Crossed battery terminals

[teambeechstreet]

hey all, lookin at an 89 honda civic hatch for $300 as a daily driver. has 305K on it but the body & paint are straight, interior is great, apparently it ran fine. the owner was installing a battery and hooked it up incorrectly (positive to negative, neg to pos). Ever since then the car hasn't started. The owner says he replaced several fuses but doesnt want to spend any more cash on it. I'm thinking the ECU, starter, and alternator were possibly fried. Any other possible damage from the incorrectly hooked up battery? Ya'all think it's worth picking up or too much of a hassle (aka money pit) with possibly fried wiring and more? thanks in advance!

 

[ArrestMeRedZ]

I had the same situation with a Toyota RAV4. Owner hooked the battery up backwards. Didn't take much to fix - it was a big fuse. I'd be suprised if you didn't have the same thing, either a fuse or a fuseable link.
Should be able to find the problem with a multimeter in no time.

 

[tomcat27]

ditto. there should be a big fuse or fusable link that is toasted. the ECU should be protected from reverse polarity... I've actually seen a "list" of what to do.... but I have a bad memory...

 

[Familyguy]

Did this before the day after a bachelor party and prior to a cup of coffee...doh...(on a Bronco, I believe) and there was indeed a fried fusible link. Time to break out the continuity tester and check the continuity of all the wires nearby the battery (it's usually not more than a few inches from the battery). When you find it, cut out the melted section and replace it with the appropriate gauge generic fusible link available at any ol' auto parts store.

edit: Might also be a simple plug-in affair like this:

http://frugalmechanic.com/auto-parts/honda/engine-electrical-fusible-link

In any case, it's almost certainly the problem and cheap to fix.

Good luck.