Need help (kinda urgent)

Ok here is the problem.. (It's an 88' automatic and carbureted)

Went to start car this morning, tried to turn over, crapped out.

Took out key, put back in, nothing works

-No lights on dash
-No radio
-No headlights
-Nothing electrical.


Figured it was a bad battery and bought a new one, put it in...

Nothing.


Give me ideas on things it can be, I visually checked the main fuses and they all looked identical (Still had the metal in the center connected)..

I work at 5, and it's like 2, I would like to work tonight but this happened..

Give me some ideas on what to check..

(Starter is a month old, did the cap and rotor yesterday, new battery, new engine to frame ground wire)

check the battery connectors on the battery maybe its not on right or they might have gone bad if not that then ill search for any problems about this

Do you have a multimeter? You should check across those main fuses for voltage. I've had them get old and deteriorate to the point where they wouldn't conduct power, but still appeared to be fine. Also, check your main relay, it could be toast. Check for power at the positive terminal, and make sure your grounds from the battery to the chassis are nice and clean.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2ndGenGuy

Do you have a multimeter? You should check across those main fuses for voltage. I've had them get old and deteriorate to the point where they wouldn't conduct power, but still appeared to be fine. Also, check your main relay, it could be toast. Check for power at the positive terminal, and make sure your grounds from the battery to the chassis are nice and clean.

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he has a worse problem, the lights have nothing to do with the main relay. I think a bad battery or ground connection is it. the start circuit also has nothing to do with the relay

I had this exact same thing happen to me. I had corrosion buildup in the postive battery terminal. I took it apart and cleaned the connector and the wire end and reassembled. Good to go.
Good luck.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2ndGenGuy

Do you have a multimeter? You should check across those main fuses for voltage. I've had them get old and deteriorate to the point where they wouldn't conduct power, but still appeared to be fine. Also, check your main relay, it could be toast. Check for power at the positive terminal, and make sure your grounds from the battery to the chassis are nice and clean.

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Ditto the main fuse. I lost power in the '76 years ago. Whole thing went dead while I was driving down the road. Somehow I had the presence of mind to check the main fuse. Sure enough it was broken. Not melted, just old and brittle and broken in two. I was able to bend it enough to make contact and the car ran like a champ until I was able to get a replacement from the junkyard.

Dead batteries will usually have some kind of life in them. Having everything completely dead would typically not be a battery problem.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by greentee76

I had this exact same thing happen to me. I had corrosion buildup in the postive battery terminal. I took it apart and cleaned the connector and the wire end and reassembled. Good to go.
Good luck.

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That was the problem (I actually figured it out on my own yesterday but still)

Had corrosion and melted rubber on the positive wire, under the end of the wire (terminal thingy that connects to battery)

yup thats good you got it figured out. the only thing it could of been is main fuze ground or positive. life has its funny ways of messing things up right when you need them. glad you got it going. peace:gun: