Slow cranking. Battery cables?

[psu x]

A few weeks ago, I had a dead battery for a completely unknown reason. No freezing weather, no lights left on, etc. Jump started it and put it on the charger when I got home.

Ever since then, I have had a slow cranking issue. Checked the battery and it seems to be fine. When starting the engine, the dash goes into diagnostic mode, the CD changer reboots and occasionally the ABS light will stay on. From searching posts in this forum, all of these issues seem to be common to this vehicle when the voltage is low.

My battery is fairly new and checks out OK. I have some corrosion on the positive battery terminal. The negative and grounding look good. So, I'm thinking that maybe my battery cable(s) are cording internally.

EDIT: Just checked and there is actually more corrosion on the Negative post.

So my questions are:
Should I check anything else before buying new cables?
Are either of the cables (+ or -) more common to go bad or to cause my issue? I'd prefer to just buy one.
Is there an easy way to test for a bad cable?
Does the frequent re-corrosion of my terminals indicate that the cable is bad or anything else?

 

[FordFool2]

Sounds like you might have a problem with the positive cable. Check this sticky thread.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=287097

 

[psu x]

Sounds like you might have a problem with the positive cable. Check this sticky thread.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=287097

Thanks. I'll definitely check that out. I wish that sticky had a better (more explanatory) title though.

 

[FordFool2]

If the positive cable looks good where it traverses the oil filter drip shield then also check the connection on the starter. I read of a loose connection there that really made a tough time for someone. Remember to lift the negative cable before you start tooling on the starter connection to prevent short circuit/arc flash.