2002 highlander problem

[sizeless]

i own a 2002 toyota highlander v-6 4wd limited 96000 mi. i am the original owner, ok here is the problem my wife drove highlander approx. 10 mi sat. morn. returned home and 3hrs. suv would not start only clicking. i assumed since the battery ws original panasonic it was time to replace. i made a mistake and when re-installing battery, putting neg. post first on to the hot post and then when i hooked up hot terminal suv horn began blaring and i saw some smoke from wiring at the abs relay terminal on front firewall. i switched battery to proper way and hooked up, vehicle turns starter over perfect but does not fire, dome lite comes on but radio airpower windows tail lites do not work. any ideas to help repair would greatly appreciated mike s.

[LifeTech]

How on earth did yu manage to cross the pos and neg battery terminals????

Pos and neg cablesdon't reach long enough to cross over each other. This is intentional by design. Are yu truly being honest here??????

Unless yu purchased a WRONG battery first then proceded to connect without observing the (+) on the new battery.

Tip: pos and neg terminals are slightly different diameter.

In any event, check all fuses and relays...in fact I would replace every single one. This just a start...not the solution.

Start cashing in your Bank CD's. Your in for a surprise. There are several ECMs that yu compromised.

Your negligence was catastropic.

Sorry, but your mistake caused a multitude of failures across the whole vehicle.

What is the Blue Book value of your car?

What happened was similar to a flood vehicle. Major electricle failures.

The sum of which components could total out the vehicle.

Get what I mean.

In any event be prepared to pay big just to troubshoot which components are bad.

Seriously, this is a big $$$ repair.It might be hard to get a mechanic that will want to try.

best of luck

LT

[sizeless]

thanks Lt, i am on my way to toyota service at this moment to buy all new fuses and relay switches, i swapped out the 20 amp efi already w/ extra fuse and i heard noise from sounded like computer for about 20 seconds resetting

[LifeTech]

keep me posted, as I'm curious about the resolution to this mishap!

Good Luck

LifeTech

[sizeless]

i will keep you posted, i am changing fuses as we speak, having troble removing #58 140a main fuse any help would sure be appreciated mike s

[lucky777]

After this major electrical mishap your car will never be the same. I agree with everything that LifeTech said. I'd say cut your losses short. It is time for a new car..

[bepperb]

I can't believe this would total the car, there has to be plenty of instances of people hooking up jumper cables backwards which does the same thing. Let us know what fuses and relays you replace, and which you find blown.

I would definately start by pulling every fuse and testing it. Testing the relays will be more difficult, but probably worthwhile.

[ddvk]

I hope this mistake is actually thought out by engineers.

I bet the 120A fuse coming off the +ve terminal will take all the hit. It should be blown and then the ECM should hopefully be deriving current from the other side of the fuse.

Change the visible fuses and keep us posted.

[sizeless]

So far i really feel like a lucky man, i picked up from toyota 140a fuselink which had to be ordered and overnighted and the service manager talked me into checking all other fuses first before replacing and here is where it gets better, i found two burnt fuses both effecting the efi, one 25 a fuse in the engine fuse box and a 15 a fuse in the inside fuse box, replaced those replaced the 140a main, which was a bitch to get out, and everything fired up and i drove vehicle approx. 30 miles so far everything good to go, i did have to re-set the ecm's by undoing neutral post holding brake for 30 secs. reconnecting - post and starting engine and letting idle for 10 min to get proper rpm's back up. i feel very lucky. Service manager said he was 90% sure that would take care of problem, they had a couple of those situations happen to customers before, thanks for all the help on this forum. If anything develops i will post. Mike S. in Indiana

[LifeTech]

yu the man. Patience, be methodical and keeping your cool.

But I must say, I've seen one car in my day that was reverse jumped and It was junk. Just too much to replace. I believe it was an '90's Nissan Maxima.

Toyota's failsafe wiring design is key here.

All cars have a reverse polarity failsafe of some design to prevent fires etc.

LT