mod81

ok so here's a doozy of a situation...my wife was trying to jump the vette the other day while I wasn't home so she could reposition the car and get two in the garage. well she crossed the jumper cables and fried the battery and I don't know what else.

I went and got a new battery to try and pray that's all it was and in my hasty installation i touched the socket wrench to the positive post while tighetening the negative...so did I just re-fry my new battery? or is there something else keeping it from starting now? possibly the wire from the positive terminal to the alternator? any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. not much of an electronics wizards.

SanDiegoPaul

I would delete this post, and place it under the tech/performance section. There's a lot of guys there sharper than I am on this stuff.

SteveG75

I don't think you re-fryed your new battery but she probably did some serious damage. I expect that she melted the fusible links down by the starter that supply power to the whole electrical system.

Another reason why only I drive my cars.

STINGRAY1WORD

Hopefully it did not fry the computer command control unit.

my 76 ray

sly vette

I agree! And I am sorry to say that if there were any mods done to the electrical system and fuses/fusible links wern't used there will be burnt wires to find in the harness that will have to be replaced.
The good news is that it didn't burn to the ground. Seen alot of damage done over the years when proper jumper cable hook-up procedures wern't followed.

Also...Forgive the wife. She probably feels terrible.

srs244

the easiest way to check is to use a couple of brad size nails and place one into the wire on each side of the links, turn the key to the on position and see if you can get any current passage. no current, the links have been broken and the harness or the links replaced. they are there to protect the starter circuit and the solenoid.

Richard454

Electricity is lazy- It takes the path of least resistance. I don't think you ( excuse me- your wife) fried anything else.... Just the battery- everything else should be OK.

If nothing else is turning on (lights-horn)
I'm guessing you have a bad wire (terminals?) from the starter to the battery or the battery to the ground.


Years ago- I had a Triumph TR4- my first car. The guy at "Sears" put in a new battery...As I was driving home my amp gauge was reading backwards. He had put the battery in wrong. The Triumph was a positive ground car!!! When I got home, I just swapped the cables and had no problems at all.

Richard