Weird temporary no start

[jjonez]

Yesterday I drove my 02 to the store and it was running like normal. Then when I went to leave I tried starting the car, and it made a loud click.  Similar to a dead battery starter click, but louder like the very first split second of a car starting to crank.

 

Everything went totally dead after that. No lights on the dash, no nothing even with the key turned to on. Basically like the battery had been disconnected (confirmed later because the clock and trip odo had reset).  I tried turning the key to various positions a few times but no luck.

 

I looked at the passenger side relay box under the hood and pulled one labeled FL180A ACC IGN and looked at it.  Didn't know what to look for as far is it being bad so I put it back.

 

I went to start the car again and everything worked fine, started up without even a stutter. I've started and drove it a few times since then and it's like nothing ever happened.

 

I feel like it may just be a coincidence that pulling the relay actually did anything. But does anyone have an idea of why this would happen in the first place?  Thanks!

[01Pathmaker]

I would start by checking all of your battery cables and their connection points. It could very possibly be a poor connection, so look hard and be sure to grab the cables and give them a little tug/wiggle action. This same issue happened on my brother-in-laws car a few months ago, everything appeared ok visually, but as soon as I gave the negative cable a little tug, it flopped loose from the terminal connection. The stranded wire had actually disintegrated under the insulation just before the terminal. It's also not a bad idea to periodically inspect them and clean all the terminals, connections and ground points anyway, as this alone prevents numerous mysterious gremlins.

[Slartibartfast]

Sounds like a battery cable issue to me too. The trip odo and clock should be on constant +, not switched by anything, so I doubt the relay had much to do with it. Could be the shock of the hood closing shook the cable back into place. If the battery terminal clamp is loose or corroded, it can work well enough to light up the dash until you turn the key, at which point the additional load burns out the spot that was making a connection and everything goes dark. If the terminals are tight, pull them off and make sure they're clean inside, they can corrode in between and cause the same issue (happened on one of my dad's trucks once). If the terminals are clean and tight, and the cables feel alright, check any big fuses in line with the + cable for any obvious looseness or corrosion.

[jjonez]

Thanks guys. I should have done a little googling before posting cuz I pulled up the same info about being battery-related shortly after.