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Old 10-10-04, 05:29 PM
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Help electrical woes!

Ok so I did the last ground for the fuel injector harness on my 88 turbo II and in the process of which I was an idiot and I shorted out my alternator cable. It only sparked for a split second but it was enough to blow my main fuse. I got that replaced but now it seems that any time any load is put on the battery the car dies. If I try starting it all the lights inside go black. If I touch the brakes, again they black out. I checked the fuses and they all look good, so what am I missing?
Old 10-10-04, 05:56 PM
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Hahaha nevermind guys its a dead battery I'll try and get her started tomorrow then.
Old 10-11-04, 01:27 PM
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God damnit I let the battery charge overnight and still nothing. When I put the battery on a jumper box the car turns over but won't catch.
Old 10-11-04, 01:33 PM
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You may have ruined your battery if you left it to charge overnight with an ordinary battery charger. Battery chargers like the ones you'd find in a Wal-mart are designed to provide a short-term charge, like a battery booster, and when the battery is fully charged, instead of shutting down, it'll continue to charge the battery. This will overcharged and ruin the battery. I know, I've ruined mine when I stored my car the first winter. If you want to keep your battery charged and topped off, use a product called a Battery Tender. I've used that to keep my Optima Red Top fully charged and it has never failed me.

I suggest you get a new battery first and try to start your engine. It's also possible that if it cranks and doesn't catch, it may be flooded and you'll need to pull the EGI fuses and crank until the excess fuel is expelled.
Old 10-11-04, 01:41 PM
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Just tried starting it with a fresh battery, same deal.
Old 10-11-04, 02:16 PM
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Dude, what are you doing with these grounds you were talking about in the first post?

See if you have any fuses blown, especially the eng bay EGI INJ and EGI COMP, and the cabin box's 15A Engine fuse.
Old 10-11-04, 02:18 PM
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It could be some blown fuses. Check those, and mentioned before: if the engine is catching but not starting, it may be flooded.
Old 10-11-04, 02:23 PM
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The grounding How To. I did all of the coils, the boost sensor, and the ECU and just now got around to doing the fuel injector harness. All of the fuses look good. My question is what could be the cause of a drain on the starter AND the brakelights. The car will not turn over at all under its own power if its connected to a normal battery. The only time there's any action is if i hook it to a jumper box.
Old 10-11-04, 02:59 PM
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Are there any accessories that are on? Are you sure there are no short circuits on the grounds you just put in?

Are you sure the battery you're using is good? Did you see any sparks when you connected the new battery (should be little if there's something like a dome lamp left on, none if everything is turned off, if a lot, there's a problem somewhere).
Old 10-11-04, 05:52 PM
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Ok I FINALLY figured it out. The battery terminals were too corroded.
Old 10-11-04, 06:47 PM
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That would do it alright. I ended up replacing my battery cables because my terminals were so hammered.
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