Help, car won't start.

JimmytheJimny wrote: 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?

The usual test on a twin cam is to insert a £20 eBay code reader into the socket above the clutch pedal.
On a single cam you either buy a Rhinopower interface, or bridge two connectors in the monitor coupler, which is behind the glovebox somewhere.


What likely went wrong is you have shorted a live feed to ground, and probably the main 80A fuse is blown. IIRR, the main fuses live near the battery in a brown topped box (but I could be thinking of another car, and it is dark now)

(For future reference, please read my sig )

I don't think that the Jimny has ever had a diagnostic connector behind the headlight so you've shorted something else out. The early models had the connector behind the glove box. You haven't posted your location - diagnostics varies between markets but in the UK you should be able to use a 'standard' code reader.

facade wrote:

What likely went wrong is you have shorted a live feed to ground, and probably the main 80A fuse is blown. )

That's what I am thinking is going on.

Thanks for all the responses. The battery was a right SOB to charge for some reason, but it's ok now

Regarding the diagnostic port, I read that in pre-2001 Jimnys if the connector is not behind the glovebox, to check behind the drivers headlight. And there is a 6-pin connector that looks like the one that can be found behind the glovebox. Anyway, instead of risking that, I borrowed an OBDII scanner, which reports that the O2 sensor is faulty. Simple fix, hopefully.

But, I'm still stuck with the problem of the drivers headlight not working. Fuses are fine, connection seems ok, the bulb itself is ok and voltage at the bulb is 13.5v. I've then ran a wire from the working passengers side red/white lo-beam wire to the drivers side and that worked, which is leading me to believe the problem would be at the switch/indicator stalk. However, the suzuki wiring diagram shows that both lo and hi beam are connected before they go to the switch, if so does anyone know where that can be found before I start taking the dash apart?

Have you tried running a separate earth first?? It may just be a bad earth on that side??

gilburton wrote: Have you tried running a separate earth first?? It may just be a bad earth on that side??

Yeah, but that wire is also the earth wire, it just has the switch on it before it's earthed. But with the passengers side working and according to the diagram there's only 1 earth coming off the switch for all the headlights. The problem's somewhere between the bulb connector and the switch/indicator stalk.. unless the suzuki diagram's not accurate.