So I was doing some work on my sunfire, and part of it entailed disconnecting the battery. When I disconnected it, I was distracted with something else and my wrench was on the +ve termineal and it hit the area around the spot where you fill up the brake fluid. Obviously sparks flew, and now my car wont start. The lights on the dash come on when I put my key on and they fade away, I can't hear the horn when I press it, nor the relay ticking. My radio doesnt come on, no headlights, and when I try to start it, it turns over starts,and instantly stalls. What could I have done?
Thanks I really need your help on this one guys!
1. Charge the battery (or boost it). With a dead short like that it doesn't take long to run it down.
2. Check for any blown fuses. Not likely but woth a try.
3. If it still won't go you might be looking at replacing the battery.
I thought the same thing as sleepy. also make sure all your connections to the battery are tight and clean. same thing with wires coming off the battery that ground to the body.
Next time disconect the negative not the positive and that cant happen!
Well I know the negative is the 1st to come off and the last to go on, but I wasnt disconnecting the battery, just adding on a wire, and was looking to do it quickly.- my mistake. The battery is fine I tested is with my multimeter, connections are fine. I let the car sit for like 45 minutes and I tried again, it turned over started, and stalled just like it did before. So I decided I would completly disconnect the battery, and let the car sit for like an hour, then I reconnected it all, and it worked flawlessly. Must have been some computer security that got activated or something. Thanks for your help guys. PS. No fuses were blown.
It sounds like a fried ground wire to me.
I had the same thing happen to my old sunbird once (it was doing the same thing your car is)... but my battery grounded out on the hood...
there was this smaller gauge (12 or 16 gauge I think) wire that went from the negative battery terminal to the fender of the car (ground for the frame) and it was fried almost all the way through.... I replaced the wire and the car went back to normal.
I've never really looked to see if my Sunfire is the same way... but it's a place to start.
Thanks for the insight weebel, but like I said, I disconnected the battery and let it sit - then when I reconnected it, it worked like a charm. I do believe that the sunfire has that dinky little ground wire also, but I updated the big 3 with 0 gauge, so that really isnt a concern.
Ok, well seems like one thing after another! I have a new problem. I've been driving around, and I noticed that my battery light is on when driving. My battery has drained, and I've gotten boosted 2times in the past 2 days. Today I went for like an hour drive at highway speeds to see if my battery would charge, and the voltage went down. I'm thinking the alternator is done. Anyone know an actual way to test it. Also, does anybody know the specs of an OEM alternator?
I want to verify:
OEM Alternator 105 amps
I'm looking at getting a "high output" alternator that is 160 A, 70-80 A at idle. Is that even worth buying, seems like it isnt much stronger. Thanks guys!
Simple check the voltage at the battery before and after starting the car. The voltage should be significantly higher while the car is running -- somewhere in the 14 volt area. If it stays down around 12V or less, your alternator isn't contributing anything.
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