Battery charger hooked up backwards, now everything is dead: What got fried?

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Tuna Trooper

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Discussion starter · #1 · Nov 5, 2009 (Edited)

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My battery was dead and my neighbor came over with his BIG charger/starter. I didn't watch him hook up the charger to the battery but he had done it backwards. When he hit the switch I heard a pop. After that everything was dead. What did we fry??? Alternator, voltage regulator, fusible link or something else?

 

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Steiner

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#2 · Nov 5, 2009

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Hopefully just the fusible link. Disconnect your positive cable from the battery and then use a meter to check for continuity between the battery end of the cable and the junction at the horn relay.

Geez. You live in Mechanicsville and you can't find a good one?

 

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dnult

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#3 · Nov 5, 2009

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Unfortunately there is no way to tell but it's common to blow the diodes in the alternator. Any solid state device in the vehicle could have been damaged. You'll just have to get it going again and see what works and what doesn't.

 

click

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#4 · Nov 5, 2009

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John, what car? what year? all original alt. and wiring? how old is the battery? all the info. can help guide folks to reply that have been there, done that

 

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Tuna Trooper

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Discussion starter · #5 · Nov 5, 2009

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1968 SS396 original style electrical. Getting ready to replace the battery now.

 

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Badbird

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#6 · Nov 5, 2009

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Hopefully, just the battery shorted out but beyond that, the alternator will be the next thing!

 

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Tuna Trooper

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Discussion starter · #7 · Nov 5, 2009

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Thanks for the help guys. Still don't know what that "pop" was but installed new battery and all seems normal.

 

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Steiner

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#8 · Nov 6, 2009

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Tuna Trooper said:

Thanks for the help guys. Still don't know what that "pop" was but installed new battery and all seems normal.

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Great!

Next order of business: Install a cheap disconnect so the next time you need to charge the battery someone can't take out the stuff that got off lucky this time. Batteries will usually charge a little better disconnected from everything anyway.

 

click

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#9 · Nov 6, 2009

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I have that negative disconnect and its a very good item to have. With old elec. systems like ours, you never know when a wire will short out somewhere under the hood or under the dash and run down the battery. Everytime I turn of the engine, I unscrew that green bolt cap and now the system cannot discharge. Its also security at a motel if you are on a trip. Car wont start without it.