What would be damaged if someone jumped the battery backward

[Phatdoggx]

I just bought a '93 for cheap, but I was told it ran before someone tried to jump start it backwards. It looks like they tore the whole dash apart trying to fix it. Does anyone know what the orange box is that sits in front of the stick shift? I was thinking of replacing the whole harness and main electrical components but I don't want to replace parts that may still be good. Any advice would help this car come back to life as I saved it from being scraped.

[eric4321]

First off welcome to the forum. It is always nice to see Cabbys saved from the scrap yard. My 93 is the same red as yours. That box in front of the shifter is the air bag brain box. It can't just be cut out though. It needs to be bypassed before it is eliminated or the car won't start. http://www.cabby-info.com has the procedure for that and much much more info that will help you out. Good luck!

[Briano1234]

Usually when you jump a car bassackwards it blows a fuseable link from the battery but the 92 don't have any for battery/wire protection.....
First I would check all fuses, then the relays. It was probably something simple, like a fried starter solenoid/alternator bridge circuit.

[kamzcab86]

Great to see another one saved.

Usually when you jump a car bassackwards it blows a fuseable link from the battery but the 92 don't have any for battery/wire protection.....
First I would check all fuses, then the relays. It was probably something simple, like a fried starter solenoid/alternator bridge circuit.

Ditto. And the battery and alternator themselves may have been fried too. It's also possible that the Digifant ECU and airbag controller were fried, worst-case scenario.

[Phatdoggx]

Thanks for the tips. I have to make a trip to pick n pull on Saturday, before I can even try to start it. The car was on blocks, missing the battery, coil, battery cables and wires are cut and taped together here and there. It's a real mess, but the body is strait and rust free, clean title, so for the $300 I paid for it I'm going to dive in and make it work.

[Phatdoggx]

Well I spent most of the weekend in the garage and running around for parts. I finally got it running! Well it will idle anyway, when I try to give it gas it dies. It's missing the part that connects the air cleaner to the intake, and has a large vacuum opening I have to put my finger over it for it to idle. They didn't have the part I need at pick n pull for that. Should it run fine with the vacuum capped off or does it need all the parts of the air cleaner to run right?
As far as my electrical problem, I got a coil and ignition control unit at pick n pull, and chased down some bad wiring to get spark. I spend a good part of the weekend just testing things with a volt meter going line by line in the shop manual. I'm happy just having spark at this point, hopefully I will be able to take it for a spin next weekend.

[gull]

You'll at least need the parts from the airflow meter to the intake manifold. Any air that gets into the engine without going through the AFM first is a problem.

If it idles your ECU is working, that's the good news.

[Phatdoggx]

I drove my car for the first time today, a beautiful day for the top down. Although it's still running a little rough, I couldn't find an exact match for the plastic that gos between intake and air filter. I had to cut off one end and duct tape it to air box, sounds bad but it's just temporary till I find the right piece. I have the interior mostly back together. I took some pictures at night still wet from washing it and it looks way nicer in the picture than reality. But not bad for a car that was on a trailer with no wheels and tires just a week from being scrapped if nobody bought it.

[Briano1234]

Cool.