Oops put battery in wrong help asap

[JBDdsmer610]

Ok i know i am a retard i put the batt in wrong and tried to start the car i here pop the ignition fuse blows. i put the battery in right and swaped a fuse from the rad fan and i turned the key and it still blew. i need major help just finished the swap and i need my car to get to work. help what could i of fried?

 

[JBDdsmer610]

Im in north hampton county im near allentown. i was thinking about just finding a nicer shell and ploping my motor and trans in but i dono i found one but its in orlando Fl

 

[toybreaker]

The battery in backwards three stooges episode isn't a good thing, but if it makes you feel better, I did it in a positive ground jaguar one off tube frame car back in the day.... and nothing smells worse than a burning lucas electrical system.

Anyway, just about everything in the car has seen reverse polarity to some extent or another. Some things were protected by fuses blowing, and some are going to be ok because they weren't energised (turned on) at the time of stoogification.

One of the most likely things to have been damaged is the alternator. The fact that the alternator harness was zorched suggests the alternator saw some serious reverse current. The diodes will not like having their annodes/cathodes tickled in such an unnatural manner, and may have been damaged. There are also several metal bus bars (straps) that connect them, and one of these may have burnt, and is now shorted against the alternator case. Please repair the harness completely, and then disconnect the alternator harnesses and tape/isolate them from ground. We'll come back to that later.

Another very likely failure is in the relays. It's quite possible that the very fine wire that makes up the actutation coil has burnt and is shorted against something internally in a few relays. Another failure in the relay is when the moveable contact arm pops loose internally and shorts out. You may find a bad one visually, or by smell, but I would definately check the mfi relay carefully, (near the ecu) because it got a taste when you turned the key.

I would say just give all the relays a quicky once over to start.

An inspection of the harness bundles for melted/burnt sheathing will show any other areas`requiring attention before you continue.

With the alternator harnesses disconnected, and all suspect relays replaced or at least removed, lets just start over.

Reconnect the battery, and lets start checking power at the fuses. A test light on the little inspection tabs of the fuses will check for power time efficiently. Please make note of what's popped.

If the light lights on both fuse titties, that circuit is recieving power

If the fuse lights on one titty, and not the other, that fuse is popped

If the fuse doesn't light on either titty, the circuit is dead (or not turned on, like headlights etc.) The cause could be a popped fuse further upstream. Just make note and move on.

Turn the key on and check the fuses again, You should still have power on everything you checked before plus a bunch more should now be live. If any have dropped off/popped please make note.

If the ign fuse pops again, please unplug the mfi relay and try again.

If it still pops, it will require further investigation. As Steve has noted, there's a lot of stuff fed from the ign fuse.

Please listen to skwints. He's completely correct about the fuse ratings. Going to a higher fuse rating will make something else fry and further complicate matters. Fuses are sized to protect the wiring, not the components connected to them. When you increase the fuse size, you can seriously scorchify/damage the wiring further downstream.

You can fix this, it will just require patience, and a logical approach. The jaguar I did this to owned me for awhile as I replaced gauges and whatnot, but I had the satisfaction of driving the thing out of the shop a week (or so.... )...later.

Good luck, and just think how cool it's going to be to hit boost the first time

I know you can and will fix this.

 

[JBDdsmer610]

Thanks ill take a crack at some of this tomorrow

 

[JBDdsmer610]

I couldent do it today i had to leave work early because my bro might be going to jail i need to get it done i want BOOST

 

[JBDdsmer610]

OK so i took the rad out and pulled the sleave off the wires inspected all the wires and nothing is burnt im thinking the alt relay or the mfi relay but i dont kno ima try 2morrow

 

[JBDdsmer610]

Ok guys i used a tester that tells you the oms and crap today the alternator wires are cooked the wire that comes from the ignition fuse is cooked and the ground and the the hot wire for the alternator wire is cooked too. i dont think i have any other options. I am going to take it to ground zero performance they specilize in stealths and 3000gts and most dsm's and if they cant fix it i am going to scrap the car and save the motor. i know it hurts to scrap a perfictly good car but i have no other options.

 

[JayRolla]

If I lived closer I would buy your shell. All those wires can be replaced it will be ok man.

 

[JBDdsmer610]

thats why im taking it to someone