98 Es300 Electrical Problems

[Brokenlexus95]

Battery in my 98 es300 died so I tried jump starting and accidently put negative onto positive.Replaced battery with new one,but having problems with most of my electricals.Lights work but other than that everything is dead.My cluster won't turn on,blinkers don't work,radio,ac,windows,locks,seats don't move,basically everything will not work.Also when I try to move car out of gear it will not budge.Car does not go past 3rd gear.Please help? Car was perfectly normal the day before.

[gbhrps]

Dimka,

Very bad things can happen when the polarity of electrical systems has been reversed. Depending on which systems were turned on when you did the jump start, there may be many systems that were affected. Start by checking for burned out fuses and melted fuseable links. They will all need to be replaced.

If that doesn't solve the no start, you'll need to take the car to a good mechanic. Be prepared for a large bill if he finds that the engine computer has been fried. Your best bet then will be a wrecking yard for a good used replacement. Good Luck!

[Brokenlexus95]

Car runs and drives but doesn't go past 3rd.Can't I find a computer for about $100 online and put it in myself? How about unconnecting the EFI fuse for 5 minutes? Can that solve it?

[Brokenlexus95]

Dimka,

Very bad things can happen when the polarity of electrical systems has been reversed. Depending on which systems were turned on when you did the jump start, there may be many systems that were affected. Start by checking for burned out fuses and melted fuseable links. They will all need to be replaced.

If that doesn't solve the no start, you'll need to take the car to a good mechanic. Be prepared for a large bill if he finds that the engine computer has been fried. Your best bet then will be a wrecking yard for a good used replacement. Good Luck!

[gbhrps]

You can buy a used CPU, and throw all kinds of parts and money at the problem and still not solve the issue, because you don't know what's been damaged. Get the car to an expert and spend just what is required. Try the 10 minute reset, it can't hurt.

[Brokenlexus95]

OK thank you.I'll let you know what a expert will say.

[barrettlexus]

A late response to your original post but if it's interesting to a new reader with a similar problem then I'd suggest that you check the 100A alternator fuse (in the fuse box in the engine compartment toward the front of the car on the driver side). Reversing the polarity when charging the battery can cause this fuse to pop and as I noted in a post about electrical problems in my 99 ES300, odd things happen when the battery can't provide a full charge to the electrical system. In my post I included links to instructions for finding the fuse and replacing it. Use a socket wrench to loosen and tighten the screws holding the 100A alternator fuse in place - it will save you much frustration and concern about stripping the screw head. Cheers!