Whee to buy battery cable ends and how to repair them

its possible the lock barrel has a small plastic spring loaded flap inside thats stuck use a thin blade to dislodge it completely or spray a lubricant in the barrel

Ronald,
When you replaced the starter, I assume you did disconnect the battery. Did you clean the posts before putting your battery cable back on? I replaced my battery a couple of months ago and did not clean them and my van ran fine for several days and then one day would not start. Cleaned the posts and cable ends and everything worked fine. Just a thought. Hope this helps!

1994 what?

1st, are your battery cables in good condition? If you use the after market cables, there are two types. One clamps to the battery and you slip the cable through a clamp which you tighten down with two bolts. Those, I consider temporary repairs. Make sure the battery terminals are very clean. You can buy a battery post and cable end cleaner CHEAP. Buy the one with the brush which you can push through the cable end. They make terminal ends which bolt to the terminals and project out with a stud on them along with a wire end an a nut. This is the type I prefer. Always disconnect the negative terminal first! Make sure you have enough cable to cut it back to where clean copper is showing. If you don't, buy a new cable which is designated for that car. Now, with a razor balde or something of similar sharpeness, go about an1 1 /14 inches from where you cut it and cut around the cable., then cut from the first cut outward to the end of the cable and you can remove the cable insulation. The cable end is placed on the cable end as far in as it will go until it hits the cable insulation. Place the clean end you cut off into the cable end provided, With a pair of pliars placed on bothe sides of the end an partially start to fold the cable end in, not too far. Now, take the pliars and put one jaw on the bottom of the end and the other on one of the halves on the top (on the same side) and start to slowly squeeze it in. It should start to "roll inward torward the cable. Once it has, do the same to the other side. VERY IMPORTANT! Keep track of the cable position so that it is seated as far in as it will go before you make a final crimp. Use a large set of pliars to do this job or the crimp will not be tight enough. Clean the battery post (the positive one) place the cable on the post and tighten it down. it doesn't have to be gorilla tight. (make sure the cable you put on the post is the same one you pulled off! Do the same proceedure ofr the other side.
If you have a long period of cranking time before the car will start, it will damage one starter after another. Buying cheap brands to be thrifty by saveing you money even if they may carry a lifetime warranty NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THEM OUT! IF YOU HAVE REPLACED A BATTERY CABLE AND THE SIZE OF THE CABLE (DIAMETER) IS SMALLER THAN THE ONE WHICH WAS IN THE CAR, YOU WILL ALSO DAMAGE A STARTER. A starter hanging up after the engine has started up which could be caused by a bad ignition switch, can burn a starter up. If it remains in contact with the engine after it is running, it becomes a generator. I hope I have given you some avenues in which to follow up on. Good luck.

Replace the starter solenoid. Make sure you hook the wires back properly. Try jumping across the solenoid with cables to see the starter crank. That makes a direction to the starter. That's what the solenoid does. It connects those 2 cable ends together to make the starter crank over.

Check the condition of the battery cables. Check them for continuity or resistance. If you get an infinite resistance reading end to end on any of the cables, it is bad. The cables have crimped terminations at the ends and often that's where they will fail. If you're handy and have some time and the tools, you can buy replacement ends, cut off the old ends and solder the new ones to the cable.

Just remove the bolts with a 12 point socket or wrench. Just turn them counter-clockwise and they will come out

Most likely a bad battery cable, the positive or the ground. try using a pair of battery cables and hook up to the starter a ground and the positive to the positive cable and see if you can turn it over. also remove the first inch off the battery cable on the positive and negative cables and see if the cables are corroded if they are replace them both then clean the ground connection whee the ground cable connects up to. then see if you have lights if you do it should start up. If it does not then you may have a fuse problem but need to know what I am working on to help you.

no you can buy a battery cable end repair kit, just go to any NAPA or Carquest and ask for it, about $5.

Battery cables are attached to the battery on one end. The negative cable is attached to the chasis with a bolt on the other end. The positive cable is attached to the starter relay/solenoid.

You buy the correct length cables, remove the old ones and replace them.