Hooked up Battery wrong - blew alternator? Selling as Roller
12-10-2019, 10:53 AM
#31
Rennlist Member
Many people are intimidated by electricity. But, there really is no need to be.
In simple terms, think of electricity like an energy drink flowing through your car. Get a multimeter and read the directions on how to set it to the DC scale. Touch the red probe to the "+" post on the battery and the black probe to the "-" terminal. You should see around 12.6 volts on a charged battery. That's the energy drink can for your car.
Now, just start working your way from there. Check the fuses as others have mentioned. If you aren't sure if they are good or not, pull them out and use the ohmmeter function to test them. There are plenty of youtube videos explaining how to do it. If a fuse is bad, that energy drink can't get to other parts of the car until that fuse is replaced.
You won't have the expertise to troubleshoot DME problems. But, sometimes you can solve seemingly impossible electrical issues by just testing the basics.
In simple terms, think of electricity like an energy drink flowing through your car. Get a multimeter and read the directions on how to set it to the DC scale. Touch the red probe to the "+" post on the battery and the black probe to the "-" terminal. You should see around 12.6 volts on a charged battery. That's the energy drink can for your car.
Now, just start working your way from there. Check the fuses as others have mentioned. If you aren't sure if they are good or not, pull them out and use the ohmmeter function to test them. There are plenty of youtube videos explaining how to do it. If a fuse is bad, that energy drink can't get to other parts of the car until that fuse is replaced.
You won't have the expertise to troubleshoot DME problems. But, sometimes you can solve seemingly impossible electrical issues by just testing the basics.
The following 2 users liked this post by billh1963:
Beth02CarreraC2 (12-13-2019),
Jaycote (12-10-2019)
12-10-2019, 11:35 AM
#33
Rennlist Member
Bore scoring starts at the bottom from what I understand, if it was seen from the top then your motor has issues..
Can you post pictures of the car's rough spots.
Can you post pictures of the car's rough spots.
12-10-2019, 11:37 AM
#34
Rennlist Member
Thanks for your helpful advice, detective. I knew my battery was on its way out, but drove to the car wash and it seemed fine. However, it would not start back up again, so I walked a mile to the autozone down the street, and I popped the new battery in. It's not about how long the cables are. My old battery had the name and logo of the battery facing the front of the car, and i put the new battery in with the name and logo facing the same way as the old one, without double checking. This was wrong and the battery should have been installed the other way around. I was in a rush and made a bonehead mistake. I can't stand when people like you are trying to poke holes in a person's story about asking for help with their car. What purpose are you serving? This is a devastating issue to me, and other people that have big problems with their car. It's stressful and costs thousands of dollars, and you want to say it's BS. Why would someone lie about hooking up a battery wrong? And why are you trying to call people like me a liar?
A) I never called you a "liar"... I said I smell BS - ie: your "story" - People have all kind of reasons why they tell "stories" - not necessarily lies, but not reality either. I'll take you at your word, but recommend that you find someone local to help you out with your mechanical skills.
B) I've actually "tried" (not purposely) to hook my battery up backwards and it didn't work - the cables didn't reach the posts... Hence my BS call! If you use a "proper battery" (per mfr's spec.) you can't hook it up backwards because the cables won't reach...
The following 3 users liked this post by Imo000:
12-10-2019, 01:01 PM
#36
Rennlist Member
Oh jeezzzz...
A) I never called you a "liar"... I said I smell BS - ie: your "story" - People have all kind of reasons why they tell "stories" - not necessarily lies, but not reality either. I'll take you at your word, but recommend that you find someone local to help you out with your mechanical skills.
B) I've actually "tried" (not purposely) to hook my battery up backwards and it didn't work - the cables didn't reach the posts... Hence my BS call! If you use a "proper battery" (per mfr's spec.) you can't hook it up backwards because the cables won't reach...
A) I never called you a "liar"... I said I smell BS - ie: your "story" - People have all kind of reasons why they tell "stories" - not necessarily lies, but not reality either. I'll take you at your word, but recommend that you find someone local to help you out with your mechanical skills.
B) I've actually "tried" (not purposely) to hook my battery up backwards and it didn't work - the cables didn't reach the posts... Hence my BS call! If you use a "proper battery" (per mfr's spec.) you can't hook it up backwards because the cables won't reach...
So, it's easy to do if you didn't know that little tidbit. And, it's not like most FLAPS guys know enough to help you, either.
12-10-2019, 01:12 PM
#37
Rennlist Member
12-10-2019, 02:31 PM
#39
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
12-10-2019, 02:42 PM
#40
Rennlist Member
12-10-2019, 02:51 PM
#42
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
12-10-2019, 02:55 PM
#43
Rennlist Member
12-10-2019, 03:43 PM
#45
However, yesterday, I replace the battery and I did a bonehead move. I hooked up the battery wrong. Smelled burning wires...I ended up realizing the mistake, fixed it, and the car started up fine. It was idling for about 3-5 minutes, and it stalled. I have not been able to get it started since.