Hello, I have a 1996 Honda Accord and I've been having problems recently with my transmission slipping and the car having trouble starting. I looked at my battery terminals and noticed that the wires going into the terminals were loose so I took apart the terminals and pushed the wires in more snug and put the terminals back together tighter. After doing that my car started instantly and the transmission was not slipping as much but it's still pretty bad. The wires are still kind of hanging out but there isn't much I can do. Below is a picture of how both terminals are connected:



Could the problem be that the car isn't receiving that much power due to the bad connection? Would I be able to take my car to a shop so they could fix the wiring? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

That battery cable terminal connector isn't stock. If you get an OEM replacement ground cable, it is relatively easy to replace; as it is only bolted at a couple of places.

 

Oh wow I didn't know it was that easy to replace. After doing some searching online I think I found the correct parts. However, wouldn't I need to get a new "Battery to Ground" cable and "Battery to Switch" cable?

 

You can get the + and - battery cable and replace them. It is a pretty simple DIY.

As for the transmission, have you checked the fluid level? When was the last time you did a drain and refill of the transmission fluid?

 

The transmission fluid is at the right level and is a brownish red color. I did a flush a few months ago.

 

After looking at the diagram you posted I see that the "Battery to Switch" cable has a mini wire cable and the part I found online has the same thing. However, the "Battery to Switch" cable on my car does not have that mini wire cable. It only has two wire cables. What is the mini wire cable from the diagram connected to? If I wasn't clear enough here is a picture that better clarifies what I am trying to say:

Top Left Corner is Diagram, Bottom Left Corner is Part I Found Online, Right is my Cable Connection

 

This picture is an OEM positive battery cable that doesn't have the additional cable wire.



For Accords equipped with ABS, the positive battery cable is a different Honda part number.

There is an additional cable wire that goes to the ABS Fuse/Relay box. See attached pic.

 

For aftermarket positive cables, they may possibly use one part number. If that is the case, then for non-ABS equipped Accords, the wire that would go to the ABS fuse/relay box would not be used. You would have to insulate the unused positive wire to prevent a short if it touch the chassis body.

 

Oh, I didn't realize they had separate cables for ABS and non-ABS. I'm gonna order the parts and hopefully after replacing the old cables the problems will be gone. I will give you guys an update once it's done.

 

Sorry I haven't given you guys an update sooner. I had to get a new starter cause I tightened the Battery to Switch cable too tight and it screwed up by making it loose

Anyways after putting on the new battery cables the transmission changes gears at least 60% better. With the old cables, after driving for 30 mins on the freeway and then going onto the streets it would take forever for the car to switch gears and it would start slipping like crazy. Now in that same scenario with the new cables the transmission slips a little bit and I take my foot off the acceleration for it to change gears smoothly. When I had the old cables on there were times where I had to pull off into the shoulder while driving on the freeway because the car wouldn't change gears. Now that doesn't happen anymore.

However, I think there's still something wrong with my car electronically that is causing the car to sometimes slip. Should I get an electronic diagnosis? Another electrical problem I have is that my car will only start with the driver door open. Pretty weird...