bad electrical problem, help

[want_a_stealth]

ok so i was cruising around and all the sudden my car starts acting all crazy. wipers start moving, antilock light goes on, check engine, gas, coolant, every light on the dashboard. this happened for about a minute (when i was next to an srt-4, about to race!). btw, this only happened when i pressed the gas.

All the sudden the car just dies completely, so i pull over to the side. i try to start up the car, and some lights go on but the engine does not turn over. then i try again and none of the lights turn on. i popped the hood and steam was coming out of the battery. hour later, I replace the battery and car starts up but the antilock light is still on. right blinker and right head light dont work, plus to turn on the light i have to turn on the fog lights/high beam. the alarm doesnt work either.

today the car was running and as soon as i take off the positive side of the battery, the car dies instantly.

anyone know whats going on???? need help ASAP. thanx

[sganc4life_4]

Never disconnect a battery when the car is running, that is bad. That only worked with older cars from what I can remember, if you do that, theres a chance on frying a lot of components.

Check your alternator but if your battery was smoking, sounds like something might have overloaded, check fuses and reset circuit breakers then come back.

[want_a_stealth]

Originally Posted by sganc4life_4

Never disconnect a battery when the car is running, that is bad. That only worked with older cars from what I can remember, if you do that, theres a chance on frying a lot of components.

Check your alternator but if your battery was smoking, sounds like something might have overloaded, check fuses and reset circuit breakers then come back.

fuses are fine. how do i reset circuit breakers?

[want_a_stealth]

i thought there werent any circuit breakers in cars...

[want_a_stealth]

just found 2 blown fuses. room plafon and door locks. popped the hood to check those fuses but there are some huge fuses there with like a black plastic covering them. dunno how to check them. other than that, i'm completely lost. need more help plz

[Blaiser17]

For the ones under the hood you are talking about that are big...Just look through the clear cap and make sure the fuse is still in one piece at the very top. Not much to do other than that. You can buy those fuses for less than a buck at advanced.

[want_a_stealth]

no, not those clear fuses. there are even bigger ones that have maybe like 3 or four little metal parts that extend to connect to the fuse box, covered by a black plastic. not sure if those are fuses but they ARE in the fuse box...

[sganc4life_4]

Originally Posted by want_a_stealth

no, not those clear fuses. there are even bigger ones that have maybe like 3 or four little metal parts that extend to connect to the fuse box, covered by a black plastic. not sure if those are fuses but they ARE in the fuse box...

Those are relays...to test those you need a small 9v battery and a volt meter.

And yes, some cars still have circuit breakers, to reset them you either push the button thats on them, or pull them then put it back in. Most of the newer circuit breakers reset themselves, they use carbon I believe and when it gets too hot, its expands and breaks a connection or something like that.

[want_a_stealth]

is it normal for some fuse terminals to have the same voltage as the battery?

i removed a bunch of fuses and a lot of the fuse terminals have 11.7 V, same as battery(when running 11.6v).

the right: headlight, front and back blinker bulbs are all burnt...

any thoughts on where this short can be? need help ASAP!!!

[DOMS]

Originally Posted by want_a_stealth

is it normal for some fuse terminals to have the same voltage as the battery?

i removed a bunch of fuses and a lot of the fuse terminals have 11.7 V, same as battery(when running 11.6v).

the right: headlight, front and back blinker bulbs are all burnt...

any thoughts on where this short can be? need help ASAP!!!

The problem with this may have little to do with your original problem (that caused to you pull over).

I'm still new to automotive electronics, but the first thing I did was learn the basics.

What I learned was that the alternator pushes against the battery if it is producing more power than the car currently needs. If you disconnect the battery while the car is running, the alternator can't push against the battery and will instead send the extra energy through your car. This runs the risk of burning out nearly every electrical component in your car.

You may very well have done this.

[want_a_stealth]

the lightbulbs were burnt from the first problem, when i had to pull over. i think i'm gonna have to take it to the shop because i just cant seem to find the short...

[talon-95]

First thing you will want to do is check the voltage coming from the alternator.

Just turn your car on and use a voltmeter to check the voltage level. It should read from 13.0 volts to 13.9 (sometimes up to 14 volts). Anything higher than that probably indicates the regulator in the alternator is toasted or about to be toast. That would cause your battery to over charge the higher the rpm's the engine goes, causing the battery acid to overheat. Which may be why your battery was steaming. (To Much Techno Babble?)

You can also take it to your nearest Autozone or Advance Auto and they check it for you for free.

You also might want to check all your fusable links to see if the are gone. They are used to prevent an over current or voltage and they will melt b4 anything critical get fried (At least that's what they are suppose to do).