I'm posting this for that "One Guy" or kid who will google search the same problem 8months to 2 years from now. We've all been "that guy" behind our pc screens when some mystery problem strikes. Hopefully this helps.
You'll need a multimeter and you'll need to know how to use it . Watch this video for instructions and a suggested multimeter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF3OyQ3HwfU
With that said - The car is working again. I have no clue why. Here is what i did:
1. Cleaned the car completely (removed carpet fiber from every location i spotted it) . Disassembled the car (separated front half from back half. Did not remove motor from it's back half location).
2. I used my multimeter to first check for "continuity" (i.e. if there were any breaks in a wire or circuit). I checked the battery terminals, the on off switch , , the motor wires and all power/red and gnd/black wires. All test showed the wires were functioning as they should.
3. I connected the motor (back half of car) to another car to check if it worked. It did.
4. I used my multimeter to check for "voltage" (i.e. if power was being received from the AAA batteries). I checked the battery terminals, the on off switch , the batteries themselves and all power/red and gnd/black wires that led to the board. All test showed power was being received as it should. Specifically 1) my batteries read at 1.3 volts individually and 2.7volts in series 2) The power (red) wire on the board was receiving 2.7 volts and the black wire on the board (GND) was also receiving 2.7 volts 3) Most importantly IMO when touching the GND wire with the black probe and touching the red probe on many points on the board the multimeter reading fluctuated showing the board was receiving power. I touched mosfets, diodes...i touched everything.
5. Once every test was completed and i was convinced there was nothing wrong with the board i decided that i would solder new thicker wires to every contact point in the vehicle. That would have taken some time so before i did that i decided to reassemble the vehicle one last time. Upon reassembly it began working again and responding better than it had before taking it apart.
SMH. Thus is life.