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Sportage is dead after replacing fuse

7K views 15 replies 5 participants last post by  tinman734 
#1 · (Edited)
I recently replaced the battery in a 2002 sportage, and the car started and ran, but the windows and interior fan wouldn't work. So I looked at the engine compartment fuse box and saw that the 80 amp fuse under there (there's only one and it is the furthest to the passenger side) was blown. So I replaced the fuse (unscrewing it's two connector bolts and then screwing in the new one exactly how it was, and now the car won't start at all, no dome lights, no nothing. I haven't done anything more on it yet. What do you guys think is wrong?

Thanks!
 
#3 ·
I really don't think it's the battery, it's brand new and the alternator was tested at the same time so everything there is good. It was starting and running fine just moments before replacing the fuze. Replacing the fuze took about five minutes, and then nothing would turn on in the car at all.
 
#4 ·
Greetings,

Some electrical troubleshooting tips:
--

With a voltage meter (analog or DVOM), if not auto-range, making sure setting is above (12) volts reading,

With negative probe on Battery Negative (-) terminal, test each side of the 80 Amp fuse, make sure you are getting (+) voltage through the fuse / the fuse is not blown.

With positive probe on Battery Positive (+) terminal, touch Negative probe to:

Battery tray ground point (at base of battery, between battery and Intake Manifold,

Engine ground point (follow ground strap (wire) from battery tray ground point -> mounting location on Intake Manifold,

Both should test out at approx. Battery voltage, within .2 volts. If not, suspect a Ground issue and clean all connections / bolts / ground rings, see below..


Recommend restoring wiring back to factory-stock condition / cleaning engine compartment ground points:


--- With battery disconnected / out of vehicle: ---

Disconnect any AFTERMARKET electrical items, (Interior / aux. Exterior lighting, trailer wiring, stereo, amps / subs, alarms, remote car start) - RESET wiring back to factory-stock before proceeding..

--

Pos. and Neg. terminals, and the connection bolts / rings, if you have the (2) piece terminal setup, e.g. terminal bolts to connection point at end of Pos.and/or Neg. cable..

Battery tray ground point bolt and ground rings,

Battery tray ground -> frame ground bolts - remove battery, lift out plastic battery tray, if present, you will see (3) or (4) bolts securing the ground tray to frame.. Some models have a (separate) ground tray, some are formed/welded directly in, if you see bolts holding the tray to the frame, remove, cleanup or (replace) any rusted bolt hardware / the tray bottom and contact point on frame, coat w/ dielectric grease and reinstall..

Engine ground strap ground ring @ Intake Manifold & connection point on manifold,

Use a brass wire brush, and/or fine-grit sandpaper (200-400 grit), clean the connections bright, use a light coat of dielectric grease on all connections before re-assembly..

As long as the battery is out, and you have the tools available, consider cleaning the (Positive) feed ground rings for the Alt/Main fuse as well.. A thin popsicle stick w/ fine grit sandpaper wrapped around, or a donor emery board works well here to get to the underside of the ring / fuse box contact points,

--
If no joy, disconnect battery again, consider (removing) and cleaning up the blades of the MAIN and FUEL PUMP relays, re-insert, reconnect battery and test for positive effect..

--
If improvement, consider purchasing replacement Relays from KIA, use dealer-part only,

If still no joy, consider a wiring issue that may have been exasperated when you disturbed and/or moved the engine compartment fuse box in the process of replacing the main (alt) fuse..

With battery connected, engine off, key out of ignition:

If still no joy, with the voltmeter, check all fuses in the engine compartment for voltage, noting any which do not have power, and do the same for all fuses in the engine compartment fuse box..

--
Is it possible that the battery was installed incorrectly / reverse at some point when the battery was changed over? That would blow the Alt/Main 80 Amp fuse for sure, and would warrant checking (all) fuses / ground points above.

Hope this helps,
GottaCruise
 
#5 · (Edited)
Gottacruise, thank you so much for this awesome write-up. I will grab a voltmeter from my Dad's and head down to Seattle (where the car is) on monday to check it out as you described. It is my friend's car.

In response to your question about the battery being installed backwards, it was not. The car was running fine just before replacing the fuse. I am confused though as to how the car was running at all with the main fuse blown (it had a noticeable gap and was obviously blown, yet the car ran, albeit that the interior fan and windows were not working). Any possible explanation for that?

Also, could I have caused some potentially serious damage to the computer by not removing the negative battery cable before attempting to replace the fuze?

Again, thanks for your help.
 
#6 ·
I guess that first time, installing your new battery, you connected first the negative pole and then connecting the positive pole you touched the body of the car with the wrench while you were using it to tighten the positive pole connector; and this caused the main fuse to blow. Second time while unscrewing the blown main fuse you touched the car body with the wrench you were using causing a short, but this time there was no fuse to protect your Sportage, so a major damage occurred.

Always connect the negative pole battery lastly. Always disconnect the battery negative pole when working on your car electrical system.
 
#8 ·
Hi tinman734,

No idea on if not disconnecting the neg. cable had any effect, as you stated the battery was hooked up correctly, so keeping a good thought all is well w/ the ECM,

* The ECM circuit is fused, so would check all fuses in both engine compartment and passenger cabin for continuity / voltage.. ,

agree w/ Galf, re: disconnecting cables: I usually disconnect the (Neg.) battery cable 1st, then Positive cable 2nd, to avoid any sparks / potential shorting to frame when removing,

and hookup the (Pos.) battery 1st, then Negative cable 2nd when re-installing connectors on battery ..

Will take a look at the ETM schematics here to see (what) fuses and/or Relays are in-line to the Ignition Switch circuit (you stated the vehicle is electrically dead when Ignition switch is turned on, e.g. no lights on dashboard..) / will post that info up tomorrow,

Regards,
GottaCruise
 
#9 ·
Hi tinman734,

Will take a look at the ETM schematics here to see (what) fuses and/or Relays are in-line to the Ignition Switch circuit (you stated the vehicle is electrically dead when Ignition switch is turned on, e.g. no lights on dashboard..) / will post that info up tomorrow,

Regards,
GottaCruise
The '02 Engine Fuse box ETM is different than the '00 here, although it looks like IGN1, IGN2 are the fuses for Ignition Switch feed,

FUEL INJ is the fuse that (isolates) -> feeds (+) power to the FUEL PUMP Relay,

The MAIN/ALT (80 Amp) fuse protects the MAIN EGI Relay,

* If the circuit is electrically dead, best to start with basics, e.g. check for voltage and back-trace / inspect cabling, paying particular attention to and checking out grounds / battery cables & connections..

Hope this helps,
GottaCruise
 
#11 ·
Ok...so turns out it was just a wire that I had failed to connect to the fuse when I installed the the one the first time, woohoo! BUT....the interior fans still don't work, and neither do the power windows. The fuses for both of these components appear to be fine, any ideas?

Also...another issue which the car already had has continued: when starting the car at random times, it will turn over but not start. I have to let it sit for about 30 seconds with the key on, and then it will usually start right up. It will also die randomly while driving, although this is less common. When it's running it runs fine, no missing, uneven idle or anything. What can I do to diagnose what is causing that? I've taken it to three different mechanics and they all gave different answers.

I appreciate any ideas that you guys have for me, thanks!
 
#13 ·
And, -- with the battery out / disconnected --

cleanup the ground points in the engine compartment, the fuel pump ground ring, (see previous post)

and the G200 ground ring, behind the driver's side (left on US) lower kick panel, located below the passenger cabin fuse block,

And the G103 / G201 ground rings, located behind the passenger side (right on US) lower kick panel,

--

Get your grounds cleaned up / in good working order, so you can reliably troubleshoot your electrical issues ..

Once new KIA factory Relays are installed, and ground points are cleaned up / verified good, logical place to start is to ensure positive (+) 12 volts is reaching the (Power Window) and (Heater) fuses in the passenger cabin fuse box,

* All troubleshooting steps in the manual are based on the electrical system being Q/A'd and in good working order, this is not specified in the manual .. *
 
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