Jumped started my 04 pt cruiser and accidentally crossed the cables on battery for 1 sec and now i have no radio and auto door locks dont work and odometer is flashing no fuse 'but checked all fuses?

Answer 1

I recently had the original battery on my 2003 PT Cruiser GT finally go bad and I replaced it. In the process of it dying (and me having to jump it a couple times before I could get to the store to buy a new one), I lost my interior lights, the memory on the trip odometer, my power locks, my remote key fob capability, my radio/CD player, and the odometer display showed a "NO FUSE" message alternating with the overall mileage reading. The car still ran fine, but it was obvious I had blown a fuse or fuses.

I did some checking online to see if anyone had experienced this set of outages before (and the "NO FUSE" message) and there were several references to the IOD fuse, but no clear definitive answer on a) what it truly affected and b) how to replace it (since it's in a protective clip you pull up). Since I just did that and everything is restored, thought I'd share the info for those who might lose power to the above items and keep them from wasting a lot of money at the dealer for a simple repair. Here's the scoop:

1) I bought a fuse tester/puller at a local auto parts store, which enabled me to individually pull all the fuses that were labled as having anything to do with the interior lights, radio, or locks. This included those in the fuse box by the driver's left knee inside the car and a 40 amp fuse up in the power distribution box under the hood. All checked out good, so I strongly suspected the IOD was the culprit.

2) I never did find anything in the manual or online that said exactly what that fuse affects, other than it is used during initial transport from the factory to dealers to minimize the drain on the battery by pulling it up. To reiterate what I mentioned at the beginning of this book, I know it affects at least the following systems:

- Interior dome/reading lights (the dash lights, head- and tail-lights still work)

- Power locks (both the door switches and the remote fob capability)

- Radio/CD/Cassette player (though the unit will still show trim lighting)

- The trip odometer memory (which would reset each time the car was shut down)

3) I crossed my fingers that the IOD fuse was the cause, as I really didn't want to take it to the shop and pay big bucks. The yellow 20-amp IOD fuse is in the fuse box (power distribution center) under the hood and just behind the air filter housing. It stands out because it is encased in a protective clip that allows you to pull it up to break the circuit, but leave it in place for transport and not get lost. The challenge is getting it out of that clip. To make it a bit easier to access, I removed the housing top to the air filter, which is simple (disengage the clips on the left side and the right front side, and then the screw holding the retaining ring on the rubber hose on the back left side).

4) I found that taking a very small, thin screwdriver that I use for glasses screws worked well. You'll see a small rectangle opening in the top (where you'll be able to read the "20" on the fuse). I think a small curved tip screwdriver would work, too. Take the tip of your screwdriver and insert it in the opening, with the pressure up under the left side of the opening (the top is actually hinged, with the left side being where it clips down in place and the plastic hinges on the right). It takes a little effort, and I used my left hand to try and help unclip the left side of the clip while I applied the out/lifting pressure with the screwdriver. After a while I got it, and the top opened up to allow access to the fuse.

5) Took out the fuse, tested it--sure enough, it was bad. Popped in a new yellow 20 amp mini fuse, closed the top of the clip, reinserted the fuse into the fuse box by gently pushing down, and then checked things in the car. Voila! I had everything restored. Yeah, baby! That was probably $100+ saved and it only cost me some time and one little fuse.

I know this was long, but hopefully it will help someone who is trying to figure out what the heck is going on with their electrical stuff. I suspect this probably happens fairly often to folks and they just end up bringing the car in, especially when they've check all the other fuses properly labled for those accessories. Thanks much, and now it's time to get back to cruisin' in my PT GT!