I'm sure I made some sort of a brain-dead maneuver here but I'm having an issue with my stereo install.

I installed a new deck and it was functioning and I hooked up all the RCAs to the back of the deck and the remote wire as well.. at this point the stereo was still powering on. I then went and unhooked the battery cable and installed a wire and fuse holder to the positive terminal on the battery. I didn't have time to finish the amp wiring (thru the firewall and into the trunk, etc.) so I just installed the fuse holder and left it there under the hood. Wire going into the fuse holder from the battery but no wire coming out of the other end of the fuse holder.

Now I go and try to start the car and it won't start. Also the stereo won't turn on. I can hit the display button and get the clock to come on like it will even when the car is off but the deck won't turn on otherwise and no noise is coming out. When I try to start the car I hear nothing. No clicking, no super slow clicking like I'm out of juice, if I turn on the dome light and try to start it the dome light doesn't fade or anything like it would if your battery was dying and the starter is only a few months old without any problems so far.

I checked all the fuses under the dash but none of the fuses under the hood. It really seems like I have a decent enough connection to the battery or at least as good of a connection as I did before. How can I tell if I have a bad ignition now or is there a possibility I blew some sort of fuse I don't know about?

Any help or suggestions would be good.

 

your battery isn't just dead, right?

 

sounds like your battery is dead...

take a voltmeter (if you have one) to the battery and see what it reads.

 

Maybe an ignition fuse... The bigger ones?

Does the car crank or does nothing when turning the key.

 

FIXED. Wow guys. The stupidity.

The people who had the car before me did a real ghetto battery cable replacement. I know its ghetto because the old wires are still hanging out in the engine bay and they didn't use professional automotive terminals to attach to the battery. Rather than buying this terminal they made their own out of some metal just slid on makeshift connectors onto that homemade terminal. So I guess when I took off the positive terminal the connection from the positive terminal to the starter just slid right off. I mean literally this thing has no grip onto the terminal and needs fixing.

But at least I didn't accidentally kill the $50 car trying to install my $1200 stereo.

Thanks for your help guys.

 

ghetto engineering ftl.

glad it was an easy fix though!

 

$50 car??