ylouie

I'm having some trouble locating a short. It started with my car completely shutting off one morning after a split second of starting it up. After that, it wouldn't start and there was no crank at all. It was as if the battery was taken out of the car. I tried to get a jump but every time I connected the negative to negative I would get big sparks, even when I connected the negative to ground (I connected them in the correct order - positive to positive/negative to negative). Later I bought myself a test light to see if there was a short. I took the negative terminal off the post and connected the test light clamp to it and touched the negative post with the test light itself. It lit up so I knew there's a short. I started pulling all the fuses one by one under the hood and under the dash. The light wouldn't go out on any of them. So I went under the car and disconnected the starter, still wouldn't go out. I then disconnected the alternator, that didn't work either. The only things I didn't touch were the maxi fuses (big fuses) and relays under the hood. I can't seem to get the maxi fuses out and I read somewhere that the relays aren't relative to this issue. Is there something else I should be checking? I should also mention that I had the battery replaced and now I can't connect the negative terminal to the post without getting big sparks. Thanks.

PNYXPRESS

Verify the terminals are what you think they are. Don't go by color or placement to the cables. The battery could have been put in backwards.

ylouie

Thanks for responding.
I went by a diagram and saw that the battery is in correctly and the terminals are in the right place. So it seems that isn't the problem.

PNYXPRESS

disconnect the starter. Then try and reconnect the battery. Your starter and/or solenoid may have shorted out.

ylouie

I tried doing that but I still get the same results :\
Unless I aimed for the wrong wire, it was pretty difficult to see up under there.
I unscrewed the bolt at the bottom of the starter that the wire was attached to.

Chromeshadow

I agree with Ponyexpress, sounds like the starter. I don't remember if the solinoid is attached to the starter on this year, there might be two wires going to it.
I'd also check all of the positive cables to the alternator and the starter to make sure the insulation has not been worn off, and that they are not pinched somewhere.

PNYXPRESS

Try completely removing the starter from the car. Have it tested at an auto parts store, its usually free.

Also, regards to the battery, don't look at diagrams to determine terminals polarity. physically look at the battery for a + and - molded in the case.

TfcCDR

Did you replace the battery first, and THEN had problems, or you had problems and then replaced the battery?

You don't want a test light, you want a digital voltmeter (about $7 at Harbor Freight), which will show polarity. Check the battery to make sure the + terminal is really positive and the - terminal is really negative. Dunno about today, but Ford batteries used to be the opposite of everyone else, so you would have, say, Size 36 and Size 36F, which were the same battery except for which terminal was where. Every once in a while, someone would install the wrong battery, hook up (not paying attention to the terminals being different sizes!) and provide amusement for onlookers.

The DVM also has a setting which will show you the ohms, and this is how you find shorts (without special effects). With one DVM lead touching the metal of the car, engine or whatever, all of your negative leads should show under 10 ohms when you touch the other lead to them, and all of the positive leads should show a lot more than that with all switches off. Most positive leads should show no numbers at all, but anything with a memory (computer, radio, etc) may show continuity).

BabyGT

I agree with everyone who has said check battery good, look at the top of the battery for the + and - symbols. I have a friend who spent 2 weeks trying to figure out why his ignition harness fried itself before I noticed his battery was in backwards.

ylouie

Kk I check the battery twice, it's good.
I couldn't remove the starter myself so I got someone else to remove it. The sparking doesn't happen anymore and the power came back on. I'll update once the starter is replaced.