Terrible brain fart - Battery Install

[Shanok]

So I'm moving on Friday and I go to my friend's place to pickup my car which he has kindly stored on his property during the winter. Battery is dead and didn't seem to hold a charge. I take the battery out of my Ranger just to check and the car fires up fine. I put the battery back in the Ranger...REVERSED! (both my cables are black and with it being 30 degrees with the wind chill and frozen hands I was in toooo much of a hurry.

Here's the lo-down. It's an '89 4x4 XLT 2.9L.

1. I went to start it and 'ewwwwwwwww' got the nasty electrical smell immediately inside the cab. Starter would not engage.

2. I have no idea what owner # I am and I don't have a manual so I just went through all the fuses and found one 15amp blown. Replaced it but no change.

3. When the ignition is turned on the fuel pump primes, but the sound doesn't just whirr for a few seconds and stop like normal, it keeps going.

4. Tried crossing the solenoid to start it - the starter cranks fine but engine does not catch.

5. Rest of electrical seems fine - lights, blowers, horn, chimes.

I've been reading through posts about 2.9's not starting and have some idea of which parts could have been affected, but I don't know how to identify them or where they are (could really use some help on this). I would take the truck to a shop but out here in the middle of rural Wisconsin no one can get to me till next week and we're moving this weekend!

 

[Roadkill]

I wonder if the smell in the cab was your computer frying?

 

[pillen140]

it should have a fusable link to prevent that.

 

[Roadkill]

A fusable link won't help for reversed polarity. Over current will blow it though. He may have just one component in the computer damaged. Whatever went the smoke was definitely let out of the part. Maybe a relay under the hood went?

 

[Shanok]

Well I've since checked the fuses in the engine compartment above the passenger fender and two of them went - the 50amp and 60amp both listed as Alt Power fuses - but the others are still intact.

 

[4x4junkie]

Fried ECM, no question. They don't take kindly to being hooked up backwards.

 

[Shanok]

You guys were definitely right about the computer/EEC-IV/ECM/ECU - jesus that was somewhat confusing in talking to everyone and making sure we we're talking about the same thing. I just put my nose in general area this morning and it still smelled, lol - definitely fried.

I've removed it and got another one coming in tomorrow. So two questions still nagging me:

1. When the ignition is ON the fuel pump still continues priming non-stop. Do you think this is tied to the ECM in some fashion and will work properly when the new one is installed?

2. If the damage went on to the TFI/ICM does that dis-mount from the distributor to be tested or is it all one piece? I can't tell.

Thanks!