I have a brand new battery and negative cable terminal.
When I was pulling away from the curb I realized my lights weren't on, so I turned them on, and that exact instant the car completely died - no engine, no headlights, no cabin lights, nothing.
This happened twice. Both times, the car cranked fine - no evidence of a weak battery. I'm at a loss - any ideas?
Thanks,
Chloraphil
Of course! Your battery connection to the starter is fine. What's not fine is another connection to the main fuse panelin the engine bay. These often get dirty and resistive, causing heat, burned insulation, and eventually enough voltage drop to cause the effect you describe. Look at the other large cables (about 4mm thick) from the battery to elsewhere in the engine bay. There is also some sort of ground issue with the headlamp circuit. Often all that's needed is to R/R all the connections you can find (including chassis ground points) and give them a bit of WD40 or better for connectors, dielectric grease.
SD
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