[goonerforlife]

Hi. I have a 2000 Spyder Mk3 and had to take it off the road 2+ years ago due to ill health. Before doing so it was my daily commute to work car and no issues.

Decided to get it back on the road a few months ago so started prepping the car. I should add in the 2+ years I did regularly start the car which was ok but the past 6 months I wasn't able to. I had to jumpstart it the last time and it fired up ok. Checked the battery which had little charge so put it on trickle charge but think due to age/dead cells it was not holding charge. Replaced with a new one. And that's when things started to go wrong.

As soon as I swapped in a new battery the main 100a fuse blew plus about 4 others (interior lights, dashboard, starter motor, can't recall the other one)

Got a car electrician to check it after replacing the fuses as still would not start. Starter motor was jammed so after fixing that, turns over, catches then about 5 seconds later cuts out.

My suspicion is fuel pump or possibly coils but not an expert on these cars.

I searched the forum but can't check codes. A previous mechanic knackered the ODB connector and immobiliser when fiddling about with it so I am told by my niece (previous owner from new).

Any help/guidance to what could be the cause would be appreciated.

 

[TX_Spyder]

when it starts is it rough? If it at least starts, you have (at least some) spark and fuel. I'd check every wire I can see for rodent damage. Also 2+ year old petrol isn't ideal -- might have some water in it, maybe treat it, but I have no idea what products you have for that across the pond or if your petrol has ethanol in it (I suspect not).

 

[carlbecker]

Codes are a valuable tool when diagnosing problems. I would get the reader terminal and immobilizer fixed before I spent time of money on anything else. New fuel and or oil would not be a bad idea either. A frozen IAC can cause initial starting problems. Good luck.

 

[FormInFunction]

By giving no helpful information it is very difficult to receive helpful information. Without knowing if there are any codes, it’s hard not to give a list of every potential option. This will send you on a wild goose chase, as opposed to knocking down your diagnosis one thing at a time. You will need to check fuel (fuel pump, injectors), spark (plugs/coils), air (IACV, throttle body, no animals nesting in the air box), and lastly compression but I think that is on the back burner in your case.

 

[MerryFrankster]

Hm sounds like you connected your new battery backward. Anyway, as a diagnostic test, disconnect the MAF sensor from the harness. Normally this forces the ECU to run in open loop, disregarding any input from the MAF, which may have been damaged. If the car still does not run, then reconnect the MAF, and see if you can keep it running by cracking the throttle open just a little. This is in case the Idle Air Control Valve has been damaged. Still won't run? Remove the intake tube, and shoot some starter fluid down the throttle body, see if that keeps it running, in case the fuel pump or the injectors are not functioning right. What were you saying about the immobilizer? In some Toyota cars under some conditions, brief startup followed by shutdown is a symptom of the immobilizer system malfunctioning. Not 100% sure whether this applies in the Spyder. Anyway good luck figuring this out without any diagnostics - you will definitely need lots of luck, or maybe seek help from an automotive psychic., at 1-900-PSY-CHIC. Barring any help from that quarter, I would make it a priority to re-wire the DLC to connect with the ECU on OBD2.

 

[dblotii]

I know this is not your big problem now but; also note that by just starting and idling every once in a while and not driving it, you have introduced a lot of raw fuel and liquid water into your crankcase. change the oil ASAP . See this for an explanation: Winter Storage – Roth Automotive Science

 

[goonerforlife]

when it starts is it rough? If it at least starts, you have (at least some) spark and fuel. I'd check every wire I can see for rodent damage. Also 2+ year old petrol isn't ideal -- might have some water in it, maybe treat it, but I have no idea what products you have for that across the pond or if your petrol has ethanol in it (I suspect not).

Thanks both for your replies.

Yes it does sound a bit rough. I replaced the fuel beforehand as part of the prep because of how long the fuel gad sat there. I added Reddex which is a fuel treatment.

I will pick up a new oil filter and do the oil change as soon as the weather allows. It's sitting on the drive and the temp is about 3deg so not ideal for working.

 

[goonerforlife]

By giving no helpful information it is very difficult to receive helpful information. Without knowing if there are any codes, it’s hard not to give a list of every potential option. This will send you on a wild goose chase, as opposed to knocking down your diagnosis one thing at a time. You will need to check fuel (fuel pump, injectors), spark (plugs/coils), air (IACV, throttle body, no animals nesting in the air box), and lastly compression but I think that is on the back burner in your case.

Whilst I understand your point, the info I provided was changing the battery blew my fuses. After replacing them, starter motor was stuck. After fixing that car starts the cuts out. Diagnostic codes are not possible due to faulty osb connector. What else could I add?

 

[goonerforlife]

Hm sounds like you connected your new battery backward. Anyway, as a diagnostic test, disconnect the MAF sensor from the harness. Normally this forces the ECU to run in open loop, disregarding any input from the MAF, which may have been damaged. If the car still does not run, then reconnect the MAF, and see if you can keep it running by cracking the throttle open just a little. This is in case the Idle Air Control Valve has been damaged. Still won't run? Remove the intake tube, and shoot some starter fluid down the throttle body, see if that keeps it running, in case the fuel pump or the injectors are not functioning right. What were you saying about the immobilizer? In some Toyota cars under some conditions, brief startup followed by shutdown is a symptom of the immobilizer system malfunctioning. Not 100% sure whether this applies in the Spyder. Anyway good luck figuring this out without any diagnostics - you will definitely need lots of luck, or maybe seek help from an automotive psychic., at 1-900-PSY-CHIC. Barring any help from that quarter, I would make it a priority to re-wire the DLC to connect with the ECU on OBD2.

Thanks. Will try the MAF first. I did replace it with a new one about 3 years ago as cleaning the old one didn't fix the limp mode type issues I was experiencing. If that doesn't work I'll try the other things. Much appreciated

 

[FormInFunction]

Whilst I understand your point, the info I provided was changing the battery blew my fuses. After replacing them, starter motor was stuck. After fixing that car starts the cuts out. Diagnostic codes are not possible due to faulty osb connector. What else could I add?

Fix the OBDII ASAP as that gives you a chance of narrowing things down versus reinventing the wheel to check every last component of the car. That would be the most reasonable place to start so you can get more focused advice from there. Good luck

 

[msc545]

Hi. I have a 2000 Spyder Mk3 and had to take it off the road 2+ years ago due to ill health. Before doing so it was my daily commute to work car and no issues.

Decided to get it back on the road a few months ago so started prepping the car. I should add in the 2+ years I did regularly start the car which was ok but the past 6 months I wasn't able to. I had to jumpstart it the last time and it fired up ok. Checked the battery which had little charge so put it on trickle charge but think due to age/dead cells it was not holding charge. Replaced with a new one. And that's when things started to go wrong.

As soon as I swapped in a new battery the main 100a fuse blew plus about 4 others (interior lights, dashboard, starter motor, can't recall the other one)

Got a car electrician to check it after replacing the fuses as still would not start. Starter motor was jammed so after fixing that, turns over, catches then about 5 seconds later cuts out.

My suspicion is fuel pump or possibly coils but not an expert on these cars.

I searched the forum but can't check codes. A previous mechanic knackered the ODB connector and immobiliser when fiddling about with it so I am told by my niece (previous owner from new).

Any help/guidance to what could be the cause would be appreciated.

Sounds like stale fuel and perhaps bad oil. I would change ALL fluids.

 

[N_AL_spyder]

Is sounds like you hooked the battery up backwards. Modern cars have a number of large diodes in the system to protect sensitive electronics. With the battery backwards they act like a dead short, blowing up all the fuses and probably themselves. You need to go through the entire electrical system, starting with repairing the obd2 port so you can find out what the computer says or if it even works properly. Hopefully you didn't also blow up the diodes in the alternator voltage regulator. I would probably check the alternator second.

Sent from my SM-A107M using Tapatalk

 

[goonerforlife]

Sounds like stale fuel and perhaps bad oil. I would change ALL fluids.

Thanks for that. Drained the fuel and did an oil change. Both looked ok I have to say. Not what I expected.

 

[goonerforlife]

Is sounds like you hooked the battery up backwards. Modern cars have a number of large diodes in the system to protect sensitive electronics. With the battery backwards they act like a dead short, blowing up all the fuses and probably themselves. You need to go through the entire electrical system, starting with repairing the obd2 port so you can find out what the computer says or if it even works properly. Hopefully you didn't also blow up the diodes in the alternator voltage regulator. I would probably check the alternator second.

Sent from my SM-A107M using Tapatalk

So a quick update since posted this thread.

Thanks firstly to everyone and their suggestions as to what could be the causes.

So far I have put in a new battery as the old one was not holding its charge. I have just installed a Quantum fuel pump as this also was not working as it should. Intermittent fuel was a suspicion I had so swapped that out. Still no joy but no fuses went.

Next to change are the spark plugs and possibly the crankshaft sensor. Will post another update after.