Battery/Alternator issue potentially? Please help

[particlewave]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

While nearly everything is fused, the fuse expects the current to come from the positive side, not the negative or ground side, so when the current is following backwards, the fuse blows only after the electronics have been hit first.

I agree that the alternator should be checked (probably a bad voltage regulator).

However, electricity does not work that way, JFP.
Electrons have a negative charge, thus they are attracted to the positive "holes" of the positive terminal. In a DC circuit, electrons flow from negative to positive (electrons are pushed away from the negative terminal because likes repel, and attracted to the positive terminal because opposites attract).
However, the direction of current flow in any part of a given circuit is unknown and only theoretical. You can calculate the net charge of a complete circuit, but the actual directional flow of current within the circuit is completely unknown. Any electronics engineer knows this

That said, electronic circuits are designed with the flow of negative to positive in mind, so reversing the polarity can and will damage things.

1) possibly

2) very likely

3) less you had a hook up that way for a long time, no.

4) I believe you are referring to the gym points in order to pop the funk in the case of a dead battery...?

Check all of your fuses.

[amitmishra4]

So by searching the amazing interweb, I found a couple answers - as far as the one touch function for the windows, they need to be retrained apparently:

Retraining the window:

1. hold the up button until the window is up and then for ten seconds
2. hold the down button until the window is down and then 10 seconds

unless you changed the motor...
Standardising the new power window motor
1. Switch on ignition.
2. Open door window completely by continuously actuating the power window operating button, and then close window. Press power window button until the window is closed and is switched off by the blockage detection function of the power window motor. Standardisation is then completed.

As far as the stereo not coming on, I will have to pull it out and check the fuse behind the head unit. Hopefully that will fix it. These are the only two symptoms I am seeing in the car after the mishap. No CEL, no other lights, all the diagnostics at start up seem fine. I hope nothing else went wrong with any symptoms that I can't see.

I may attempt trying to remove the alternator and replace the reglator myself thanks to pelican parts and buy whatever parts I need from them.

Thanks for all the replies

[woodsman]

I heard you should always turn on numerous accessories such as headlights and blower fan to draw potential voltage spikes away from the DME whenever boosting a battery. And may I suggest you paint a + and _ symbol on your contact points....

Wish you happy Boxstering days ahead

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by particlewave

I agree that the alternator should be checked (probably a bad voltage regulator).

However, electricity does not work that way, JFP.
Electrons have a negative charge, thus they are attracted to the positive "holes" of the positive terminal. In a DC circuit, electrons flow from negative to positive (electrons are pushed away from the negative terminal because likes repel, and attracted to the positive terminal because opposites attract).
However, the direction of current flow in any part of a given circuit is unknown and only theoretical. You can calculate the net charge of a complete circuit, but the actual directional flow of current within the circuit is completely unknown. Any electronics engineer knows this

That said, electronic circuits are designed with the flow of negative to positive in mind, so reversing the polarity can and will damage things.

1) possibly

2) very likely

3) less you had a hook up that way for a long time, no.

4) I believe you are referring to the gym points in order to pop the funk in the case of a dead battery...?

Check all of your fuses.

You will note that my quote says "current" flow; to wit, according to multiple published works on the subject:

"When electricity was discovered, nobody knew how it works and electrons were unknown. So the scientists just defined one of the poles as "positive" and said that the current is flowing from positive to negative. That still is the definition of an electrical current's flow direction. However, later scientists discovered that in most (but not all) materials current is carried by negatively charged electrons, which travel from negative to positive. The electron flow is thus opposite to the current flow."

Current flow is what does the damage in a DC circuit, and with the battery reversed is was flowing backwards from the ground, into the electronics, and then to the fuse; so by the time a fuse would blow, the damage was already done.

And I'll bet you are still smarting from Loren telling you to go sit down..........................