Car wont start?

Question

OK if you can figure this one out then your a genius. Two nights ago i caught some guy trying to hot-wire my girl's 99' Hyundai Elantra. He got away. i looked under the steering column and he cut a black wire, a red , and a green wire. My girl's brother is an electrician and he reconnected all of them. But now the car wont start. We know its not the battery because the A/C works. Radio, console, everything electrical works. But it wont turn over when i try to start it! It will just crank and crank but wont kick over. I checked the fuse box for the cars engine system. All the fuses look good-not burned. But oddly enough i pulled out the clock fuse for the hell of it and it was burned out. I think that when the thief cut the wires it tripped some sort of security feature in the car. I'm hoping we wont have to take it to Hyndai techs to fix this because we dont have alot of money right now. Does anyone know how to fix this?

Answer 1

The car may have a security feature where if a vital wire is cut, the computer will disable the engine. Most likely you'll need to bring it to the dealer, or if you know someone with a code reader, see if you get any problem codes. Also check for spark, fuel, and see if anything noticable is wrong under the hood.

Answer 2

Look around carefully for any other cut wires. Also test each fuse with a continuity meter. The small ones can be hard to identify as blown just by looking at them.

Next, look under the hood for more fuse panels. Your owner's manual can help locating them. Check those fuses as well.

Once you've fixed any additional cut wires and blown fuses, if any, disconnect the car's battery for about 5 minutes. You only need to pull the negative (black) lead. This should reset the car's computer system. With a bit of luck, it should then start and run normally once you reconnect the battery. If that works, your car may run a bit "funny" for a few days while the computer reprograms itself. This is normal. You'll probably have to reset any preset buttons on your radio as well, so make a note of them first before you disconnect the battery.

There's a chance that the thief shorted out the computer when he did whatever he did that blew the clock fuse. If that happened, you may have to replace the computer. That will cost at a dealer, but you might be able to find a replacement one at a junkyard.

If you replace it yourself, be careful installing it. If you short anything out, you'll blow the new one as well.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Often there is a fuseable link between the ignition and the starter. When the guy was trying to hotwire the car he most likely burned it out. It looks like a slightly fatter than normal wire and will have a black spot on it. Have your girls brother get a wiring diagram for this car and chase the fuseable links down. Diagrams can be found in the Chilton or Haynes manuals or can be obtained from the dealership.

Answer 4

It cant be the alarm because i set mine off and the engine wouldn't even crank,it has to be the computer or some of the wires between the engine and ignition(the clock fuse was probably blown before the hot wire)

Answer 5

The most draw on a battery is the starter motor. Your radio works because there is still enough power in the battery for it to operate. The heater motor, lights and wipers may also work now. Jump the battery from a vehicle that is running (positive to positive and negative to negative) it should start. If your climate is very cold you'll have the same problem again. If you have an original battery (AC Delco) in your car. it's time to replace it. They usually last 6 to 8 years in a vehicle that has never had an electrical problem

Answer 6

sounds like he may have shorted thinking it wont cause the car alarm to go off. either way, take off the battery terms for about 30 min, this will reset the cpu in the car. If that does not work then it is not the computer anti-theft. He may have messed up another fuse, some are hidden.

Answer 7

alarms are usually connected under the dash on the courtesy circuit (domelight) or the radio circuit. no alarm? maybe this car has a acid cell on the radio that destroys the radio in case an attempt to steal it is done (like bmw). but i kinda doubt it. some cars have their own security system installed from the factory. maybe he shorted out the fuel pump fuse too.

Answer 8

Hmmm...thats a hard one without being there, but if the engine cranks and doesn't turn over you definitely have a problem in your firing system. The plugs,coil...maybe even the computer chip, get a chiltons manual and research. Off hand I say check the coil.

Answer 9

there may be more than one fuse box .better ck your owners manual. if its not fuses then theft deterrent may be active. elec problems aretough to diagnois over phone or internet.you will more than likely have to seek advise from tech at dealer.Ask around who is good at fixing hyundais, we techs are glad toanswer questions

Answer 10

I think it might be in the computer part of the car call auto zone and they can tell you exactly what you need to do .