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Oh $%@$#!!!! I hooked the battery up backwards

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Patton

Patton

Jedi Warrior
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OK, long day!!! After a very good work morning on the car, I put the battery back in to start the car. I turned it over a couple of times and it did not start.

I started checking out other things and a random thought popped into my mind!!! Did I reverse the polarity on the battery. I DID!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

I switched it back, and I never smelled burning wires, but I am guessing I could have done some damage. The fuel pump is still working, and the starter is turning the car over. What do I need to start checking.

I haven't gotten the car started from the carb issues, so I can't get it started to check the generator yet!! How do I test my voltage regulator. Can this effect the coil, condenser , or points?

Patton (Idiot of the day)

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cryin.gif
 
Patton, chances are you didn't do any permanent damage. You may want to re-polarize the generator just in case, and take the cover off the regulator and check for evidence of arcing or burning.
Seeing as how it didn't start, you probably got lucky.
Red = Positive.
Black = Negative.
Repeat as required. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Jeff
 
Patton: Yes - no alternator; no problem. This doesn't answer the question of why your car doesn't start, though! AL Bradley
 
Thanks guys. I did just figure out that both fuses are blown. The interesting thing is that the starter and fuel pump are still getting power from somewhere, I didn't relize that they were not fused.

I was also getting power to both sides of the coil, but none at the terminal at the top of the coil when turning over (or of course at the spark plugs). I am going to have to go thought the ignition system to see what is going wrong.

What is funny, is it did seem to try to fire once when I was turning it over, but it could be a loose connection. This could be a totally independent problem than the carbs, but I have been concentrating on them so much, I didn't think something else could have gone wrong.

Patton
 
Patton,
If you have a later model SU fuel pump with an arc suppression diode in it, you likely blew the diode. You won't notice any immediate difference, but the points in the pump won't last very long without the diode.

The starter & fuel pump are not fused.
D
 
[ QUOTE ]
Patton, unrelated simultaneous problems can be a joy to troubleshoot!

[/ QUOTE ]

Tell me about it, if that was really the problem all along, I would have gotten this done last weekend!!! I'm gald I stopped by the local Jag place a couple of weeks ago and bought a half dozen Lucas 35 and 50 amp fuses.

Patton
 
[ QUOTE ]
Patton, chances are you didn't do any permanent damage. You may want to re-polarize the generator just in case, and take the cover off the regulator and check for evidence of arcing or burning.

[/ QUOTE ]

Everything looks OK on the regulator. I didn't realize that I had a new one till I opened it a minute ago. I need to check my diagram to make sure that it is OK, but only the left two contacts (A1 and A) were hot.

Patton
 
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/savewave.gif
Oh $%@$#!!!!, Happens Patton---Keoke /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Well we're running again, all that extra work on the carbs and it was an unrelated problem with the ignition system. Actually, if I hadn't had my little problem with the battery, I probably wouldn't have tracked it down yet.

Just goes to show not to concentrate on one possibility unless you have eliminated the others!!

The to-do list over the next couple weeks....

Adjust valves
Install correct tach cable
Replace clutch slave cyl hose
 
Patton;
Thats good, don't forget to have a look at the fuel pump as Dave mentioned earlier if you have not aready done so.---Keoke
 
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