Car Stereos: wont start, car wont start, aftermarket stereo

Question
i hooked up an aftermarket stereo and i forgot to ground it i noticed smoke from the hood, and now my car wont start, i checked all fuses and they are intact, i really don't know what the problem is... do you have any suggestions or advice

Answer
Hi Marvin,

Simply forgetting to hook up a ground wire won't do anything bad -- the stereo just won't work.

So unless the ground was touching a power wire (which should have just fried a fuse), then the issue under the hood may very well be unrelated.

When it smoked, did it smell like sulphur?  If it did, you might need a new battery as something shorted, a fuse didn't catch it, and the battery was wrecked.

If not, just take it to a garage, as the issue is unlikely something to be I can help you with over the Internet.

Justin