Anti theft system disabled everything, need to reset

AZDRIVER

MEMBER
2005 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX
3.8L
6 CYL
AUTOMATIC
150,000 MILES

My car has not worked for a while and has sat for months. Finally got around to messing with it, used jump pack to get the battery charged enough and started it up. Drove it around about thirty minutes, turned it off, and it would not turn back on. Assuming it was the alternator, I needed to get it to the parts store to test that. Tried the jump pack again but the battery terminal broke. Replaced that, but now there is no power whatsoever. Even tapping on terminals etc, with metal, it does not spark. I have been told a few times it is the anti-theft system. How do I fix this? I cannot do any repairs with no power to anything.

1 Reply

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,885 POSTS

Hi and thanks for using 2CarPros.com. Based on your description, it honestly sounds like the battery is drained or you have blown a main fuse. The first thing I would check is the under hood fuse box. I have attached a picture of location as well as what each fuse is for. When looking at the fuse allocation, pay special attention to the J style fuses. They are the main ones. I also attached a list of what each fuse is for. Pay close attention to fuse 33.

If all the fuses are good, I would recommend removing the battery and having it tested at a parts store. Most will do it for free. If you have the tools and ability, here are the directions on how to test the battery:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-battery-load-test

Additionally, if you can get it started again, it is simple to check the alternator yourself and requires very basic tools. Here are the directions for that:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-alternator

and

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-reset-a-security-system

Here is a video showing how to check the battery:
https://youtu.be/oHTbC73FAgU

I hope this helps.

Take care,
Joe

Images (Click to make bigger)