What could be wrong with my car? - 1

I have a 02 Honda Accord that will not crank. It all started because one night I came home and noticed that my tail lights had been on over 4 hrs. When trying to crank it the battery was dead. I fixed the tail light issue and got a jumping and it cranked up. The next day my battery was dead again and it clicked multiple times and my dad gave me a jump it didn't work so he wiggles the wires/tightened then and it cranked. Then after that I was able to drive the car for 2 days with no issue but then once I got home and turned the car off I came back outside like 10 mins later to go somewhere it refused to crank. Lights are not dim, radio plays and when turning the key it clicks one time and nothing else happens. What could be going on?

The battery leads are making poor contact with the terminals. In addition, the battery may be no good.

Get the battery charged and load tested. Replace the battery terminals. Issue does not go away, it is time to see a professional mechanic.

Check batt leads.could have inner cable corrosion… If all looks good, do starter checks, alternator checks… Could be starter, but sounds way more like bad batt cables… Or you couldhave a phantom light on somewhere, maybe someelectrical thing is staying on draining your batt… Also have the batt tested… After dying around 3 times.batts should be changed.

Clean and tighten the battery cables. They should not be able to turn around on the terminals. Charge the battery all the way up. Jump starting does not charge up the battery. If that's your original battery, likely it's on its last legs and running it down was too much to come back from.

I would take it to a nnechanic and they'll help you figure out what's wrong with it

The wiggling was a clue to tighten said battery clamp. You are not thinking this thru.

Hi so you have to face facts this car needs a new battery. It has reached the end of it's life.

Check if the alternator belt is tight enough or loose, and check if the alternator is working properly ( making weird noises ).

if the belt is slightly loose, the battery won't charge.

otherwise, you could have a parasitic draw, and you can watch youtube vids on how to track the draw using a voltmeter.

its always a good idea to invest in a battery jumper / charger for home use, they're a lifesaver and don't cost much.

You need to clean the battery posts and cable clamps first.
Then charge the battery with a portable battery charger set to 12 volts, 10 amps, for 6 ours.
Then drive to an auto parts store and have the battery and charging system tested. It's a free service.
It would take 2 hours of driving on the expressway to charge a battery enough to count on the motor to start the next couple of days.

Clean the battery post and terminals, clyde.