Crossed the battery terminals

Coreyr83

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Jun 21, 2019
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I crossed the battery terminals on my 2001 Volvo Penta 5.0 Gi Pefs. It fried the alternator and I put a new one on but now my tbi injectors wont spray fuel. The fuel put works and I can feal fuel going through the lines when I turn the key on but no fuel in the throttle body. Does anyone have any ideas what it could be
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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Check all the fuses

You could have had the diode pack repaired in your alternator for about $20
 

Coreyr83

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Jun 21, 2019
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Checked all the fuses and tested the relays. I'm thinking it's the ecm cause everything else is functioning, but everybody I talk to says it could be something else and not the ecm. I just cant think of anything else that would cause them not to work
 

Grub54891

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Jun 17, 2012
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Is there power at the injectors? If not, look for the cause of that. Not sure of the specs for that though.
 

alldodge

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It probably is the ECM, but look for 12V on the Pink/White wires on the injectors.

I think the Gi uses the MEFI ECM and if so, use a LED and paper clip on the dlc as shown to see if any codes show up. Install and then count pulses

DLC with LED code reader.jpg
 

Coreyr83

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Jun 21, 2019
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Ok I got my ecm back and it checked out good and all my sensors and relays are good. My fuel pump is working but the injectors aren't spraying. I think I'm not getting any spark. What could cause it to not spark or fire
 

alldodge

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The ECM needs to see if the distributor is working before fuel will be turned on. Are you see around 300 rpm on the tach when cranking the motor?
 

Lou C

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Nov 10, 2002
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Every time I read a story like this I feel compelled to mention something I have been doing for years...when I buy a new battery, I always put a piece of duct tape with a big red + on it and the date right next to the + post. I also have a red rubber terminal cover for the positive batt cable so even in not so great light its obvious which is which. Batteries should come marked this way, at least they should make it more obvious....
 

Saline Marina

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Sep 9, 2014
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162
So in a GM TBI motor, all the speed reference comes thru the distributor base...when the rotating "pole-piece" aligns with the stationary magnet then there's a little impulse that goes to the ignition module...but that's the only crank signal reference. If the ECM cannot sense the crank turning then there will be no injector pulsewidth called out.

An easy way to test my theory is to lay a spark plug wire, pulled from its plug, close to a metal surface of the engine and crank to visualize spark or no spark. This can be problematic if there's a lot of raw fuel around but at this point it sounds like there's none.

The part that I would be worried about there is just the ignition module itself, be sure to renew the silicone dielectric grease under the module because it allows conduction of heat to the aluminum distributor base. I also use anti-seize on the super tiny screws that attach both the distributor cap and the ignition module. I've had them corrode before and strip the threads out in the aluminum and there was no easy renewal short of getting a new distributor base and re-timing the engine. Which isn't the end of the world but a *lot* more work than it could be to address a simple stripped thread.
 
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