Electrical Problem

[jmpeders]

I purchased a new batter about two months ago. I've never had a problem with it untill about a week ago when i drove it to the store and it completely died, no interior lights or anything. I got it jumped and drove for several more days without a problem. After about the 4th time I drove it I went to start it up and got absolutely nothing again. If I want to drive it I can jump it and drive it as long as i want, but as soon as I turn the car off it wont turn on again untill I jump it again. Anybody have a clue whats going on? Thank you.

[Dale Aeppli]

Originally Posted by jmpeders

I purchased a new batter about two months ago. I've never had a problem with it untill about a week ago when i drove it to the store and it completely died, no interior lights or anything. I got it jumped and drove for several more days without a problem. After about the 4th time I drove it I went to start it up and got absolutely nothing again. If I want to drive it I can jump it and drive it as long as i want, but as soon as I turn the car off it wont turn on again untill I jump it again. Anybody have a clue whats going on? Thank you.

TAKE IT TO AUTO ZONE, & HAVE YOUR ALTERNATOR CHECKED. YOUR USING MORE VOLTS THAN YOU'RE PUTTING BACK INTO THE BATTERY DALE [email protected]

[jaykaye12]

I second that. It's your alternater.

[fergmonster]

could be a bad ground also. when you get jumped off you are using the ground from the other vehicle typically. i would suggest altenator plus some new cables.

[Bmaintz]

If you have a digital or analog Volt Meter do the following...
Check voltage of battery with engine off... A charged battery should be arround 12.7 volts.... Start it up & check the voltage of battery while running... Should be close to 14 volts, Goosing the engine (more RPM) should increse voltage a little.... I may be off on the voltages BUT what you look for is a good increase while running the engine which shows that the alternator is charging.... Let the Jeep set overnight, if battery voltage falls below 12 volts with everything turned off then the battery is bad... (you can disconnect the ground cable for this test)...Hope this helps... Bob

[flurpo]

Originally Posted by jmpeders

I purchased a new batter about two months ago. I've never had a problem with it untill about a week ago when i drove it to the store and it completely died, no interior lights or anything. I got it jumped and drove for several more days without a problem. After about the 4th time I drove it I went to start it up and got absolutely nothing again. If I want to drive it I can jump it and drive it as long as i want, but as soon as I turn the car off it wont turn on again untill I jump it again. Anybody have a clue whats going on? Thank you.

Hey,

I have the same problem. My altenator is OK! ~14V. I can't let it set for more than 3 days without the battery going dead. I have put so many batteries in it that I always keep a charged up battery in the back...I always have one in the back and another at home on the charger. I rotate the batteries to keep it going- ha, ha.....If anybody has any ideas let us know! I've been through the electrical and currently I'm trying to figure out how to replace the ignition switch. Bst,

[email protected]

[jaykaye12]

hey,

now this might sound stupid, but seeing as how i speak from experience, i am just going to float this by y'all. As a young man of... say, 17, I had a Comet that couldn't hold a charge for 15 minutes or 5 miles, whichever came first. Many, many jump starts later, i found out that some jack*** (which was probably me) had the battery wires crossed, so that + went to - and vice versa. I switched them back and no more dead batteries.
Of course, I offer this suggestion in relative obscurity.

[[XR]STUD]

just a couple thoughts on this...if you shut down the engine, like at the store, and come out to nothing...chances are its bad connections at the battery...clean the battery posts and cables and it should take care of your problem...but you should charge the battery cause the dirty terminals were keeping the battery from being charged....if you can drive after a jump start, especially with lights, your alternator is not at fault...thats what you've been driving on....finally if letting your car set for a time results in a dead battery, even a new battery, you have an electrical draw...disconnect the negative battery cable and connect a volt meter, one lead to the battery and the other to the cable, with everything off, including under hood light and close the doors... you should see 1 volt or less at the meter....any more than that and you have a short....if you dont have a volt meter you can get an idea for the draw by disconnecting the negative cable and observing any spark as you reconnect it.....this is easier in the dark...the faintest spark is normal because of clocks and alarms and such...if it looks like you're arc welding....you have a short for sure....just to be on the safe side, lay a wet shop towel over the battery so sparks cann't get to the vents...good luck!