The other day I removed my Harmon Kardon amp from the back of the car (which required the removal of both back seats and side panel) I then reconnected the amp, and put the side panel back on. After this, the car ran fine!

However...this is what happened the next day....

I went to unlock my car with my key fob. This didnt work. Battery was apparently dead.

So, I had the car jumped...Interior lights came on and headlights functioned normally...however, when I went to turn over the engine..nothing happened at all. There was no cranking whatsoever...just silence.

So it seems as if there is no voltage getting to the starter? And the Battery is dead. When I looked under the bonnet...I thought I may have smelled burnt plastic, as if there was a short circuit. So now I am confused...What the heck happened?

What killed the battery?
Why isnt the starter working?
What was the burning smelling?

are the questions I have.

Any input would be great!
Thanks!
SooperCoopers

 

Loose wire's grounding out will dump the charge on the battery.. Plus that would account for the burnt plastic smell.. did you wrap the ends of the power wires when you pulled the amp.. or did you pull the lot?

 

I just disconnected the amp from the wire harness..and then reconnected it about an hour later ( i was simply doing research on the circuit board). Thats the only wiring disconnection that I recall.

 

If it had shorted out at the back of the car where the amp is...Would it make sense to smell a burning in the engine bay?

 

Update: I forgot to mention that when the jumper cables were attached to the + terminal...the car began to crank on its own...regardless of the key or clutch position. Then, when I turned the key all the way over, the engine started up...but kept cranking


when the jumper cables are removed...The car is unable to crank on its own.

 

Reminds me of when a selenoid went out on one of my cars. Have to bump the key to start it, then bump the key again to make it stop starting... I thought it was ignition switch, but it wasn't.

I bet you blew a big fuse too.

 

UPDATE:

Here is what I found!

Looking From underneath the car, I spy the wire stretching from the solenoid to the starter itself....It....it looks frayed?
[IMG][/IMG]

Here is what the starter looks like after removing it!



I picked at the plastic a little bit and the wire fell apart in my hands




OH MAN THIS IS BAAD. Found the problem. Bad Wire! Now...where to buy a reliable bosch starter part number 0 001 106 018 that wont destroy my wallet, and isnt a questionable one from Ebay...hmmm

 

You sure that car wasn't flood-damaged?

 

Wasnt flood damaged. But the car is from New England so the weather does its course on the car for sure

 

I got a starter from Advanced Auto and its been working great.

 

Did you get a bosch Remanufactured starter? or did you get an aftermarket replacement?

Im thinking about getting this one here...

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...hTerm=starter#

but the bosch rebuilt starter is $300+ ....eek.

Thoughts?

 

Glad you got this worked out...but have to ask since I replaced the AMP for the HK stereo last year.

Why did you have to remove both back seats and side panel to remove the amp.

 

Well, it was the only way I was able to remove the amp from the bracket that it was connected to. The screws for the bracket were tucked out of reach behind the side panel :(

 

2 weeks ago i went out to start the car, stone dead batteyr was 4 years old, but it always started with no problem, I thoght maybe I had a draw someplace as the power locks would not even work once I jumped it.
Anyway i replaced the battery and all seemed fine for a week or so, but now I get the dreaded click, or sometimes nothing at all and I have to try more then a few times to get the starter to engage. I this point it is the starter and it will be replaced Monday, still not sure why my power locks with the key fob are not working, I checked all the fuses and replaced the battery in the fob, and tried to re program it as per the manual, no luck.
I guess I should not complain, for a 10 year old car with almost 140 K it has been pretty much bullit proof, but I think it may be the time to start looking at a new car :(

 

The salt and corrosion from the north east can really do a number on the cable between starter and the solenoid. The cable does not have a separate part number, and with rust like that its maybe creeping into the internals.

We have the Genuine MINI one here if you need it. Part number 12417570488KT


http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/12417570488/


Thanks