On a Malibu 2005; vehicle won't start but if you wiggle cables attached to battery it will then turn over. Is it a weak battery? Starter? Wiring!

Sound,s like battery cables, need cleaning.

Should not be able to wiggle the cables. Remove, clean and tighten them. If they still wiggle then replace the terminals.

Damn. Did it again. Lol

; )

We thinka alike dandy..

That's scary!

We cleaned them and tightened them and it started then went back out a couple hours later and it didn't turn over. I then grabbed the cables and twitched them a bit and it cranked... The cables aren't loose.

If they "twisted a bit" they are loose. They should not move at all not even a little bit.

The wire end,s in the cables, are loose,tighten them or may be need to replace.

You can tell a non-mechanic is trying to explain a problem to a mechanic here. The cables aren't loose from the posts but I was able to grab the wiring of the cables and wiggle them a bit and it turned over... Is this any more clearer or is it still like a Yoohoo?

Ok eric, check that hole cable you wiggled,could be loose as i said,and may be loose at starter.

If any part of it wiggles The terminals or the wires that is the problem. Neither should move. Not the terminals or the wires going to them. If you can touch them and then it starts there is your problem.

or ground wire which ever

Along the lines of Tom's post, I have had the copper wire become un-connected to the clamp with no visual evidence

A weak battery will not start your car if you wiggle any wires other than a magic wand. Your car will not start if the starter is bad, no matter how many times you move a wire. If your cables are tight to the battery and they still move, the battery posts may be bad. Do you have top or side mount posts? The side mount posts have been known to pull out. I have a car that uses the side mount posts and I have had several post failures. If they have both top and side, try moving the posts to the other connection if you can. If you can't tighten the cable down, try placing a nail between the cable and post to create a tight fit if it is a clamp style connection. Your cable as suggested above, may have come lose from the copper wire to the post connection in the cable. Try a new cable. Is it the ground cable or the positive cable giving you problems? If it is the ground cable, remove it, put baking soda on it and with a small wire brush, clean all the connections, even where it connects to the car frame. Use WD-40 to help clean it after all is clean to help prevent contamination from corroding it again for a while. New cables are not that expensive, if everything does not work, get them. When you disconnect the cables, twist the end of the cables to make sure they are secure. You even may need pliers to assist with the twisting.

How to change battery cables? I have a 2005 Chevrolet malibu with side posts.