mistur_sleepyass

so i had my battery out of my car for a day or 2 so i could swap out a battery cable. i get the cable in and everything hooked up correctly and then this (image at the bottom) sounded like it was actuating and the clutch inhibit relay was actuating at well. with the car shut off the CEL, battery light, and the oil light are dim. with the ignition in the on mode the airbag light flickers. if the lock switch is activated, it sounds like the locks are trying to actuate but all it does is clicks. similar result with the windows and the trunk release doesn't work. when the clutch pedal is pressed and cranked into start it cranks a bit then just stops. any ideas?

here's the image i promised:

najee1062

sound like you're having a grounding problem.... Check all grounds

flynlr

iTrader: (2)

that is the evap purge volume vent control valve, always will cycle when key is in start position. has nothing to do with car running or starting. it is an emissions item. I drove with a broken one for several years.

najee1062

Right... but what about his other issues, dim lights with key off, etc?
sound like a bad ground somewhere or cross connection

mistur_sleepyass

well i just cleaned up the main ground where the negative battery cable connects too but it still wont crank all the way over. and the clutch relay doesn't activate any more randomly like it did before. the security light also has a random blink pattern at time as well. and i still don't get why my locks and windows won't work

najee1062

Did you check both end also the leading over to the trans? also check all fuses... maybe some blown.

Nopike

iTrader: (2)

Does anything, like headlights, horn, radio, fog lights, turn signals or wipers work properly?
If not check the voltage right across the battery should be about 12-14 VDC. Which battery cable did you change? The positive or negative lead? Why did you change it? Was the car working normally before you changed the cable? Is your battery fully charged?

If the car was working normally before you changed the battery cable then the problem is probably with your battery or the cable that you changed or the connections you made.

mistur_sleepyass

@ najee1062: the part that i cleaned was the ground plate that is connected to the engine. it was a cable swap.

@ Nopike: didn't try the headlights, horn kinda works, radio won't turn on, fog lights haven't worked in a while i never got around to fixing them, didn't try the turn signals, and wipers dont work. swapped the negative cable cuz the one on there was very corroded and the battery terminal was very loose and could come off if i just touched it. the car was not working normally i was trying to diagnose another issue and i had it singled down to the MAF and a possible bad ground so i started with the negative battery cable. and i've had the battery tested twice at 2 different places and the battery tested good.

Nopike

iTrader: (2)

I would make sure the battery was fully charged and measure voltage right across the battery. Should measure 12-16 VDC. Then I would install it and again measure at the battery terminals and see if it still measure about the same, it should.

Sounds like maybe the battery is not being properly grounded through that ground wire.
As a test try addding another fairly thick ground wire from the battery negative terminal to a solid metal surface such as the engine, frame of the vehicle or the transmission that may help. A voltmeter would really help, nothing on your car is getting enough voltage/current to operate. That would be due to a bad battery or a poor connection of either the positive or negative leads from the battery to the vehicle.