Battery / Electric problem...HELP
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 1,241
Likes: 4
From: Okinawa Okinawa
Battery / Electric problem...HELP
Okay,
I really did a dumb thing this time. I had a buddy helping me get the car ready for a long storage. He hooked up the new battery wrong. Positive on negative and negative on positive. Now the car gets no power at all. I tried the new battery and the old battery and nothing.
Where should I start looking to see what blew. I'm hoping that someone will come back and say look a fuse located somewhere and that it probably just blew.
Thanks for your assistance.
I really did a dumb thing this time. I had a buddy helping me get the car ready for a long storage. He hooked up the new battery wrong. Positive on negative and negative on positive. Now the car gets no power at all. I tried the new battery and the old battery and nothing.
Where should I start looking to see what blew. I'm hoping that someone will come back and say look a fuse located somewhere and that it probably just blew.
Thanks for your assistance.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 1,241
Likes: 4
From: Okinawa Okinawa
Re: Battery / Electric problem...HELP (77Dream)
I think it is more than just the starter. There is no electricity going to the car anywhere! No starter, no lights, no anything. Not sure where to start.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,665
Likes: 1
From: Ontario
Re: Battery / Electric problem...HELP (scottw)
Sounds like you may have blown a 'fuseable link' which is basically a fuse in the main line. Your battery connects directly to your starter via a big thick wire. From there a thinner wire goes off and feeds the rest of the car. On that thinner wire there will probably be a fuseable link, sometimes they are hanging free, sometimes they are in the firewall. Check that out with your ohmmeter.
Another thing to do before you reconnect your battery is to disconnect your alternator. By applying -12V to your alternator you may have cooked the internal diodes. Lets say you find a bad fuse and replace it. If your alternator does have a problem it will just blow your fuse as soon as you hook up your battery again.
If you are still having problems here is another thing to try. With your battery disconnected and key out of the ignition, connect your ohmmeter to the cables that connect to your battery. You should probably measure at least a thousand ohms or more. If you measure less than a few hundred ohms something is probably shorting your 12V to ground. That will prevent your car from getting power and will also kill your battery real fast.
Good luck let us know what you find.
Another thing to do before you reconnect your battery is to disconnect your alternator. By applying -12V to your alternator you may have cooked the internal diodes. Lets say you find a bad fuse and replace it. If your alternator does have a problem it will just blow your fuse as soon as you hook up your battery again.
If you are still having problems here is another thing to try. With your battery disconnected and key out of the ignition, connect your ohmmeter to the cables that connect to your battery. You should probably measure at least a thousand ohms or more. If you measure less than a few hundred ohms something is probably shorting your 12V to ground. That will prevent your car from getting power and will also kill your battery real fast.
Good luck let us know what you find.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,298
Likes: 1
From: Sodertalje/Sweden
Re: Battery / Electric problem...HELP (Boofers)
Are you sure thet the B+ cable has a fuse?The only fuse i found was on the main supply to the fuseblock from the horn relay..
If a fuseable link to the fuseblock has gone,theres no power to nothing,should be right around the hornrelay..Happy hunting :cheers: :cheers:
If a fuseable link to the fuseblock has gone,theres no power to nothing,should be right around the hornrelay..Happy hunting :cheers: :cheers:
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 2,865
Likes: 1
From: I may be getting old but I refuse to grow up
Re: Battery / Electric problem...HELP (77Dream)
There are a number of fusable links in the car. My guess would be too check the ones on the starter.
:cheers:
:cheers:
The wiring diagram for the '74 shows a fusable link in the red wire from the starter to the juntion block. near the starter end if the same as other GM's I've worked on.
Steve :steering:
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 1,241
Likes: 4
From: Okinawa Okinawa
Re: Battery / Electric problem...HELP (stpman)
Thanks 77Dream and stpman,
It was the fusable link going to the starter. It cost me 3.67 to get from a chevy dealership just down the road. I hooked it up, had power, no problem. Went to start the car...turned over great. Uh, not starting. Look at the ingintion box and no power. :banghead:
There goes 150.00 for a new MSB 6A box. Can't win for losing on this one.
It should be here tomorrow and by this weekend the vette will be on the road again before going into a four year hibernation.
BTW, the fusable link was completly burnt apart. I took off the outside plastic and the wire was totally fried.
Scott :flag
O yea, is there a fuse in an MSD6A box. I can't find it myself and don't think there is one. If not, then shame on MSD for not putting one in it. The only reason I can think of for not having one is so they burn up and we have to buy a new one instead of a .50 cent fuse. :rolleyes:
[Modified by scottw, 9:40 PM 5/14/2003]
It was the fusable link going to the starter. It cost me 3.67 to get from a chevy dealership just down the road. I hooked it up, had power, no problem. Went to start the car...turned over great. Uh, not starting. Look at the ingintion box and no power. :banghead:
There goes 150.00 for a new MSB 6A box. Can't win for losing on this one.
It should be here tomorrow and by this weekend the vette will be on the road again before going into a four year hibernation.
BTW, the fusable link was completly burnt apart. I took off the outside plastic and the wire was totally fried.
Scott :flag
O yea, is there a fuse in an MSD6A box. I can't find it myself and don't think there is one. If not, then shame on MSD for not putting one in it. The only reason I can think of for not having one is so they burn up and we have to buy a new one instead of a .50 cent fuse. :rolleyes:
[Modified by scottw, 9:40 PM 5/14/2003]
Race Director
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 19,659
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From: Lenoir City Tennessee
Ci 6, 8 & 10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Re: Battery / Electric problem...HELP (scottw)
O yea, is there a fuse in an MSD6A box. I can't find it myself and don't think there is one. If not, then shame on MSD for not putting one in it. The only reason I can think of for not having one is so they burn up and we have to buy a new one instead of a .50 cent fuse. :rolleyes:
You would think that they would put some kind of reverse voltage protection on it or at the very least a fuse. :crazy:
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Drifting
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,426
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From: San Diego, CA Website: ChrisMitchell.us
Re: Battery / Electric problem...HELP (scottw)
Thanks 77Dream and stpman
If not, then shame on MSD for not putting one in it. The only reason I can think of for not having one is so they burn up and we have to buy a new one instead of a .50 cent fuse.
