Positive Battery Post/Terminal Question

[SPC4Runnergirl]

Hi guys, ok so the weather in Louisiana was like 20 degrees last night, and i tried to start my car and it was dead. I just got a brand new battery less then 2 months ago because when my driveshaft broke off it took months before so eone installed the new one for me so battery was shot after that so i have no idea why it was dead even with freezing temps. Anyway i popped the hood because i was going to hook up my battery charger and realized the battery wasnt seated correctly because of the hold down clamps not being bolted down. So i moved the battery back into the seated position and as i was doing that the Positive terminal popped up and off the post. I immediately tried to push it down but it is not going down( im assuming i need to loosen the nut holding the bolt) but now i am nervous because it isnt all the way on as you can see from the pics. My questions are, 1. What do i do now? Loosen the negative cable even though positive popped off and isnt on securely? 2.loosen by hand the positive nut to make the terminal fit snug then tighten back with my hand? I do not want sparks or to get shocked even though mybattery was technically dead before all this happened.
Thank u guys i don't know how i would have solved issues over the years without yall help

2005 Limited V6

 

[4R005]

Open up the positive clamp by inserting a flat screw driver between the two arms of clamp ( after backing off nut to allow arms to spread ) You will then be able to seat the clamp fully down in POS post. Tighten nut of lock bolt with right size socket/fastener ( not by hand ) .You will know clamp is tight enough when you cannot move clamp while twisting w/hand. If you are concerned about having contact with NEG & POS posts and produce sparks, just cover NEG post with piece of cloth/cardboard etc. Keep in mind you still need to prevent any contact with nearby metallic engine/frame part with your wrench during the tightening process on the POS clamp.

 

[shine]

Looking at the pictures it seems the clamp holding the battery in place is pressing down on the ground cable. That's not right, recommend loosening the battery clamp and routing the cable outside the clamp/rod holding the battery down.

 

[MikeinNH67]

I prefer to disconnect the battery to charge it so I would do that first. This is only 12 volts so you really can't get a shock like house voltage but may see a few small sparks when hooking back up. The other replies are good but also make sure both the clamp and battery terminals shine where they touch so you get a good connection. Lastly, that ground clamp is not one that is known to work well, they don't last and where it attaches to the wire gets corroded easily. Clamps with a set screw to tighten against the wire work better as a replacement.