Jump-starting problem

When jump-starting my 1998 Isuzu Trooper SWB duty 3.0TD, I grounded the positive lead to earth and now the car won’t start. What could be wrong?

Deane Connaghan

Unfortunately, there are a whole host of problems that can arise from the incorrect application of jump leads. The ECU can be damaged by an electrical spike of current and this is the most likely cause of the non-starting.

You do not mention if the engine spins over OK and whether or not the dash lights appear correctly. It may also be the case that a fuse has blown.

I would first remove and charge or replace the battery. Check the earth connections are sound and inspect all fuses for continuity, then ensure all relevant dash lights are present. If the engine still will not fire up, you should then read off any fault codes, but be aware that a damaged ECU may not respond.

Your Isuzu should have a 16-pin diagnostic plug under the dash and it should be possible to ‘flash read’ the codes without the use of a scanner. To do this you will need to link terminals 4 and 6 of the socket – the terminals are numbered 1 to 8 in the top row (the slightly wider part of the socket) and 9-16 in the bottom row. Once the terminals have been linked, the ignition can be turned on.

The engine management light should now flash. The first series of flashes will indicate the first digit of the code and the second series the second number, so three flashes followed by two flashes would be the code ‘32’. The code will be flashed out three times and there will then be a slight pause before any further codes are flashed. If the code 12 is flashed, this indicates that no faults are present.