99 Corolla: Battery fine. Alternator fine. Wont Start...

[Conan77]

Hello All,

I have a 99 corolla, and for some reason it won't start. I live in the windy city; and due to harsh, winter cold, and severe corrosion on my (+)terminal; i would have trouble starting my car. I would play around with the terminal a little bit, and with effort, the car would eventually start. This wasn't a severe issue, as I could get the car running. The issue began when I decided to change the terminal and a headlight lamp. Both of them had burnt out, so I replaced them; while doing so, I tackled the (+) terminal. Once all the work was complete, I hopped in the car to turn it on. Put the key in the ignition, turned the key...nothing. Now, the lights came on, the radio came on, and the interior "key in ignition, door open" chime came on; but as sooned as i tried to engage the ignition switch, everything cut off.

If I jump the car, the ignition will work; and everything will start. Also, I can drive around indefinitely with the car in it's present state; I do however notice that the lights flicker a little bit when I roll down a window or mess with the heater; but they don't drain (as does with a bad alternator...). I took the battery to get tested @ a Pep Boys and an Autozone, where I was told @ both of them that the battery had no problem. I did a test where I took off the (-) terminal while the battery was running to test the alternator, and it continued to run (until I put some stress on the battery by rolling down all the windows @ the same time and blasting the heat and radio...)

I don't want to spend unneccesary money on repairs or parts, so I am asking this forum for any advice it can provide on this matter. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. I figure eventually, I may need to bite it and spend (maybe unneccesary) cash to get to the bottom of the problem; but until then, I'm open to suggestions...

[XR2003]

Aftermarket alarm?

Starter kill?

Perhaps new terminals are needed?