Swapped out engines and now nothing has power. Grounds on the back of the heads or tight and the one of the passenger side front. Accidentlly hooked up starter backwards and it spun so the battery is good. But nothing not even headlights are dome lights come on. Checked a few wires after the battery distribution block and they had power. Why does absolutly nothing work?

 

Aaron,

How did you "accidentally hook up the starter backward"? Did you connect the battery cables backward?

If the battery was connected in reverse, I'm sure the ECM didn't like the experience one bit, not to mention the other controls like the EST, voltage regulator, radio, dimmer control module, intermittent wiper control, MAF, and probably a few other things I'm overlooking.

Tell me you didn't connect the battery backward - PLEASE!

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Later,
Vader
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"Let the bodies hit the floor!"
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

Yea, how can a starter be hooked up backwards since ground is the starter case unless the battery cables were switched?

Regardless, with whatever you're testing for voltage, don't stop at just the primary wire(s), but continue all the way to the device.

None of the lights should have been destroyed by just a reversal of polarity, although if it's electronic and not protected for polarity reversals (a 25¢ doide does an admirable job), that's an entirely other case.

Let's try just one thing at a time - the dome light.

Then check for a voltage at the fuses (they are good, aren't they?) and continue all the way to the bulb. Just make your way from the battery terminal to the bulb. Locate where there is no longer voltage and you should have a good clue why nothing is getting power.

Did you remember to reconnect all the wires to the starter solenoid post that power all the accessories (except those the get power from the battery post i.e. fuel pump, fan(s), etc.)? At least on my 1991, all the accessories receive positive power at the starter solenoid where the primary wire from the battery is connected.

Since nothing is getting power, I'd suspect a primary wire(s) is not connected.

 

I'm guessing we arc'ed the hot side of the battery on the hook up, and took out a few fusable links.

The small grounds up on the heads aren't important for accessories, they're the ECM grounds...you mainly need them for proper operation after the car is running.

 

Thanks for the help, but I figured it out when I jumped some starter connections with a screw driver.
The big BLACK wire is POSITIVE. It goes to the opposite terminal then the black wire that comes out of the starter and goes to a pole. I had this correct. Then there are two red ring terminals left. I assumed they went to the opposite pole then the black wire. Turns out only one of them does. The other goes to the same pole as the big black wire. I swear someone as GM needs to look at a book of basic electrical color codes. But with those two wires on the same pole absolutly everything on the car was dead.
Leave this in the archives and hopefully it helps someone else.