Fried my battery in 2003 TJ Sport

Bluescatch

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Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2021
Messages
4
Location
Fenwick Island, DE
I hooked up jumper cables to the wrong posts and sparks flew. There was also white smoke coming out of the fuse box. I will be taking the battery out and testing if there is anything left of it and will replace the fuses that look like they are no good - there are a number of them on the right side of the box. I have a diagram of what the various fuses protect and plan on replacing those that have to do with the starter.
I have a few questions:
Are there other fuses that I should check?
Why is the layout on the cover of the fuse box different than the setup of the fuses? You can see that the first row to the right only has one fuse, yet the diagram shows that there should be 4 fuses.
If I place fuses in the locations that currently do not have one, can it harm the system?

I realize it was a bone headed move to screw up the cables, but it is done and any help will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Dave


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The box works for several different models and depends on your options. None of the ABS is filled in so I assume your jeep does not have ABS. There are fuses behind the glove box, it wouldn't hurt to go through them. The bigger issue is the white smoke you saw there is a good chance you fried some wiring. In the top picture you can see the clips that hold the center section that your fuses plug into. If you release those clips you will be able to check the wiring going to each fuse. Additionally there is a fusible link in the wire from the alternator on the fuse box end you should check it as well. A fusible link is just a different type of fuse but if it is damaged you will need to order and replace it with the same gauge fusible link.
 
The box works for several different models and depends on your options. None of the ABS is filled in so I assume your jeep does not have ABS. There are fuses behind the glove box, it wouldn't hurt to go through them. The bigger issue is the white smoke you saw there is a good chance you fried some wiring. In the top picture you can see the clips that hold the center section that your fuses plug into. If you release those clips you will be able to check the wiring going to each fuse. Additionally there is a fusible link in the wire from the alternator on the fuse box end you should check it as well. A fusible link is just a different type of fuse but if it is damaged you will need to order and replace it with the same gauge fusible link.

Thanks so much for your response. Shandara. I took the battery out of the Jeep and bought a 7-stage charging intelligent pulse repair charger. After a bit over 5 hours, the charger showed the battery was fully charged. I also replaced all of the large fuses and the 20 amp small fuses (a number of them were shot. The TJ started right up and it seems as if all the important things are working - lights, brake lights, turn signals, windshield wipers, and radio. I'm a lucky man - what I thought might be a 1K$$ electrical job cost under $100 to get it running again.
 
Welcome, I see Fenwick Island…..know it well. You are in the right place to get great advice.