Super Bizarre EK problem

[Riced_Civic]

so here it is, my EK has absolutely no power what so ever. it was working yesterday and i drove it around.

i swapped batteries, still nothing, no lights nothing.

im thinking its a wiring loose or a short in the system (rain over night?)

any ideas on what i should check???

[vinnY]

ground cable secure at both ends?

[Riced_Civic]

yep everything is grounded secure

[vinnY]

move on to checking all the fuses inside and outside of the case I guess

[Riced_Civic]

ok fuses all checked none blown

[GenesisEG]

It's between the battery and fuse panels. That's the only point that will affect the whole car.

Main inline fuse, battery fuse, loose termination...

Check voltage at the battery side of the fuses, see if fuses are getting power.

[quangsuke]

try checking if ur getting power from the battery (stupid idea i know)

[Riced_Civic]

battery is fine i used it to jump start my other car.

i need to check the main fuse and battery fuse. pretty sure its prob them, as i checked all the small fuses, it was just muggy and i didnt want to stay outside.

ill go have a look now.

[GenesisEG]

Few things you should always check first if there's no power getting to the car.

Start with the battery voltage, easiest thing to do.

If that's fine, check the earth on the battery.

If that connection is good, start working your way down the positive chain. Battery terminal to fuse box. Battery fuse. Main fuse. Should be getting voltage at both sides of every fuse. Cables should be firmly terminated.

There's a good chance it's just one of the main fuses. I blew my battery fuse once, same symptoms, no power at all.

[Riced_Civic]

OK, found the problem, all good now. thanx guys for ur help

[Lukey]

care to inform us what it was?

i was going to say ecu if you jump started another car and maybe didnt do it correctly.

[Riced_Civic]

it was 2 things - battery fuse which was blown (i thought it was just a dirty cover) and corroded positive terminal (been meaning to change it for a few months now and it decided to crap out on me yesterday)

[GenesisEG]

Good stuff.

See, not so bizarre after all!

[Riced_Civic]

well was kinda for me cos its never happened to me B4, lols.

[GenesisEG]

You'll find that all problems have a logical answer. What you need to do is work out how the system works, in this case the electrical system, and then use it to create a list of possible culprits.

We know that the battery is the power centre of the car. The alternator generates electricity which charges the battery and powers devices whilst the car is running, but it is the battery that powers the car whilst it is off.

From the battery, we have a cable running to the fuse box in the engine bay, where you will find a bunch of fuses and relays that control the car's major functions. There is also a cable running from the battery to the chassis of the car. It is here that you will find the solution to any problem that involves the global electrical functionality of the car. Once it passes the battery and main fuse and is passed out to the minor fuses, it is no longer a global issue and becomes more difficult to diagnose.

So that's electrical problem solving in a nutshell. Start from the source and work your way down.

Test the main earth from the battery to the chassis, if that's fine, then it's a positive problem.

Test from positive terminal to earth, then from the end of the main feed to the fuse box, then from the battery side of the main fuse, then the load side of the main fuse, and work your way down. Keep going down the tree until you find the problem. Simple really.