So what did I fry?

[Blas]

Almost sounds like a deep cycle battery rather than a car battery with the little screw-on posts???? That could be the problem....

[David Kirkham]

Bummer dude. Hope you get it fixed soon. Takes a man to admit he was dumb and a bigger man to admit he can't fix what he screwed up.

If it is any consolation, that is not even CLOSE to the dumbest thing I have ever done.

David

[Wayne Maybury]

Many replies are trying to help figure out why the engine will not fire up, ie maybe the coil, maybe the MSD box, maybe. If I understand the situation correctly, the engine does not crank over. When trying to start, it goes "click". It is very difficult to diagnose an ignition problem when the engine cannot be cranked.

Therefore, the first step must be to check the battery, the cables, the cable connections, and possibly even the starter (I don't think that the starter is a problem since it did start by boosting it with the old battery). The first step has to be the cables and those new connectors. As already mentioned, make sure that the cables are properly connected to the battery and that the ground is clean.

Have you spoken to the person that sold you the car? If not, give him a call and ask if there were any other starting problems other than a bad battery. Get it cranking over, then worry about any other problems you may have caused by reversing the polarity.

Wayne

[Excaliber]

You know, this really sounds like it might be a dead battery or bad battery connections.

My son was working on his moped one day, he put the battery in backwards, it promptly melted one of the wires. He comes in the house and says, "Dad, I let all the smoke out of the wires." Turns out everything was fine, reversed the battery and never had a problem again, go figure!

[Double Venom]

Double Venom;
May I?
One guy here that I saw mentioned a "fused link". (A 16 ga. (+/-) that is wired into the starting system and is made to burn threw for cases just like this.) Find some one that can use a volt meter.... Second, you stated in the very first post your car is an LSC model, very, very similiar to a CR II model. If all holds true the starting system runs through a Double Circuit Breaker with a heavey red wire coming in and out the other side. Depending on how long the battery was hooked up the circuit breakers could have done their job and then, when it tried to reset-in seconds the reverse polarity could have fried one if not both the bi-metal switches inside one or both circuit breakers.

Finding out the short way, if their are two cicuit breakers mounted in a small metal casing, just unhook the red wire from each side, TEMPORARILY jump them together and try to start. This will ignite the ignition system allowing it to "crank" and hopefully start. If so then as soon as possible replace both fuze breakers-radio shack etc.
My 2-cents with what has been described.
DV

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Double Venom

One guy here that I saw mentioned a "fused link". (A 16 ga. (+/-) that is wired into the starting system and is made to burn threw for cases just like this.)

That was me -- RTSTRACK, just in case you don't know what a fusible link looks like, here is a shot of some. Just keep your eye out for something that looks a little different from the other wires and then investigate. Of course the way you test it is with a cheapo VOM from Radio Shack. Always buy the cheapest one they sell because you will drop them on the cement, or accidentally check resistance on a hot wire, and the cheap ones don't cost much more than the little fuses that go in them.

[rtstrack]

Hours surfing the web to diagnose the problem - 3
Forums posted on to find the answer - 2
Trips to Advance Auto - 5
Batteries used to "double check" that it wasn't the battery - 3
Total parts replaced -4
Hours spent in the garage - 10
Hours spent listening to my wife BIT*H that I screwed up the car - 5
The sound of my beast coming back to life - PRICELESS


Thanks for everyones help on this. There was NO WAY i would have figured this out without your help and guidance. In the end I did end up doing EVERYTHING myself and learned a great deal about my cars electrical system. It turned out to by the MSD unit. A very expensive lesson to learn.
Thanks again to everyone for thier help.

[Blas]

Just send it in to MSD be repaired as a backup...very reasonable to fix...probably just the internal fuse....$35.00 MAX to be like new....

[khansmith]

I did this very same thing last summer and felt like a big idiot. The MSD has a fusible link inside. After checking/replacing all my fuses and buying a new MSD box (You can send in the old to have it fixed...I am going to do that later for another project), car started up fine.

[Excaliber]

I'm sure glad YOU worked on this problem with your Cobra. The Cobra experience, for many of us, is not just driving the car, it's WORKING on the car. I think thats fundamental to really understanding and appreciating the over all experience.

It is good to 'become one' with your Cobra, grasshopper. Let the ride begin.