Starting problem

[Alffie]

Car wont start, there is a clicking sound when I push the button. Dash lights and headlights are bright and radio came on. Checked terminals, + is a little loose, tightened it as much as I can but it was still kinda loose. Used two boxes, nothing, used jumper cables still nothing. Hit on the starter, still nothing.
Any ideas???

[VStar650CL]

Sounds like you have a voltage drop someplace in the system. Put one lead of a voltmeter on the positive post (the post, not the lug) and start checking point by point toward the starter while someone works the button. If you reach a point where the meter voltage jumps up, your resistance will be between there and the last spot you checked. One commonly-overlooked place is the nut and stud where the lug bolts to the battery card. Corrosion can build up invisibly on the bottom side of the card, and the only way to see it is to remove the nut and split the lug from the card.

[Alffie]

Sounds like you have a voltage drop someplace in the system. Put one lead of a voltmeter on the positive post (the post, not the lug) and start checking point by point toward the starter while someone works the button. If you reach a point where the meter voltage jumps up, your resistance will be between there and the last spot you checked. One commonly-overlooked place is the nut and stud where the lug bolts to the battery card. Corrosion can build up invisibly on the bottom side of the card, and the only way to see it is to remove the nut and split the lug from the card.

Ok..will try that. Will clean off the terminals as well.
Idk if means anything, but you know when you are hooking up jumper cables to the battery, you get some sparks? There was nothing at all.

[VStar650CL]

Idk if means anything, but you know when you are hooking up jumper cables to the battery, you get some sparks? There was nothing at all.

That's what makes me think you have a high resistance someplace in the cables or lugs. The test I described is called "voltage drop" and it's the best way to find any resistance problem. It's used more often on the ground side, but it's useful anytime high resistance is causing a problem. Ohm's Law says that when current is flowing (i.e., you're trying to crank) and there's a resistance impeding the flow (crummy terminal or whatever), voltage will drop across the point of resistance. Since battery cables are very heavy, the drop will be very small if the conductors are healthy, usually less than half a volt even with 150 amp cranking load. When they aren't healthy, you'll see a sudden drop of several volts or more across the bad spot.

I use it constantly to evaluate ground integrity, and everybody should. Here's why:
keep-your-engine-on-the-ground-not-just ... 28130.html

[Alffie]

So I changed the positive terminal, bc it was kinda loose even after I tightened it as much as possible and tried to jump it, it still wouldn't start..i did a voltage drop test, with a multimeter, where you touch the battery post and the terminal for both -/+ and both read 0..took out the battery and took it to autozone. They said the battery is good. Was about to have it towed and the tow truck driver said to put in neutral and push it out. I said I have to install the battery. After putting the battery back in, the car started right up. Turned it off and on a few times, and it started up.