My dome light was left on overnight. I had to get my car jumped to start. The person hooked up the cables wrong. The dash is not working correctly now. Could this be a result of the cables being hooked up wrong?
2007-02-10 11:44:32 · 7 answers · asked by Tami L 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Yes, sometimes the electrical system (or parts of it) can be fried by such a mistake. If your battery is now fully charged up, try this:
Disconnect the battery - both positive and negative. Wait at least half hour (a full hour is better, overnight would be better still) to be sure any residual charge is gone from any capacitors, etc. Make sure everything in the car is off - including the dome light, doors closed, etc. Then reconnect the battery - if it is just a glitch, the car's computer should reset itself. If it's fried, it'll still be screwed up.
2007-02-10 13:14:53 · answer #1 · answered by Me 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you sure that the cables were hooked up wrong? Why? The polarity is embossed on the batteries and the jumper clips are color coded. God forbid we should have to call professionals for such a trivial thing. Should we have professionals fill our tires too, just because some do it wrong?
In the past, a completely dead battery could be recharged with reverse polarity and the car would run simply because the generator would reverse itself. Not so with modern cars using alternators for at least the last 35 years since the alternator has a diode pack that determines polarity. I doubt the car would run at all if the battery were reversed. Not for long, anyway. I don't know what could be wrong with your dash, but one of the problems with disconnecting a battery or having it discharge is that some of the info stored in the computer could be lost. That usually sends the computer back to default settings and it "relearns" over a short period of time how best to accommodate your driving habits. If this persists and if a check of the fuses doesn't turn up a bad one, THEN you see a professional.
2007-02-10 20:19:53 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, and it could be a very expensive fix unfortunately. That is why jump starts are best left to the professionals, the friend with jumper cables can blow your computer as you have found out. If you have road side coverage, they will even come and do it for you free of charge.
2007-02-10 19:50:50 · answer #3 · answered by oklatom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the cable were hooked up backwards, it is amazing that only your dash doesnt work. That kind of goof usually will take out every electronic device that is connected to power.
2007-02-11 03:09:25 · answer #4 · answered by Arnon 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
when you charge a battery you match up the postive and the negative. If your dash light is not working check your fuses may have blown a fuse.
2007-02-10 19:54:53 · answer #5 · answered by onecalmbutterfly 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
listen to Aussie Bloke
2007-02-10 23:38:29 · answer #6 · answered by goodguy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its a wonder that the person didn't damage his own vehicle as well...yes it could be the reason that it is not working properly
2007-02-10 19:49:33 · answer #7 · answered by iusedtohavehair 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋