New battery, car still dead as doornail

[Cleo Frank]

Background: 1990 Mazda Protege, very well maintained, very clean
under hood. Last night it started as usual. I drove it to the dumpster
at the edge of my property to dump some trash, stopped the car,
and cut engine. When I tried to start it back up, I got the usual
click of a dead battery; digital clock very dim etc.

Went to NAPA today and bought topnotch battery (the same
kind that came in car when new). I did accidentally install
it backwards (neg lead to pos post and pos lead to neg post),
got some sparks, but the battery is now securely connected.
The lead clamps are pretty clean and don't appear damaged.
But no power whatever, clock dead, nothing.

Ideas?

 

[Jamie]

Background: 1990 Mazda Protege, very well maintained, very clean
under hood. Last night it started as usual. I drove it to the dumpster
at the edge of my property to dump some trash, stopped the car,
and cut engine. When I tried to start it back up, I got the usual
click of a dead battery; digital clock very dim etc.

Went to NAPA today and bought topnotch battery (the same
kind that came in car when new). I did accidentally install
it backwards (neg lead to pos post and pos lead to neg post),
got some sparks, but the battery is now securely connected.
The lead clamps are pretty clean and don't appear damaged.
But no power whatever, clock dead, nothing.

Ideas?

LOL!!!
Yeah, how about a complete over haul on your electrical system.
new EMC, Radio, clock etc..

If you're lucking, you could of simply blown some fuses ..


http://webpages.charter.net/jamie_5"

 

[default]

Background: 1990 Mazda Protege, very well maintained, very clean
under hood. Last night it started as usual. I drove it to the dumpster
at the edge of my property to dump some trash, stopped the car,
and cut engine. When I tried to start it back up, I got the usual
click of a dead battery; digital clock very dim etc.

Went to NAPA today and bought topnotch battery (the same
kind that came in car when new). I did accidentally install
it backwards (neg lead to pos post and pos lead to neg post),
got some sparks, but the battery is now securely connected.
The lead clamps are pretty clean and don't appear damaged.
But no power whatever, clock dead, nothing.

Ideas?

Do you have a schematic of the electrical system? Connecting the
battery backwards will blow electronic gizmos and some steering
diodes. 1990 is late enough to have an engine computer and that may
be toast.

But check fuses . . . a large fuse on the battery wiring may not look
like a fuse at all (that's another place a schematic comes in handy).
There could be a "fusible link" (piece of wire) designed to blow in
the event of a backwards connection. Sometimes physically close to
the alternator. With the battery in backwards, there's a high current
from the battery through the alternator diodes to ground (they are
forward biased in that case, with nothing but the small resistance of
wiring to limit current). Start there.

 

[Mike]

Background: 1990 Mazda Protege, very well maintained, very clean
under hood. Last night it started as usual. I drove it to the dumpster
at the edge of my property to dump some trash, stopped the car,
and cut engine. When I tried to start it back up, I got the usual
click of a dead battery; digital clock very dim etc.

Went to NAPA today and bought topnotch battery (the same
kind that came in car when new). I did accidentally install
it backwards (neg lead to pos post and pos lead to neg post),
got some sparks, but the battery is now securely connected.
The lead clamps are pretty clean and don't appear damaged.
But no power whatever, clock dead, nothing.

Ideas?

Check all your fuses first and replace the ones that are blown. If you
replace all the blown fuses and still have problems you may have damaged some
electronics.

 

[default]

Main fuse? This one is not in the little box with the rest of the fuses?

Roger, not with the little bitty fuses but something much larger or
piece of wire designed to open with over current.

 

[Cleo Frank]

Check all your fuses first and replace the ones that are blown. If you
replace all the blown fuses and still have problems you may have damaged
some electronics.

Thanks, I just checked some of the pertinent fuses and, unfortunately,
they are okay. I wonder if replacing the lead clamps might make
a difference. They're pretty clean, but are old enough to vote!

This car is a good old boy and I hate to trash it.

 

[Mike]

Thanks, I just checked some of the pertinent fuses and, unfortunately,
they are okay. I wonder if replacing the lead clamps might make
a difference. They're pretty clean, but are old enough to vote!

This car is a good old boy and I hate to trash it.

Follow the positive battery cable away from the battery, it should go
directly to the main fuse which should be around 60 - 100 amps. It should be
blown, replace it. If it doesn't pull out you may have to unbolt it from
underneath. If you have no power at all you still have a blown fuse or fusible
link.

 

[Woody]

You need to get a mechanic who understands how to read a voltmeter and
diagnose the problem. I cannot diagnose a problem when the only facts known
are " I put the battery in backwards now it don't work".

 

[Cleo Frank]

Follow the positive battery cable away from the battery, it should go
directly to the main fuse which should be around 60 - 100 amps. It should
be blown, replace it. If it doesn't pull out you may have to unbolt it
from underneath. If you have no power at all you still have a blown fuse
or fusible link.

Main fuse? This one is not in the little box with the rest of the fuses?

 

[Andy]

Andy writes:

I had a similar problem with a Hyundai Accent.
Exactly the same symptoms as low low battery OR
corroded battery terminals...
A hydrometer
said the battery was OK, a voltmeter said the battery and the
terminal connections were OK, fuses were OK, and I was stumped

UNTIL I saw some small copper bits on the driveway.......

It seems that mice or squirrels had made a little space for themselves
beside the battery and there was a wire in the way so they just chewed
it out to make more room.

Fortunately, they had left enough lead at the connector that I could
splice/solder in a jumper to repair the missing 3 inch section.

I never did find out which wire it was since once the problem was
fixed I lost interest. I THINK, however, that it went from the
positive
battery terminal to the fuse box, but I can't be sure.

So, you may have some missing wire sections.

This has happened to me in this car, my truck, and twice in
,my motorhome. Mice and/or squirrels....

Good luck.

Andy in Eureka, Texas

 

[Cleo Frank]

Roger, not with the little bitty fuses but something much larger or
piece of wire designed to open with over current.

AOK, thanks a bunch. I'll do a little investigation on this tomorrow.
Thanks to you too, Andy and Mike, and Dave..

 

[JeffM]

[...]bought [a] battery[...] I did accidentally install it backwards

As has been said: high probability electronic items are smoked.

[...]the battery is now securely connected.
[...]no power whatever, clock dead, nothing.

I start with the lights, then try lights+horn.

A voltmeter is a pretty lousy tool for troubleshooting this
(well, after an initial check of the battery).
The light-bulb probes they sell in auto parts departments
are better for this--or you can make your own with any auto bulb.

Unlike a voltmeter, because these PULL SOME CURRENT,
they are really good at sorting out a YES from a NO from a MAYBE.
You can also tell Pass/Fail out of the corner of your eye.

Clip the lead hanging out the end to a part of the body
and start probing with the point.
When you stop seeing it light up, back up.
If you can't get anything from the body to the + post of the battery,
the ground connection from the battery is open.

 

[hr(bob) [email protected]]

[...]bought [a] battery[...]  I did accidentally install it backwards

As has been said: high probability electronic items are smoked.

[...]the battery is now securely connected.
[...]no power whatever, clock dead, nothing.

I start with the lights, then try lights+horn.

A voltmeter is a pretty lousy tool for troubleshooting this
(well, after an initial check of the battery).
The light-bulb probes they sell in auto parts departments
are better for this--or you can make your own with any auto bulb.

Unlike a voltmeter, because these PULL SOME CURRENT,
they are really good at sorting out a YES from a NO from a MAYBE.
You can also tell Pass/Fail out of the corner of your eye.

Clip the lead hanging out the end to a part of the body
and start probing with the point.
When you stop seeing it light up, back up.
If you can't get anything from the body to the + post of the battery,
the ground connection from the battery is open.

Start out by seeing if the headlights light, that will tell you if
there is at least some connection between the battery and the rest of
the system

 

[Eeyore]

Background: 1990 Mazda Protege, very well maintained, very clean
under hood. Last night it started as usual. I drove it to the dumpster
at the edge of my property to dump some trash, stopped the car,
and cut engine. When I tried to start it back up, I got the usual
click of a dead battery; digital clock very dim etc.

Went to NAPA today and bought topnotch battery (the same
kind that came in car when new). I did accidentally install
it backwards

Oh - oh !

(neg lead to pos post and pos lead to neg post),
got some sparks, but the battery is now securely connected.
The lead clamps are pretty clean and don't appear damaged.
But no power whatever, clock dead, nothing.

The earth strap bonding the engine to chassis is probably open.

Graham

 

[Eeyore]

Do you have a schematic of the electrical system? Connecting the
battery backwards will blow electronic gizmos and some steering
diodes. 1990 is late enough to have an engine computer and that may
be toast.

Believe it or not I have once stupidly done the same (just brushed the terminals
thankfully) but it seems everything was reverse protected.

Graham

 

[Eeyore]

Background: 1990 Mazda Protege, very well maintained, very clean
under hood. Last night it started as usual. I drove it to the dumpster
at the edge of my property to dump some trash, stopped the car,
and cut engine. When I tried to start it back up, I got the usual
click of a dead battery; digital clock very dim etc.

Went to NAPA today and bought topnotch battery (the same
kind that came in car when new).

Unless the original battery was shot (and even if wasn't charging well that's
probably because there were only a few strands left of the earth strap), let's
hope they'll take it back then.

I made just the same mistake when an earth strap failed on a car of mine.
Halfords took it back though.

Graham

 

[Eeyore]

Mike wrote:>

Follow the positive battery cable away from the battery, it should go
directly to the main fuse which should be around 60 - 100 amps. It should be
blown, replace it. If it doesn't pull out you may have to unbolt it from
underneath. If you have no power at all you still have a blown fuse or fusible
link.

And follow the damn NEGATIVE connections all the way to the engine block too.

I know one lass whose negative connection to the block was relying on the
accelerator cable. Come deep winter and more cranking amps, the cable blew like a
fuse ! And I'd warned that as a recent secondhand purchase it needed a good look
over for any potential sillies but girls just can't think that way it seems, you
know the "but it was working" mentality.

Graham

 

[Eeyore]

Main fuse? This one is not in the little box with the rest of the fuses?

Not all cars are the same. Don't worry.

Graham

 

[Eeyore]

There is a chance that the heavy
cable from battery negative to chassis (or engine), or the cable from battery
positive to the starter or starter relay is loose

At least one other person here has some brains. The symptoms are classic.

Graham

 

[Jerry G.]

I would check that the connections are on taught. What you are
describing is the alternator is probably not properly charging the
battery.

Sometimes when a battery in a car goes bad, it also takes the
alternator with it. There are times when the alternator goes first and
damages the battery because it overcharges the battery and then goes
shorted from overheating. Some vehicles have an external voltage
control or management module. This should also be changed along with
the alternator.

A professional mechanic always runs a test on the alternator when
replacing the battery. If the alternator is defective, you may have to
replace the battery again if the battery was damaged.

Jerry G.