Q: Car won't start - 1991 Ford E-350 Econoline

asked by on October 21, 2016

I crossed the cables briefly when jump starting my car. I got the battery tested and it still has power but I'm not getting any power from my battery. Car won't turn over, lights won't come on, nothing. I checked the fuse box inside the cab and everything looks good but I can't find the second fuse box under the hood. Do you know where it would be? Or any other suggestions, thanks!

My car has 116000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Crossing the positive and negative battery cables is typically pretty bad for the electronics. The battery takes the brunt of the short. It very well could have fried it. What kind of battery test was performed? Essentially you are sending a high current through the negative or grounds in the vehicle. These are never supposed to be energized and can do a lot of damage. Unfortunately, you will want to start by replacing the battery, or just testing the vehicle with a known good battery. If the vehicle still doesn’t start, you can start looking into the fuse boxes and other components. With absolutely no electrical response at the moment, the battery is likely the issue, but complete computer failure is also possible, as well as damage to the entire wiring harness. If you would like to have this taken care of, a qualified professional from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to diagnose the no start and guide you through repairs.

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