Hooked battery up backwards

[flyingtexan]

89 5.0 LX

Sounds like I'm the idiot of the century, however I bought the car with a battery box in the trunk and the cables are not marked (they are now!). Anyway I just hooked the cables up backwards, smoked a 10 gauge wire off the solenoid which connects to a fusable link. Everything seems to work fine except the car will not start. I plan on replacing the burnt wire and the fusable link tommorow. Hopefully that will fix it.

What else may I have done? Help!

Thanks in advance.

 

[jrichker]

The alternator would be the first suspected casualty. Pull it off and take it to the auto parts store and get it tested. The radio/CD/Tape player would be the next thing I would suspect.

Fuse links come with a current rating just like fuses. A clue as to what current they are designed for is to look at the size wire they protect.

Choose the fuse according to the wire size.


Wire size current table:
http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-for...-wire-gauge-current-capacity-lenght-chart.gif


18 gauge wire = 5-8 amps
16 gauge wire = 10-12 amps
14 gauge wire = 15-17 amps
12 gauge wire = 20-25 amps
10 gauge wire = 30-40 amps
8 gauge wire = 50-60 amps.

Keep in mind that the wire size in the chart is for the circuit itself, not the size of the fuse link. The packages of fuse link repair material you can get at the auto parts stores also will have a current rating on them.

See Ford Fuel Injection » How To Solder Like a Pro for some excellent tips of soldering wires for best electrical performance.

Aircraft type circuit breakers are designed for low voltage DC applications and would be an excellent choice to replace fuse links. They come as a push/pull to reset button, and range from 1.5 amps to 60 amps and higher.

See Pilot Supplies, Avionics, and Homebuilt Aircraft Parts from Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Co. or http://www.wicksaircraft.com/catalogDetails.php or Home for circuit breakers and other items.