94 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo

[corndogg80]

I went out to go to town and it would not start. I checked the battery terminals and they were tight. So then I got a jump and it started and ran fine. I went down the road then had to go back home, I shut it off just to see if it would start back and no it didnt. I've ran down wires and they all seem to be fine. I've checked the voltage on the battery and it was fine. I've even checked the fuses and they were fine, but I dont know about the relays, how do you check them?

[pkucan]

I feel your pain. I am also a novice in troubleshooting electrical problems. When you need a jump and it starts right up, you have a weak battery. Why is the battery weak (usually less than 11.75 volts). Either the battery is on the way out or something is draining it. Running down the road and back after a jump is usually not enough time for the alternator to bring it back up to 12.5 volts. Have the battery fully charged and tested like at autozone or advance. Install it without the neg cable attached and place a 12 volt test light between the cable and neg post. Make sure all the doors are closed and no lights are on, including the one under the hood. If it lights there is too much of a draw and will eventually kill the battery again. I would then disconnect the big red wire to the alternator and do the test light again. If the test light is not lit, pull the alt and have it bench tested. If bad get a new one. If the test light is still lit with the alt wire disconnected the draw is somewhere else. You have to pull every fuse, one at a time, to narrow down the bad circuit. Then further troubleshoot everything that that circuit services.

Why do you want to check relays?