Where are the fuses?
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
From: Groton CT
Where are the fuses?
I have an 89 that I just shipped cross country. It sat for about a month and the battery went dead. I charged the battery but it still wont turnover or make any indication that it is going to. I checked all the fuses in the panel on the side of the passenger door sill. Are there other fuses I can check? Any other suggestions?
Instructor
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 132
Likes: 0
From: Torrington CT
Did you clean and tighten the cable connections both at the battery and the starter. Did you check the battery?? Is it in good condition. Even though you recharged it dosent mean its going to be up to snuff. Have it load checked at an Advanced auto or auto zone etc. Could also be your security system acting up if battery checks out.
Racer
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 419
Likes: 1
From: Kelso WA
There are several things that can cause this. The most likely culprits are: ignition (key/switch problem), wire connections (battery terminals check for nice clean connections and at starter), solenoid, starter, or fusible link. The hot wire from the battery goes to the starter. You can use a jumper cable to go straight from the battery to the solenoid with the car in neutral and key off. If the starter turns, then the problem has to be upstream from there. If it doesn't, remove the starter/solenoid and troubleshoot or replace separately. Usually the fusible link will kill everything, so if your headlights, radio, etc. are working it's most likely not a fusible link. There may be a couple of other things like the transmission not being fully in park or something, but these things are usually what go wrong and are fairly easy to check.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 10,346
Likes: 672
From: Beverly Hills (Pine Ridge) Florida
Start with the basics. Do any of the heavy amperage draw items function, such as the headlights, heater blower, etc. function properly?
If they do, then battery should be charged enough to try to start the engine. If they don't, then either the battery or the connections are at fault.
Then we can go from there.
Plasticman
If they do, then battery should be charged enough to try to start the engine. If they don't, then either the battery or the connections are at fault.
Then we can go from there.
Plasticman
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,333
Likes: 262
From: Summerland B.C. Canada
Here is some info on the cranking system from my 86 (should be the same) http://members.shaw.ca/agent86/Start...g%20System.pdf
Good luck and congrats
Good luck and congrats
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Advanced
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Waterford MI
Originally Posted by bigphil76
I have an 89 that I just shipped cross country. It sat for about a month and the battery went dead. I charged the battery but it still wont turnover or make any indication that it is going to. I checked all the fuses in the panel on the side of the passenger door sill. Are there other fuses I can check? Any other suggestions?
There is a small, four fuse block under the passenger side hush panel, but none of those would keep it from cranking.
However, there is a junction block buried behind and under the battery/pedestal that you can sorta see if you shine a flashlight down there. There is a hot lead that runs from the battery + terminal, plus a bunch of wires that power, among other things, the ignition key circuit. That terminal block has been known to corrode enough to prevent the ignition circuit from engaging.......been there, done that.
If you pull the gill panel, you may be able to access it without pulling the battery, but it is much easier if you do. Either way, disconnect the battery ground first. Remove the nut and clean all the terminals, then reassemble. Don't omit any of the leads, as 2 of them carry power to the cooling fans thru fusible links.
Cheap to fix and sometimes we get get lucky.
