ive just charged my battery and put it back into the engine bay,i put the possitive cable on and being a comlete twat i then put the negative onto the positive terminal there was a small bit of smoke coming from the left hand side of the engine....wot have i done someone please help as the car will not start and there is no ignition light...its a 1990 xr2i 8v thanks

 

You have most likely fried the alternator, at the very least, this is why you now have no ignition(alternator charge) light.
tabetha

 

any way of testing 4 this??

 

mate i reckon u get an altenator, thats wer the electrics would go to and i reckon uv fried it.

 

you could take it out and have it tested somewhere or if u have another escort put it into it and see if it works, thats wat i would do anyway

 

The quickest way of testing is to see if you have a EARTH at the IND terminal, this is the one onto which the blue wire to the warning light goes, when engine is stopped tis will be earth at this terminal, and will change to LIVE once running to show charging and so extinguish the bulb/light.
The part of the alternator that is affected is the regulator/rectifier, but not too expensive, around £45 should do a new recon ok.
tabetha

 

Even if your alternator was fried you'd still be able to start the car.

Sounds like you've blown a fuse somewhere in addition to any alt damage.
Shouldnt have harmed anything else (ECU etc..) as the fuse box is the first inline to take a hit.

 

hi mate,
check the starter motor as the feed for this isnt fused from the battery and as has been already said check the fuses

 

a mate of mine used a set of jump leads once on an astra 1.7dti, he put them on back to front and had to have new ECU, new alternator and new starter. dont know if any fuses popped though