Radio short circuit? help

[flick182]

Hi all,

I have a problem with my ford focus (1998 LX) 5000 RDS stereo and heating.

On New Year’s Day on the way home from a good celebration, I stopped my car to pick up some food.
When I went to start it again I wouldn’t turn realising it was the battery. I called for some help.

Whilst waiting for help to arrive a kind young man offered to jump start it.
So he proceeded to do so, I wasn’t watching what he was doing but I’m assuming he connected the leads to the wrong terminals on the batteries as smoke began to come from my battery and his battery and out of my car stereo tape deck. I could smell burning plastic

Another gentleman who happened to be a mechanic managed to jump start it properly and I got home safely.

The next day I had a new battery fitted and the car starts properly
But now the stereo doesn’t work and the heating doesn’t get hot it just about gets warm .

Does anyone know what has happened to my dear stereo and heating?

Any help would be appreciated
Thank you

[mark v]

Sounds like he reversed the battery hook up and fried your Radio, this is something I always watch when anybody jumps or I help jumpstart my car.

Now the Heat thing I dont have any suggestions about that.

[ABE]

Have you checked the fuses that protect these circuits?

[mark v]

I always naturally think people will check fuses first, I think from now on this will be my first suggestion to check fuses.

[robbie jay]

I was thinking about the fuse problem and if the radio is grounded to the battery and not the chassis of the vehicle wouldent the charge supplied through the negitive side acually burn up the curcuit board?seeing that there is no fuse in the negitive side and that the chassis of the radio is grounded too the chassis of the vehicle there by the circuit board would be in the pathway completeing the ground and would get very hot just like the wires.Not sure if this is right but is just how I had it figured out.If there was smoke comming from the radio something overheated and no doubt has failed.

[ABE]

Originally Posted by robbie jay

I was thinking about the fuse problem and if the radio is grounded to the battery and not the chassis of the vehicle wouldent the charge supplied through the negitive side acually burn up the curcuit board?seeing that there is no fuse in the negitive side and that the chassis of the radio is grounded too the chassis of the vehicle there by the circuit board would be in the pathway completeing the ground and would get very hot just like the wires.Not sure if this is right but is just how I had it figured out.If there was smoke comming from the radio something overheated and no doubt has failed.

Most of the electrics in the passenger compartment are grounded to the body. The body is grounded to the engine and the battery by separate connections using fairly light gauge cable. The battery is grounded to the engine with a heavy cable. That is why booster connections are pos to battery and neg to good engine ground. If the person who boosted your vehicle had used a body ground for the neg then the starter would be getting less than optimal amps and may not have been able to turn the engine over.

If you have your battery disconnected and then hook them up in reverse i.e. put the neg cable on the pos post and the pos cable on the neg post then you blow some fuses, especially the large fuse protecting the alternator to battery connection. Replace the fuses and the car will be fine. If you already have the battery connected and someone connects their pos to your neg and their neg to your pos, you get big sparks, and you could blow some fuses. I have only seen that done once and it did not blow fuses or cause any problems, but the potential for blowing fuses is there.

I do not know what he could have done to cause your problem. That is why I suggested checking the fuses. The PCM would be far more vulnerable than your radio to electrical connection problem. I would suspect that you had a pre-existing problem with the radio that showed up with the extra voltage from the boost. A faulty regulator on the boosting car could jack the voltage of your car up and find the radio to be the weak link.

That is just speculation though. I just don't know.

[62Red500]

ok... first check your fuses. you may have to replace your radio. if it is an aftermarket radio then who knows if the person who installed it was competent enough to do the job right. if the ground is run all the way to the battery then find out who installed the sterio and slap them repeatedly for me.

your heater now. it uses the hot coolant and flows it through the heater core which is like a little radiator. the blower which is just a fan exactly like the one in your bathroom draws air through the hot heater core (from the hot coolant) and blows that now hot air into your cabin.

is the fan spinning at full speed when its on high? if no thats your problem. if that is not it then maybe one of the doors that directs either cool or warm air into your cabin (or if you have ac then really cool air) may not be working now (could be a relay or a lot of things) but most of these are operated via cables so you'll have to find out if yours uses actuators or cables. if neither of these is the problem then your not letting your vehicle warm up fully and there is nothing wrong with it.