Spark on negative battery post, now will not crank or start

Tiny
LUIS MEDINA
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 HONDA CIVIC
  • 1.7L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 181,000 MILES
I have the car listed above (lx) and swap out the alternator. When I was done installing and went to reconnect negative cable to negative battery post I got a big spark and took off cable ASAP. Then tried again this time no spark and went to turn on car but nothing happened no lights no noise etc. I got nothing, no crank. Could I have fried the ECU or something?
Monday, September 6th, 2021 AT 8:29 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,640 POSTS
Hi,

If you got a large spark and everything in the vehicle was turned off, certainly there is a short at some point. That will need to be addressed before reconnecting the battery. Make sure the wire to the alternator (main battery voltage) is not shorted on something.

Also, I attached two pics below. Pic 1 identifies the two fuses that need to be checked. The second pic shows their location in the under hood fuse box.

In addition to checking the fuse, confirm there is power to and from them. Here is a link you may find helpful:

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

Also, I attached the wiring schematic for the charging system. It looks like a white wire powers the alternator and comes from fuse 19. Make certain that wire isn't shorted, pinched, touching the metal on the alternator, or anything that can cause it to short.

Let me know what you find or if you have other questions. Note: I had to cut the wiring schematic in half to make it readable. However, I did overlap them so you can follow from one to the next.

Take care,

Joe

See pics below.

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Monday, September 6th, 2021 AT 9:08 PM

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