88 Truck Wont Start after installing new battery--turns over

Does the positive battery cable have one heavy wire and one smaller wire? If so check the smaller wire, it may not be making a connection. You didn't hook it up backwards by chance? Even for an instant?

On 1/9/2005 7:29 AM US(ET), NissanDan took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

No answers. Only suggestions for testing that I would follow. This may give you something to do while waiting for answers. Assuming that you removed the battery in the proper manner and didn't get a short circuit while doing so: Check the battery's cables. The positive battery terminal clamp may have two or more cables attached to it. A fat cable and one or more thinner cables. The fat cable goes directly to the starter and starter circuit. You say the starter works, so that one must be OK. The thinner one(s) work most other electrical circuits. Make sure the thinner one(s) have a good connection to the terminal clamp and are not broken off, loose, or corroded. If any are broken off, replace the whole cable assembly with one from the dealer. If they are not broken off and are still connected to the clamp, they could be loose or corroded. You might try turning the headlight switch on, and then jiggling the thinner cables. If the headlights flicker on and off while jiggling, replace the whole cable as above. If they don't flicker, well, that's about as technical as I can get. Any other answers will have to be supplied by more knowledgeable people.

Thanks for your response. Nissan has a positive ground, so the negative cable is the one with all the extra wires coming out of it.

My truck has the starter cable on the negative terminal, also a small single wire and then a small wiring harness--all three connected to the negative terminal. I checked to make sure all connections are tight and clean and even checked the connections with a volt meter and they are getting current from the battery.

Dont know what else it could be unless I blew a fuse somewhere. Does anyone know where the fuse box is on the 88 Nissan? or what else I could try. This is really confusing.

Daniel

On 1/9/2005 12:47 PM US(ET), NissanDan took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

Well, like I said, you can wait for more knowledgeable answers, but I will say that all my US Nissans had negative ground. They included an 85 Pulsar, a 93 Sentra, an 89 and 00 Maxima, and a 97 pickup. As far as I know, the last cars that used positive ground were British autos, and that was back in the 60's.

Did you remove the protective plastic cap from the battery terminal posts????? If you have voltmeter, measure the voltage across the terminals on the cable side and on the terminal post. Could have a bad battery?

Never saw a Nissan with a positive ground, and I've bought nothing but Nissans ever (33 years). I think you hooked it up backwards and blew something.

Candidates for what blew:

The alternator diodes, or a fuse that protects them if there is one. If you hooked it up backwards, this DID happen, but it shouldn't stop everything else from working, just stop the battery from charging.

The fusible link.

The wiring (but the fusible link should have gone first).

I agree -- it is hard to believe that they still make positive ground cars because it opens up a can of worms when it comes to aftermarker radios, plug in radar detectors and phone chargers. And those are the simple issues!

Btw, the car will probably still turn over when you turn the key with the battery reversed.

Check your manual or invest in a haynes manual for your truck to make absolutely sure. I sure hope you didn't hook the thing up backwards, because that will be very costly.

Regards, Remco

WHAT!?!?

I have an 1988 Nissan Hardbody truck, 4 cylinder. I assure you it's negative ground.

Cheers, Geoff Glave Vancouver, Canada

I did hook it up backwards. So what do you think it likely blew?

Daniel