03 Corolla won't start or shift, think i shorted out something

[surfrider890]

Hope someone can help me. I just realized my air conditioner on '03 corolla was not working. Well, I went to look at the electrical connections of the a/c compressor to make sure they weren't coroded, and I didn't realize the top one was just a big terminal connector, and when i put a screw driver behind it to pry a little, to see how it would come off, I grounded the terminal to the housing of the a/c compressor. I saw a big spark, and I think I heard something pop.

Now, (the battery def has charge) it won't start, and when I turn on it won't shift out of park. The radio or nothing will come on. On the dash, When I turn to accessories, or ON, or Start, all I see is the check engine light and the air bag light. Little red light with the ball in front of the driver.

Did I simulate an accident or something by grounding it, or did i fry the computer, or blow a fuse or wire? i checked all of the fuses in the engine comp and under dash, but all are ok. I don't know how to check the relays or anything else in there.

Anyone have any ideas? I'm scared. Thanks. -Ron

[surfrider890]

Guys, scratch that...the air bag sensor light, srs light, it does not stay on. it just comes on for the first 6 seconds as usual then shuts off.

So, all I have is a check engine light, the dinger works when the door is open, and I can explicitly turn the dome light on. When door is open dome light doesn't come on.

So, I can't start it, and these electrical items dont' work:
power windows, headlights, dash lights, radio, fan, no brake lights, and brakes feel really stiff. no nothing except for check engine light, dinger and dome light. wtf?!

Oh, and I cannot shift it out of park, so it's stuck under my garage door right now, and I can't close garage. ahhhhh. Help! thanks. -Ron

[JimT]

Did you check all of your fuses?

[surfrider890]

Yes, I'm pretty sure I did. I'm gonna go double-check. There's only 2 locations I can see. I thought the pop I heard came from somewhere else other than the fuse box in the eng compartment. Sounded like it was down in the front center. but who knows, i could've heard wrong.

Why would 90% of the cars electric not work? not from one fuse, right?

[surfrider890]

Yeah, Thanks for getting me to double-check Jim. It looks like it's this one big 100A fuse. It's one of those large one's, w/ blue housing, and a large metal band that's broken down towards one side.

I'll post a pic later. Thanks again.

[JimT]

There will be fuses protecting all of the things you mentioned. Sometimes they are combined together. Get your owners manual and check all of the fuses in the car and under the hood. Fuses would be my guess. I would also try disconnecting the negative battery terminal for a few minutes to allow the systems to reset. Maybe that will help too. I would go with the basics first.

[mikered30]

How much does the 100 amp fuse cost? I imagine quite a bit.