Odd electrical issue; 2006 ram

[Dennis Flannery]

I have an 06 quad cab, 4x4, 5.7 hemi with almost 340k miles. Intermittently when I get in the truck the odometer and interior lights do not light up and when I turn the ignition the truck is dead except for one muted red light in the middle/right of the dash. When I wiggle the positive lead from the (new 6 months) Optima red top battery, the light under the hood comes on, the odo and interior lights come on and then I can start the truck and it runs fine.

Here lately I may have to do the wiggle and ignition turn several times to get it to start.

I put terminal shims on about 4 months ago as the battery cables couldn’t tighten any more. Both cables are tight to the battery. I’ve followed the red leads from the battery and can’t find anything loose.

And I can’t recreate the problem by wiggling the red cable.

TIPM was replaced about 200k ago.

Any ideas would be great.
Edit: thanks guys, problem fixed after cleaning/tightening all connections and adding dielectric grease. Still not sure which one was the culprit but it’s done. However I have a new problem-will post new thread.

 

[Hanover Fiste]

If it were me, I'd install a new set of cables. Even a little bit of resistance would cause the issues you have.

 

[Dennis Flannery]

Really? So something minor could cause complete disconnect? I didn’t realize that. Thank you.

 

[Hanover Fiste]

You're welcome. Sometimes, even small things wreak havoc with electronics.

 

[Johnsram]

Check all connections, including grounds. Clean if necessary, and add dielectric.