1993 Jeep Cherokee Country / Starting problems

[Lauren90]

I have a 1993 Jeep Cherokee, Country.

I left the lights on and the Battery died. I charged it overnight and everything was running fine. Went out driving, and we were coming up over a hill and everything went dead. The gauges were not working, and it started to putter a little.

Pulled over, and before I could stop it it stopped itself.
Tried to start it, nothing happened.
Tried to jump it, nothing happened.

Some friends pulled over and they seemed to think it was the starter. ( Which I replaced about 7 months ago)

So, naturally I went to the store, used my lifetime warranty and got another one.
Put that in, and I tried to start it. It made a ticking noise, but would not start. So I hooked it up to a friends car and jumped it.
That was fine. It started and was idling just fine.
As soon as I removed the cables it died.
Tried to start it, again with the ticking noise.

Charged it for a bit and it was the same result.

Im thinking maybe its a bum battery, maybe a fuel pump or some sensor.

Any help would be great! I have a few hours to either tow it or fix it before its Impounded, and this Jeep is my project, so Im trying to keep it running for a while.

The Pictures are just of the Jeep in General. No specific part.

[fredjacksonsan]

It does sound like the battery, since that is the only thing that's changed. If a battery is more than 4 or 5 years old, discharging an automotive battery will often kill it(and sometimes on new batteries also).

While you're having it replaced, see if you can't get the alternator checked at the parts store to make sure that is working properly.

Lastly, insure that all the connections to battery, starter and ground are all tight.

[Lauren90]

Okay, so do you think If I took another battery with me and Tried it that would work? Ive had the Jeep about a year, and its had the same battery. Im not sure how long he had it before that, but I fully charged the battery the night before, and it seemed to be fine. It started and ran just fine. Im thinking maybe it will be the Alternator? What do you think about the Alternator? OR how can you tell the difference between the two when its bad?

[fredjacksonsan]

A new battery might work. An old one sometimes will not hold, or will not accept a charge.

I'd suggest an Advance Auto Parts (or other ap store) that offers free testing. If you can get it running with the new battery it might be a good idea to get to one of these places, tell them you are having charging problems and ask them to check your alternator output. It should be steady at (I think, don't quote me) 14 Volts, but they should have the specifications and be able to look it up.