What happens is the surface of the connectors corrodes. The corroded connections don't conduct electricity. But a little surface does connect, although at a somewhat higher resistance. Bolt the battery corroded cables to the battery and it seems like everything is fine. Open the door, turn the key on and everything is fine. Turn the key to engage the starter and the high current of the starter burns the small portion of the surfaces that are connecting. You hear a pop and everything goes dead. You scratch your butt, wonder what happened and eventually disconnect and reconnect the battery, only to have it do it again.
Clean the surfaces with a wire brush, bolt them together and now you have enough to crank the engine.
This doesn't solve your fuse problem, but that is a different issue. idk on the coolant and tach but see what happens when you get it to start.
btw, yeah this has happened to me.
[This message has been edited by phonedawgz (edited 07-07-2013).]