can't complain

well that's not necessarily accurate. i can indeed complain it's just that it never does any good and no one listens. so, it was the battery after all. the total damages were somewhere in the neighborhood of $100. the low voltage measurements came from me being to tired to realize that corrosion is not conductive and after i dig the leads into the terminal ends, i get an accurate measurement. the chattering turns out to be a failure similar to that of the revving down when the key is turned on old cars. it's really not a huge deal as the battery was the stock one for the car which i got in 2000. these things happen it just puts a crimp in your plans when they do.