OK, bought a new H8 class battery with a three year replacement guarantee! When I use my handy dandy volt meter to test voltage across terminals, I get 12.4 volts. As I move the negative (black) lead to the where the cable attaches via a bolt to the body of the car, I get 12.4 volts when touching the lead to the end of the cable (the eyelet that the bolt goes through to attach to the car body).

HOWEVER, when I place the voltmeter negative lead on the bolt that holds the negative cable to the car body, I get zero or near zero volts. Is this a problem?

I used electronics cleaner on everything before making the connections.