Honda Car Forum

Last month I went on vacation for 3 weeks, during this time it rained like
heck on my civic. When I returned from vacation, I started my Civic and
immediately got a "Charge System" light, and "ABS" light and a "SRS" light.

The next day the car wouldn't start. I pulled out the battery and it
wouldn't charge with an automatic charger. I thought that the problem was
the battery (6 years old) and I went ahead and replaced it. I placed in the
new battery and now whenever I connect the battery the following fuses burn
instantaneously and the car wont start (it'll turn over but I don't hear the
fuel being injected prior to the starter and I don't detect any smell of
gasoline):

Underhood Fuse Relay Box:
Fuse # 44, PGM FI main relay
Fuse #47, Audio Unit
Fuse #51, Door Lock

Underhoos ABS Relay Box:
Fuse #62, ABS Control Unit

Under Dash fuse Relay Box:
Fuse #15, Alternator SP Sensor, ELD unit

The car is a 2000 Civic Coupe SE, D16y7 with ABS brakes.

I've tried:
Replacing the fuses
Disconnecting the alternator
The whole to no avail.

I'd greatly appreciate any help you can give me.
I would tow the car to the nearest dealer but it's going to cost me a small
fortune (over 40 kilometers away).

I'm not an expert at this sort of thing, but if fuses are blowing, it's
for a reason. Something is drawing too much current, and it sounds like
that something is a short to ground somewhere. You can get a multimeter
and look for continuity between those fuses and any chassis ground. If
you find any place where a "hot" wire has continuity with ground, you
can trace that wire and find where it's connected.
Based on what fuses are blowing, that should give you a clue as to
where the fault lies--something has to be common between them. Try
checking a wiring schematic and see if you can identify what's common
between them.
I have a wiring problem with my Civic right now, too...
Good luck!

"EDSD" <dario@canada.com> wrote in
news:OjIrg.42924$gC3.604565@weber.videotron.net:

> Last month I went on vacation for 3 weeks, during this time it rained
> like heck on my civic. When I returned from vacation, I started my
> Civic and immediately got a "Charge System" light, and "ABS" light and
> a "SRS" light.
>
> The next day the car wouldn't start. I pulled out the battery and it
> wouldn't charge with an automatic charger. I thought that the problem
> was the battery (6 years old) and I went ahead and replaced it. I
> placed in the new battery and now whenever I connect the battery the
> following fuses burn instantaneously and the car wont start (it'll
> turn over but I don't hear the fuel being injected prior to the
> starter and I don't detect any smell of gasoline):
>
> Underhood Fuse Relay Box:
> Fuse # 44, PGM FI main relay
> Fuse #47, Audio Unit
> Fuse #51, Door Lock
>
> Underhoos ABS Relay Box:
> Fuse #62, ABS Control Unit
>
> Under Dash fuse Relay Box:
> Fuse #15, Alternator SP Sensor, ELD unit
>
> The car is a 2000 Civic Coupe SE, D16y7 with ABS brakes.
>
> I've tried:
> Replacing the fuses
> Disconnecting the alternator
> The whole to no avail.
>
> I'd greatly appreciate any help you can give me.
> I would tow the car to the nearest dealer but it's going to cost me a
> small fortune (over 40 kilometers away).
>
>
>

Hi
The only time I had a problem similar to yours was when the battery
polarity was wrong. I know it should not happen but when the common things
are eliminated, you must look for uncommon things.
In my case the car owner had a add-on electrical fuel pump that he forgot
to turn off and once every two months he brought it in to have the battery
charged back up but would not pay to have the pump rewired to a switched
hot connection. After three times he tried to do it himself, disconnected
the battery, charged it up, and every time he hooked up the battery it blew
the fusible link. Long story made short, he had charged the battery in
reverse, I did not think it was possible but I checked it with a volt meter
and the + and - terminals were now - and +. New battery, worked fine.
Possibly the fuses that are blowing have reverse polarity protection
diodes in them- they short to ground if polarity is reversed- and unless
your starter is a permanent magnet type, even with reversed polarity it
will crank just fine.
Good luck with it
Scott