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electrical issues...really need help.

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Old Dec 29, 2010 | 01:45 PM
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Default electrical issues...really need help.

ok so here's a doozy of a situation...my wife was trying to jump the vette the other day while I wasn't home so she could reposition the car and get two in the garage. well she crossed the jumper cables and fried the battery and I don't know what else.

I went and got a new battery to try and pray that's all it was and in my hasty installation i touched the socket wrench to the positive post while tighetening the negative...so did I just re-fry my new battery? or is there something else keeping it from starting now? possibly the wire from the positive terminal to the alternator? any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. not much of an electronics wizard.
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Old Dec 29, 2010 | 01:52 PM
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A touch of the wrench to the wrong terminal should not ruin your new battery. How ever your wife might have had the reversed cables on long enough to burn a fusible link. Not too hard to fix if that is the problem.
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Old Dec 29, 2010 | 02:03 PM
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in the future you might want to invest in a battery charger/booster which has circuitry that even if you reverse connection no damage will be done
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Old Dec 29, 2010 | 02:24 PM
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Originally Posted by calif phil
A touch of the wrench to the wrong terminal should not ruin your new battery. How ever your wife might have had the reversed cables on long enough to burn a fusible link. Not too hard to fix if that is the problem.



From my post in your thread in C3 general:

I don't think you re-fryed your new battery but she probably did some serious damage. I expect that she melted the fusible links down by the starter that supply power to the whole electrical system.

Another reason why only I drive my cars.
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Old Dec 29, 2010 | 02:53 PM
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ok so if she toasted the fusible link(s) - would that explain why i have no dash lights, cd player etc? The car is turning over like it wants to start but it just wont turn over. I still get the running lights turn signals etc to come on though.
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Old Dec 29, 2010 | 03:10 PM
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its hard to say how long she had it on there for but it may be more then the fusible links.......seperate the black loom cabling where the fuse block comes out to the engine compartment and follow that thick red wire all the way behind the distributor and down to the starter.....if that is melted you need to replace it. if she had it there any length of time that wire may be melted. good luck bob
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Old Dec 30, 2010 | 12:55 PM
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Originally Posted by mod81
ok so if she toasted the fusible link(s) - would that explain why i have no dash lights, cd player etc? The car is turning over like it wants to start but it just wont turn over. I still get the running lights turn signals etc to come on though.
I would think if the starter is turning over the fusible links (down by the starter) are good. Sounds like some other circuits are bad (other fusible links in engine compartment? maybe by the alternator). Check your fuses and check for spark - my guess is you don't have spark.....if so, check for power to the distributor...
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