I recently recovered my truck that was stolen, and it started right away.

The next day it doesn't start, (like there is a dead battery), so I look at the battery cables, and they are a bit loose. I hook it back up tight, and I can turn my dome light, head lights, hazards on, but my cd player, wipers, signals don't work, and my truck doesn't start.

I triple checked all the fuses inside the cab, and switched out the ones under the hood to make sure those work, and they do. The last thing I can think of is that it is not grounded somewhere....

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks
-Trivek

 

What kind of truck and year is it?

 

87' Mazda B2000....

 

Give another check to the 60 or 80 Amp main fuse in the under hood box by the battery. Symptoms you describe perfectly match blown fuse or problem in that circuit. The fuse is often held in place and makes electrical contact by 2 10mm nuts on the bottom legs of the fuse so if it will not pull out take them out first. Also make sure those retaining bolts are in there or you will not be completing the circuit even if fuse is ok..

 

I will check those fuses again. I took out 1 of 2 60 amp "sub" fuses and switched them, and turned my headlights on with each fuse, so they both are good. I didn't check my main 80 Amp fuse because I assumed that nothing would turn on, like the headlights, if that was blown...

Thanks

 

Your headlights, interior lights, hazard lights, horn and a few other things do not get power thru the 80 amp main but thru the 2 30A fuses next to it. 80 amps power pretty much every thing else. If you do find it blown and is held in with the 10mm bolts, make sure you disconnect the battery before taking those bolts out as it is very easy to short things to ground with your socket wrench.

 

Thanks for clearing this up. It must be the 80 amp fuse then. I owe ya one!

Thanks a bunch
-Trivek

 

Yep that did the trick babyhuey!

Thanks again!
-Trivek

 

I had a neighbors truck that had the same problem I fixed. 90 B2200. After she tried to replace the battery herself and hooked up the battery backwards, it popped the 80A fuse. After I found it, thats when she confessed to doing this. Why do customers never tell the truth upfront?! Would make our job much easier!

 

Glad it was only the main fuse Trivek. and I hear you bkey71. Funny one for you relating to that. Had a 2003 protege in a few months ago that belonged to a middle aged woman. Her son had been driving the car when, according to him the engine lost power and started making noise. His story was that he was in town at about 30 mph and not driving hard at allllll. Honest!!! Unfortunately for him when it started making noise (rod knock) it also set a missfire code that stored freeze frame data in the PCM. When I retrieved data with both him and his mom there it showed rpm at almost 8000 and vehicle speed of 122 mph. Mom was definitely not impressed with the story after that.