Total Electrical Failure

[LowSHO]

I just finished the 60k service to the front of the engine - got everything buttoned back up, double checked everything.

I filled the radiator with 50/50 mix and went to start the engine. Opened the door (lights went on - normal), turned the key to "on" - the normal stuff lights up, turned the key to "start" and everything died.

I went back to the engine bay to see what I had screwed up. All I saw was some drips of antifreeze on top of the alternator - oh yes! just where the slits let you look directly into the copper wire windings.

I blew something major - like a fusible link maybe or some master circuit breaker.

What did I do - and how do I fix it?

Thanks.

 

[Machspeed]

Could it be the starter solenoid?

 

[masho95]

Starter solenoid wouldn't cause everything to go dead like that. Check the fuses under the hood at the power distribution panel first and make sure that they are all good. The power distribution panel is located on the driver side at the firewall. Good luck.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Check the integrity of your battery cables and connections, as well as all of the ground connections. A loose or high-resistance connection (like corrosion, oil buildup, etc.) can result in the symptoms you describe. Backtrack all of the connections you disturbed during the 60K and double-check them for clean metal-to-metal contact and properly tightened connections.

 

[LowSHO]

I have doublechecked grounds, cables, and connections.

I cannot find the main fuse box. The box described isn't on the firewall in my '91MTX.

Any help?

Thanks.

 

[projectSHO89]

You didn't identify what your car was in your earlier posts. The fusebox is in later model years.

Get a voltmeter.

Check the battery voltage. Verify it is good.

Measure across every major connection/cable that should be a direct connection. If you find a portion of the circuit that measures voltage where it should be a direct connection, you have found your bad connection.

Steve

<small>[ August 25, 2003, 11:55 AM: Message edited by: projectSHO89 ]</small>

 

[Dr.Evil]

you probably already checked this, but make sure the ground cable on your battery is good and tight, and no corrosion.