1990 Corolla won't turn over

[white86tercel]

Hello,

My 1990 Toyota Corolla (4afe) won't start. It seems to be an electrical problem. Here are the details

* When I turn the key to start nothing happens, no clicking, no noise...
* All of the fuses look good.
* The headlights, hazard lights, and dome light turn on.
* The tail lights, windshield wipers, radio, and turn signals won't turn on.
* The car battery was run out several times close together and the alternator had difficulty recharging the battery (it kept stalling if I turned on the lights or hit the brakes)
* After hooking removing the battery and charging it the battery was hooked up backwards.
* The battery is plugged in correctly and I have tried giving the car a boost but the problems persist.

What would you do to diagnose the problem?

[SCT]

Check your starter, it's located behind the engine just under the intake manifold. Simply take a wrench or something and knock it a few times, don't have to beat it up, just tap. Then try starting it.

And possibly change/ test your battery and alternator.

Check ALL the fuses and relays. They may look good but actually be blown.


EDIT: I was in a quick, misread some part...

[90 GP]

Check the fusible links. They are located in the black enclosure that is attached to the positive cable. Remove connector from battery to replace them. I would also suspect battery and alternator since it won't start with a jump. Remove them and have them checked for free at most car parts stores. Also make sure both terminals and posts are shiny on the battery. Toys are picky about having a good connection.

[BugDiddy]

if you hooked up the battery backwards, i'd be very surprised if you didn't blow one of the pal fuses that connect onto the positive battery terminal.

do any accessory lights come on when the key is on? does it crank when you turn the key when you try getting jump start?

[white86tercel]

Thanks guys/gals, I unplugged then replugged the bolt on Fuses (Alt, AM1, AM2) and plugged them back in. The car now starts when boosted.

Unfortunatly, the car won't shift out of park... Anyone have any idea what is going on?

[90 GP]

There is a shift lock relay located in the area under the panel where the gear selector is. Also check all fuses in particular brake light fuse. When car is running and you press brake pedal the relay engages to release gear selector. Also should be a button that you hold down to manually release it by gear selector.

[90 GP]

Here is a article that explains how the shift lock setup works:

http://www.lovehorsepower.com/ToyotaPDFs/18.PDF

[kcwa]

Kinda sounds like a new battery would not be a bad idea either...

[white86tercel]

Thank you very much for all your help. The car seems to be running much better now. Here's my understanding of the problem

1)My alternator had a short in it from positive to the car chassis. This caused my battery to drain overnight.
2)The mechanic who told me my alternator was good only tested how much power the alternator produced not weather there was a short that caused problems.
3)After charging the battery manually I plugged it in backwards and had the car crank successfully. The only noticeable problem was that the EFI fuse kept blowing.
4)After I conencted the battery properly, the short circuit in the alternator caused the battery to run out again while the car was sitting overnight.
5)I accidentally left the ECU-IG fuse out during trouble shooting and this caused the shifting problems.
6)I bought a used alternator off a friend for $20 and installed it in 50% of the Chilton Repair manual time.
7)The car runs great with the new alternator, the check engine light isn't comming on (with the code EGR) anymore, and the exhaust doesn't stink nearly as bad as it did before.

Thanks again for all your help.