All electrical inside cabin won't work after jump start

[BanditGTP]

Let me start off by mentioning that I've been a having a problem with my a/c compressor shutting off but the a/c is still blowing warm air. I think it's the low pressure switch from what I've read on here. I was hoping to get a chance to test it but it never acted up at a convenient time for me to test it out.

So....yesterday I went with my family out for Mother's Day and needed to park in an outdoor valet parking lot. I haven't been having any problems with the battery or any other electrical beside the a/c compressor I mentioned above. When I returned to my truck to get something the valet told me he had to jump start it twice already to move it around to get other cars out. He said he had to jump it each time he had to move it so now he was just going to keep it running. I noticed a few things inside the car weren't working. Long story short, when we left 2 hours later, I was able to look into it a little and noticed all electrical components inside the cabin would not work. NO a/c, radio, power seats or power door locks. Needless to say the 50 minute ride in 80 degree weather with 7 people in the car was a fun ride. I'm just glad my mother in law was in the other car.

I got home too late yesterday to dig into it but after the last jump start by the valet, the truck kept running the entire way home. As soon as I shut it off, I tried to restart it and it appears the battery is dead.

Do you think the valet screwed something up with the jump start? Maybe a blown fuse that controls all of the listed electronics? Do you think the initial problem with the compressor has anything to do with it or just a coincidence?

I'm going to try to get some time today to look into it but I figured I was get some opinions and suggestions as to where to start looking. My truck is a 03 Envoy XL.

Thanks in advance.

 

[littleblazer]

Mega fuse under the hood. Valet probably jumped to that terminal instead of the battery. It controls the entire under seat fuse box in the rear.

Edit: here's a link to MAY03LTs video on the matter on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtOJQlYKUcE

 

[AtlWrk]

He blew the mega-fuse in the under-hood fuse block. If you take the cover off the fuse block you'll see a large 125 A fuse bolted to two large cables at the front. A lot of folks mistakenly use these studs to jump the car instead of the battery + terminal That fuse powers the BCM and most of the body electrics. Not a big deal other than an annoyance and a pricey fuse.

EDIT: Got swooped ^what he said^

 

[Sparky]

Yeah, another vote for mega fuse. GM really should have put a label there "NOT A JUMP START TERMINAL" or something like that.

 

[BanditGTP]

Thanks guys for the quick responses. Just finished checking things out and the fuse was the problem. I thought it was odd that the cover for the fuse box under the hood was off when I checked it last night but I just assumed I forgot to put it back on the other day when I was checking into my other a/c problem.

I took my battery with me to Pepboys to look for a fuse and have my battery tested while I was there. No luck on the fuse but the battery was defective and not holding a charge any more. It was 4 years old so I got it pro-rated and got a new battery for $90ish. Now off to looking for a new fuse.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[littleblazer]

They stock the mega fuse on amazon, 125 amp 2 for like 5.99 or something, if you can wait a couple of days.

 

[BanditGTP]

I also found it on Rockauto but was hoping to get it locally sooner. If I can't find it around here then I'll be ordering it online.

 

[djthumper]

Try Pep Boys, O'reilly Auto Parts, I have even heard of someone that found one at Wal-Mart of all places.

 

[littleblazer]

Well walmart has the limited car audio sections which is what they're generally used for. So that actually makes some sense.

 

[kickass audio]

If you can find something around the same amperage (probably will be stuck with a 120A fuse) call your local car audio shops and ask if they have a 120A mini-anl fuse. It is the same size and would only need slight bending of the tabs on the fuse itself so it will fit snug when you bolt it down onto the terminals. That would get you by until you can get the right fuse for it. The fuse would look like this http://www.crutchfield.com/S-kQWTiLjMaab/p_120MANL125/T-SPEC-V8-Mini-ANL-Fuses-125-amp.html and you would probably find them at a bestbuy or any other place that will sell car audio. Mini anl's are not that common, usually shops use ANL or AGU fuses but still worth a shot.

 

[BanditGTP]

I forgot to post a followup to my adventures.

I eventually got the new mega-fuse and everything seems to be working fine after I replaced it. I also guess it was just bad timing that my battery died when it did. I haven't had a problem with the battery anymore since I replaced it with a new one. I was wondering if there was going to be another issue that caused the battery to drain but like I said I guess it was just bad timing.

Thanks again for all of the help.

 

[The_Roadie]

Yeah, another vote for mega fuse. GM really should have put a label there "NOT A JUMP START TERMINAL" or something like that.

This picture I've been posting for about NINE years has that warning.