Car just clicks

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

O'Reilly had some battery cable fittings, but they were clearly intended for much larger diameter wire than in Festies. I'll hit up AutoZone and Napa on Friday, as well as the only remaining good electronic components store left in the area.

Instead of trying to wire-brush existing cable to buy some time, I saw some YouTubes that show that vinegar+salt followed by baking soda+water is an effective way to clean metal contacts, wire crimp connections, and the, so will give that a try.

So you're saying that the O.D. of posts on our batteries is smaller than "normal?" That explains why the fittings a prior owner clamped onto my cables are so difficult to snug up!!! I'll bring a battery with me to parts stores for test-fitting. If I recall correctly, we use "Type 35" -- does that imply not only overall dimensions but also post O.D.?

[WmWatt]

I've replaced batteries on my car without regard to post diameter with no problems.

[Britstiva]

Not to throw a wrench in the mix here, but I had a similar problem in my Aspire. My battery was only a year old too. It turned out the battery had one dead cell inside of it. The testers at all the car places said it was good, but when I called AAA out, their tester showed it was indeed the battery. It printed a report and he said it indicated the dead cell. SO if all else fails and you still have the same problem, try swapping the battery!

[bravekozak]

I think Festivas use the small size T3 Japanese terminals.
Can someone please verify that?

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

Wikipedia agrees:

Automotive battery terminals[edit]

Automotive batteries typically have one of three types of terminals.

In recent years, the most common design was the SAE Post, consisting of two lead posts in the shape of truncated cones, positioned on the top of the battery, with slightly different diameters to ensure correct electrical polarity.

The "JIS" type is similar to the SAE but smaller, once again positive is larger than negative but both are smaller than their SAE counterparts. Most older Japanese cars were fitted with JIS terminals.

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

I used (for the first time ever) vinegar+salt to de-corrode the battery wires and (to some extent) the aftermarket terminals -- see photo of terminals prior to cleaning.

I put everything back together and the car started right up. At least it's now drivable while I research solder-on terminals and buying new plug&play ground wire.

I also dropped both taillight wiring harnesses (each had one corroded socket) and light bulbs in vinegar for a few minutes -- everything came out squeaky clean.

Finally, I found an old large marine battery in the weeds -- its terminals are the same size as those on Festy batteries.