by anything that is attatched to the battery.

sorry for the late reply, i been kinda busy. anyways thanks for the help, the car is good now. the next day the same thing happened to my mothers car somehow, so i knew how to deal with it. man i keep coming across all these simple problems that i think are bigger than what they are, but oh well at least im learning something lol