Potential elecrical problems from bonehead mistake
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Potential elecrical problems from bonehead mistake
First I want to say thanks for the advice I’ve gotten regarding the audible airbag alarm going off. I haven’t fixed it yet but will this coming week. I’m here again with yet another problem and the potential cause of this problem is really really embarrassing. I’m 72 years old, I’ve worked on my own cars, motorcycles, and boats all my life and I’ve already thoroughly beaten myself up over the bonehead mistake I made so please be kind.
When I first got my 2002 Escape it hadn’t been driven in nearly a year and the battery was so low it wouldn’t crank. I finally got it started with a jump and drove it home. Keep in mind I live in SE Arizona, and while not nearly as hot as Tucson (because of the higher altitude) it still gets damned hot here. When I arrived at my place the ambient outdoor temperature was pushing 100 and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky with no shade to work in. In other words it was miserable car servicing weather. Nonetheless, I decided to swap batteries from another car not realizing the battery poles were reversed. I should have realized the problem when the cables didn’t properly fit the battery posts but I was sweating hard and really miserable. The battery was only hooked up for a second or two. When I saw a spark or two and realized how loose the clamp was on the post I immediately realized my mistake and jerked the loose clamp off the post. Now I have some weird things that don’t seem to work. They are:
The radio doesn’t work at all, even though I’ve checked the fuses and even replaced the main fuse. The previous owner (a loyal friend) swears the radio should be working.
My code reader doesn’t work at all, totally zilch! I drove the car to O’Reilly Auto Parts and their code reader didn’t work either.
The remote door lock key fob thing doesn’t work, even though I replaced the battery in it. BTW, the power locks (and windows) do work when I use the door switches. Again, the previous owner swears that the remote should work.
All my gauges work. However, my tachometer seems a little jumpy but it does seem to work.
Have I really screwed something up with my bonehead mistake?
Steve
When I first got my 2002 Escape it hadn’t been driven in nearly a year and the battery was so low it wouldn’t crank. I finally got it started with a jump and drove it home. Keep in mind I live in SE Arizona, and while not nearly as hot as Tucson (because of the higher altitude) it still gets damned hot here. When I arrived at my place the ambient outdoor temperature was pushing 100 and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky with no shade to work in. In other words it was miserable car servicing weather. Nonetheless, I decided to swap batteries from another car not realizing the battery poles were reversed. I should have realized the problem when the cables didn’t properly fit the battery posts but I was sweating hard and really miserable. The battery was only hooked up for a second or two. When I saw a spark or two and realized how loose the clamp was on the post I immediately realized my mistake and jerked the loose clamp off the post. Now I have some weird things that don’t seem to work. They are:
The radio doesn’t work at all, even though I’ve checked the fuses and even replaced the main fuse. The previous owner (a loyal friend) swears the radio should be working.
My code reader doesn’t work at all, totally zilch! I drove the car to O’Reilly Auto Parts and their code reader didn’t work either.
The remote door lock key fob thing doesn’t work, even though I replaced the battery in it. BTW, the power locks (and windows) do work when I use the door switches. Again, the previous owner swears that the remote should work.
All my gauges work. However, my tachometer seems a little jumpy but it does seem to work.
Have I really screwed something up with my bonehead mistake?
Steve
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Joined: Nov 2004
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Check for blown fusible links
there’s a bunch of threads to follow, but here’s one with pics
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ator-wire.html
there’s a bunch of threads to follow, but here’s one with pics
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ator-wire.html
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Joined: Aug 2019
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Good news!
I was monkeying around with my cars two fuse boxes looking for fusible links and also comparing the fuses with their descriptions from my online owner’s manual I’d downloaded and found a fuse (#27) that its description mentioned was for the interior ceiling lights (among other things). Since the interior ceiling lights weren’t coming on I checked the fuse and found it was bad so I replaced it. Not only did the ceiling lights come on but the radio started playing and now the remote door lock thingy works too, YEEEHAAA!!! One bad 10amp fuse out of 27 fuses fixed all those things, who woulda thunk it!
Thank you seville009, I was searching wiring diagrams and such for fusible links when I stumbled across fuse #27!
Steve
I was monkeying around with my cars two fuse boxes looking for fusible links and also comparing the fuses with their descriptions from my online owner’s manual I’d downloaded and found a fuse (#27) that its description mentioned was for the interior ceiling lights (among other things). Since the interior ceiling lights weren’t coming on I checked the fuse and found it was bad so I replaced it. Not only did the ceiling lights come on but the radio started playing and now the remote door lock thingy works too, YEEEHAAA!!! One bad 10amp fuse out of 27 fuses fixed all those things, who woulda thunk it!
Thank you seville009, I was searching wiring diagrams and such for fusible links when I stumbled across fuse #27!
Steve
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