why does my xj die every other day?

ever since i got my '92 xj if i let it sit more that 24 hours it wont start, i have to jump it. the only thing i can think of is either the alternator or the radio is draining it (has a removable face plate but still drains without the radio face on).

Any ideas on what happening to my jeep?

Thanks
Garrett

Radio shouldn't drain enough in 24 hours to kill the battery. My guess is that your battery is dead and won't hold a charge any more. I'd take it to an auto parts store for a load test.

It's a jeep. Get ready for many more disappointments.


Really though you have a drain somewhere... clearly not the radio something larger.. fuel pump always on?

X2 - Sure sign of old age for a battery. One other thing that happenned to me for a while was that the key would come out in the accessory position and I wouldn't realize the accessories were still drawing juice. Lock lubricant fixed that issue. Test to see if you get 13.5 or more volts while motor is running to eliminate the possible alternator issue, but if it always starts up good for a few hours, that is probably not the issue.

As mentioned, gotta look at electrical basics.

1. Be sure you have around 14 volts of alternator output (on gauge or with meter at the battery)

2. LOAD TEST the battery. It is the only conclusive way of determining battery condition.

All good advice above, but you also need to check for parasitic draws.

There will always be a slight current draw for the radio memory and PCM, but it is very low.

Remove the negative battery cable from the battery's negative terminal. Hook up a 12 volt test light between the negative cable and the terminal--in series--if the light is bright there is too much of a draw and you need to locate the circuit involved and make the necessary repairs. If the light is very dim or unlit (not likely), then get the battery fully charged and have it load tested.

also if you replace the battery, and this problem crops up in short term, i would bust out the multimeter and check the voltage of the battery, with the power cables removed. then, put them on and test the voltage, it will be lower by a good bit(b/c of something creating a draw on it) then keep that voltage meter hooked up and remove one fuse at a time, when you find the circut that is the problem, the voltage will increase.