So recently I changed my plugs and wires. I made sure all the wires were going to the right places. I also changed my battery terminals, so my car was running pretty good.

Suddenly, my car shuts off during the second or third idle after new plugs and wires. I chalk it up to no gas, and I filled the tank up with $10. I drove the car home and parked it. Few days later, I go to start it again and it cranks but doesn't start. I re-checked all the spark plugs and the battery terminals again. Cranks and spins but the motor won't turn over.

I tried it a few times, foot to the floor in case it was flooded. It turned over the 5th or 6th times, after I gave it a break. It sputtered on, and warmed up just fine. I put it in gear, it went forward, then it sputtered, then it turned off. It wouldn't start and still would crank.

I gave my brother a call, who is a mechanic, and he looked at it. All he did was jiggle the ground wire by the fuse box and it started again. I parked it up since it was dark by this time.

So fast forward about a week. My new studs have come in and I'm ready to take the car to the shop to look at it and the car is not starting. It turns but does not start. I tried jiggling the ground wire and it still would not start. What could the issue be?

 

What ground are you referring to? I know you say by the fusebox (are you talking about the fuse box in the engine compartment. If so, there isn't a ground wire in that area so there is a bit of confusion here. Perhaps a pic would help. And the year of your car is?????????????????

And did you try deflooding the engine by chance?

 

It's an S5, and I've pulled out the wire I'm referring to.

 

That wire is the battery ground and it should run to a metal clamp bolted to the fender strut tower, which mates the wire in the pic to the wire which runs to the starter. The quality of how that wire is placed back into the clamp is important.

 

So would that cause the issue I described?

 

Yes it could. If the battery is not grounded properly to the body then the battery should cut power. It's the same thing as pulling the negative (ground) terminal w/the engine running as that should cause the car to die.

 

Is there an easier way to reinstall the wire? I can't quite get it open far enough to thread the cable in securely.

 

You might have to resort to putting a new clamp on the frazzled end and bolting it to the same area.

 

So I swapped the clamp and I still have the endless cranking no start issue. Anything else it could be?

 

Flooded perhaps. Did you check for spark? Are the spark plugs dry or wet? Are you getting fuel?