Mazda MPV 2003 will not start – New battery, can be jumped

[George]

Hi all,

This is my first time posting in a car forum so forgive me if I am missing some the etiquette, but I searched the forums and did not find my particular problem. Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I have a 2003 Mazda MPV. After leaving my van for 2 weeks with no issues and recent servicing, it took a couple of cranks to start the engine. It would start for a while but required progressively more goes. Then it would not start at all. I could hear the starter clicking but I would try a few times until the battery had no more give. Occasionally it would start with no issues. It would always still start with a jump, and would start if I drove for a bit, then not at all. I thought it might be the alternator but all electrical components function fine and I can drive with no issues, I just can’t restart the engine.
I replaced the battery and in the process noticed a small wire had been barely attached and broke in the process (pictures attached). With the new battery and the wire fully detached, I can start with a jump but now I don’t even hear the starter going. As far as I can tell, all electrical components such as lights and stereo are still working.

I know almost nothing about cars and I can not afford a mechanic check, so any help you folks can provide would be very helpful.

Thanks again,
George

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[Billy]

Sounds like maybe a bad main ground. If you use a jumper cable to connect the engine block to the battery’s negative terminal, does the car start?

[Author]

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