Help, car won't start.

Hello, I'm Matt, I've recently bought a 2000 Jimny and signed up here to read about other builds and for guidence etc. but I need help from the get go.

The maiden voyage went well, very pleased it, albeit with a few issues, blown bulbs etc. and the Check Engine Light coming on! Still, it drove great, idled fine and pulled well. I got home and fitted new bulbs, but the drivers headlight refused to work. After checking voltages and removing rust on the connector for it still not working, I gave up on it and went on to find why the CEL was on.

I did the usual test by shorting the pins in the connector behind the drivers headlight. Only to find out that the car won't start, there's no power, not even the handbrake-on light. I thought I'd left the headlights on and drained the battery. After a couple of attempts at jump starting it, there's still nothing, it appears dead apart from a little movement in the water temperature gauge. What went wrong, is there anything I can do?

You cant test jimnys like that and why would you short it out
Jimnys run a switched earth lighting you should have used a multi meter
Test all the fueses under the dash and the ones next to the battery

Or worst thing you could have done is shorted it out and melted a wire

Alsois it single or twin cam engine does it have a timing/cam belt or a timing chain

Thanks for the reply,

It's the 16v DOHC, and I had assumed they're all belt, but I could be wrong, so I'm not sure what mine is now.
All fuses under the dash are ok, I've not checked the under bonnet fuses though. Lights have been read with a voltmeter, the side that's not working wasn't getting anything.

"Shortings" probably the wrong term, it's the usual test for reading fault codes, to 'bridge' 2 and 4 on the connection block. Anyway, I don't think that's the problem now, I've just been trying to jump start it again, but left it at high revs for 10minutes and lights came on the dash, but it didn't have the juice to turn over. Going back out to give it another go for longer.

Duff battery?? Have you checked the battery connections? If it's not that try charging the battery off the vehicle and see if it holds a charge??

DOHC is chain driven i believe.

Is there a master fuse like some cars have?