>What i do know is that with THAT battery, if I cleaned and sanded and
>re-tightened, all would be fine for a few months, until the problem
>re-developed and the connection became loose again.
I just cleaned up the posts and terminals good ~15 minutes ago, and
something else occurred to me.
A few months ago I installed one of those battery disconnects, the kind
that slips over the negative post (we won't get into old
positive-ground English cars just now) and has a plastic that you turn
one way or the other to (dis)connect the battery. Earlier today I had
the same problem in trying to restart after changing a flat (see
separate "Blowout!" post). I went to put the hood up as a distress
signal, and I'm not sure if I nudged the battery disconnect, but the
4-way flashers came on again. So when I put everything back together
after wire-brushing, I made a point of really tightening the knob, and
I think I got it tighter than it was b4.