Chrysler Repair: 1999 Chrysler Cirrus, amp fuse, chrysler cirrus

Question
We just replaced the battery on our 1999 Chrysler Cirrus LX .  Went to leave work it wouldnt' start.  Jumped it and on the way home the ABS Brake Light came on and when we pulled in the drive it died and wont' start.  Any suggestions?

Thank you.  

Answer
Hi again Cynthia,
I had one more idea. Because you said the ABS light came on, it may be that there is an internal leak in the ABS system which is causing the ABS motor pump to operate even though the car is shutdown. That would certainly drain the battery in a few hours. So if the wiring diagrams in your '99 are the same as in my '96 manual, then if you look in the rectangular box (called the power distribution center which is adjacent to a module with two plugs, which itself is adjacent to the air intake and filter box on the driver' side front of the engine compartment) in which there are fuses and relays you will find a 40 amp fuse in position #13 which provides power to that ABS pump. If you remove that fuse the pump motor won't run, which will disable the antilock feature but not  prevent the brakes from working normally just as if you didn't have ABS. If you then get the battery charged, it would not discharge again as it has been doing. Then you could take the car to a brake shop and have the ABS unit checked out to see if that theory is correct. You could even try momentarily putting the fuse #13 back in its position once you have a charged battery and listen for the sound of the ABS pump which is located to the right and below the master brake unit under the hood at the fire wall in front of the driver's position. If you hear that pump running and it won't stop, then that is what has drained your battery. Otherwise, there is another drain somewhere else that has to be located. But give that a try. You will need to get the car jump started and soon thereafter the battery recharged of course, but if I am correct at least the car will be usable until you can get the ABS system serviced. But you must drive the car for some distance before turning it off if you just get it jump started before it will recharge the battery enough to start it again without failing on you. For safety, before you drive the car make sure that the brake pedal is still firm and drive slowly until you can verify that the regular brake function is o.k. even though the ABS is disabled.
I will watch for your response to this suggestion, but may not get back to you till a little later in the morning as I am just now going to bed.
Roland


Hi Cynthia,
I have one uncertainty when you say it wouldn't start, but that you jumped it and it started. Am I correct in believing that the starter motor would not crank the engine over to get it started despited the new battery? Or would the engine rotate but not initiate self sustained idle? If the former, then there is something either wrong with the battery, or there is something that is draining the battery while it sits. I suspect the latter. So if that is the case then you need an electrical meter called a volt-ohm-amp meter to insert into the connection of the - cable and the - post of the battery to measure the current flowing when the battery is connected but the ignition is off and no lights or other known electrical items are called for. The current should be well under 1 amp. If not, then you have to find what is causing the draw to be so high as to discharge the battery. If could be something as simple as a trunk light that is not being turned off when the lid is down. And what you have to do is start removing fuses from the power distribution center under the hood and then move to the fuse block under the dash and observe which fuses when removed cause the current to drop significantly lower.
If on the other hand the engine would crank but not start then you have another set of issues. But rather than go any further I await your response and whether you might want to acquire a meter and do those measurements. In the meantime if you have another vehicle I would suggest taking the battery to the place where you bought it and have it charged, and while that is going on we can still do the measurements to find the source of the excessive current draw using the ohm meter function of the test meter.
I can't respond this evening any longer but if you follow up with a response I will get back to you before 6 am PST tomorrow.
Roland