Car won't start, stumped on where to start...

[xyexz]

Okay, I'm about at the end of my rope with my '91 TSi project car.
I brought it home after buying it and took some things out of the engine bay just to inspect them, (intake, smic, various piping, etc). Before I did this the car would start but then after I turned it off after idleing for a few moments it wouldn't start again if I tried it.
The person I bought the car from told me it needed new alternator, so I figured I'd inspect parts while waiting for the used alternator came.
Okay well this is where it get's dumb.
I put the various things back on the car and charged the battery and installed new battery connectors. I also put on a new valve cover gasket and new spark plug wires.
When I turn the key no interior lights come on in the guages the car doesn't even acknowledge that I turned the key, absolutely nothing happens.
As far as I know, besides what I replaced because it needed to be replaced, the car was the same way as it was before I inspected some easy to get to parts.
I have purchased a used alternator from a member of this site, but haven't been able to install it at the moment, (too busy at work making money for the car ).
I need some ideas friends!
In the past I've gotten replies of the same things from different people, only re-idderate someone if you truely have something new to add that would help.
I'm open to all realistic ideas whatever is posted here I shall try to complete, my father's got a shop so tools and a place to work on it shouldn't be an issue.

Thanks in advance.
Brian

 

[N1balla16]

Man that sucks, only thing I can think of is maybe you forgot to hook something up onto the battery or even a fuse possibly is blown.

 

[DSMark]

Did you check for corroded wires?

 

[xyexz]

Did you check for corroded wires?

Well when I was removing parts and such I checked for corroded wires around the parts I moved, with my other talon I had moved some corroded wires that I had to rewire but the cars lights and other things still turned on with the wires corroded.
Does anyone know of any specific wires to check for corrosion that might lead to absolutely nothing working on the car?
Also N1balla16 would you know what fuses would cause an issue such as this that I should check?
Thanks

 

[VegasTSI]

what you are going to have to do is invest in a good testlight that tests for (+) and (-) polarity. then go to the main fuse box under the hood and see what has power and what doesnt when the key is turned... then if nothing there check the fuse box under the dash , it is a tedious process but the only way to really do it... not to hard, just time consuming


if you get a good testlight that you can hookup to your battery that has a built in led and buzzes and lights up green and red (one for ground one for power) that would make your life a lot easyer... snap on and matco have them , but I think sears might also


good luck

the first think you are going to want to check is your battery/ground wires/power and ground going to the alternator

 

[N1balla16]

Do you have a little fuse box with like 3 fuses in it coming off your baterry positive side. My friend had a similar situation and he had a fuse blown there.

 

[Birt96gst]

check your fuse box underneath you hood there should be a 80 fuse that is for your ignition and that could possibly be blown. Same thig happened to me and that fixed the problem. Hope this helps

 

[xyexz]

Thanks alot for the input thus far, my car unfortunately is 1.5hrs away so any more ideas anyone could list off to check before friday would be much appreciated if not, i'll post back saturday/sunday at the latest monday to let everyone know my progress and post additional questions.
Once again thanks to those who've provide input thus far.

 

[xyexz]

Do you have a little fuse box with like 3 fuses in it coming off your baterry positive side. My friend had a similar situation and he had a fuse blown there.

Yes I do have that seemly special fuse box. I have checked it and they don't look to be blown, I did check those because it seemed obvious and they were very easy to get to . This does, however, bring me to an important question that I've wanted to ask on here a while back. I bought new battery terminals for the car but the positive terminal I purchased wasn't like the one already in the car and it was very hard to adapt, (required no permanent modifications), to the fuse box connectors that went to the old terminal. Any suggestions on where to get the right terminal would be helpful.
Thanks!

 

[N1balla16]

Your best shot on that would be a mitsubishi dealership.

 

[1GawdJunkie]

I had a similar issue when got off work my car was dead, had it jumped brought it home turned it off then tried to turn it on and dead. OK simple, battery right? Go to Pep Boys, they test the battery and after their 30 min test tell me the battery checks good and it is fully charged. OK, I bring it home and check with an ohm meter and it has the volts but the car is dead after a 1/2 sec crank on a full charge. 3 hours of checking fuses, wiring and anything else I could think of. I finally broke down and just replaced the battery, what the hell it was 2.5 yrs old beaten by the Chicago weather. That was it, a battery that checked good at the auto parts store actually did not work in real world conditions. Maybe some one out there can explain why a battery would have acted in this way.

 

[xyexz]

Your best shot on that would be a mitsubishi dealership.

It's a great idea, I have the money that i'm sure it would cost for them to "look" at it, however 2 things, my father's a mechanic, (hasn't gotten the time to look at it), and I have no way of getting it anywhere close to a dealership, especially a mitsubishi dealership, unless there's one decently close to Danville, OH.

I've tried 3 batteries thus far in hopes that the one before the last I tried wasn't working, and to my failure none of them has proved to be any better than the others.

Thanks

 

[PSIcho]

Invest on a Multi-meter. Place it on your battery while somebody turns the key to see if the voltage drops. If it doesn't then its not even reaching the battery. It sounds like you may have missed something while trying to replace the battery cables.

 

[xyexz]

Invest on a Multi-meter. Place it on your battery while somebody turns the key to see if the voltage drops. If it doesn't then its not even reaching the battery. It sounds like you may have missed something while trying to replace the battery cables.

Thanks for the hint there PSIcho, I hadn't thought of that before, I shall definitely try that.

Thanks everyone!

 

[KansasDSM]

theres another section of your ground that runs back off on to your firewall and grounds out there as well on your cables make sure there isnt any play in that happened with a couple of my nt's normal bumps knocking stuff lose. thats where i would start is making sure the grounds are right. and dont have any play in them i have had lots of people come in and say my battery is bad go out to their car rotate the negative terminal end and it pops right off grab a 1/2 inch wrench tighten it up and it starts right back up, id start simple with grounds, then move to power, then fuses.

 

[xyexz]

Well after tinking I got no where so my pappy towed it into his shop with the four-wheeler hah.
After a little inspection he solved the problem and in the process made me feel stupid but at the same time releaved.
The new battery connectors I bought didn't have the proper positive terminal connector that would directly connect with the tri-fuse box that's right next to the battery so I kinda jimmy rigged it on there. (Don't get me wrong it looks decent and is secure but you'll see what it wasn't working keep reading).
Well apparently the paint that was on the connector wasn't allowing a solid connection and after some sanding it started 10 times in a row without a hitch. (More than it's ever done since I've owned it).
I did need the alternator so I'm glad I purchased that.
So I want to thank everyone for their input! Sorry to waste everyone's time hah. Who knows perhaps some other n00b will have this issue and read this post.