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i cleaned my positive battery terminal with baking soda and water to get the corrosion off...my sub works again....but the car wont start!!

the terminals are still wet, could this be the cause?

does it turn over? can you hear the fuel pump? does it just click?

all good. its starts. sorry.

lmfao what happened?

i guess i tightened the terminal back down while it was slightly damp.

all i was getting was the starter clicking. everything else had solid power.

so i dried it totally, now she runs like a kitten....with aids.

(still have a wonky idle)

flhmfd wrote:i cleaned my positive battery terminal with baking soda and water to get the corrosion off...my sub works again....but the car wont start!!

the terminals are still wet, could this be the cause?

Cleaning with the baking soda and water was a good idea.

But, you need to dry everything off rather than leave it wet.

...and when dry coat everything with dielectric grease then reassemble.

The dielectric grease is a measure to prevent further corrosion. I cleaned mine of this way last summer and it has lasted fine through the winter and is still good now.

Or just get an AGM type battery. No acid venting = no corrosion.
But it costs more. I love the Optima in my Jeep. 8 years old, no grease, no corrosion. The terminals look like the day I installed it.

I have never had an issue of wet terminals preventing electrical conductivity tho. Have changed batteries in the pouring rain and they worked fine.
If it gives you trouble in the near future, get a battery brush kit that has the "bottle brush" for the clamp, and the terminal brush. Shine them up good, then do the dielectric grease. You only need to get them shiney, no need to remove any more lead from the terminal than needed. Also check the conection for the lead going to the starter. it may be getting weak, which may be why the car wouldn't start, but the PDC side/accessories worked. (If you have the OEM set up)