Never had problems.. guess its time

well guys.. it figures right when i sign up here i start having problems with my xj..

i have a 99 4dr 4x4 I6, 231...

so today i get in to goto work starts.. sputters, then dies.. no problem its done this before.. just start again.. nope dies again.. this goes on for 20 minutes then my battery dies...

i noticed that none of my gauges were working as well... gas, volts, tach, oil..

any ideas. im thinking alt.. i need my car..

thanks guys

Load Test the battery.

Test the alternator.

One or both are weak.

Inspect the wire and wire connections on the alternator, starter, and battery.

The non-functioning gauges are a sign of a failing CPS, you should test that also.

yep, planned to. already at work so cant tonight. but tomorrow its gettin done. and Tim? by CPS do you mean the crankshaft position sensor? isnt that a huge pain to check?

If this were mine, I would proceed in this order.

1. Verifying charging system. What does your voltage gauge read? Put a meter on the battery and see what the output of your alternator is. With a healthy battery and a healthy charging system, you should see approximately 13.5 to 14.0 volts.

2. Be absolutely sure that all battery connections including cables and battery posts are SHINY. Connections are often overlooked.

3. Load test your battery if 1-2 check out

4. Freshen engine grounds.Grounds can be the root cause of many electrical gremlins. Refreshing grounds is NEVER a bad idea!

You can't just check or look at these grounds. You must remove, scrape, clean until shiny the cable/wire ends and whatever they bolt to. The one on the back corner of the head, and where it attaches to the firewall. Scrape the paint from the firewall. Best to replace that woven cable with a #4 or #2 gauge cable. You can attach the one end to the intake manifold if you would like.

Next go over to the engine dipstick tube stud. Remove the nut and clean the wire ends and scrape the block until shiny at the stud. Reattach tightly.

If you are so inclined, add at least a #6 cable from the negative terminal of your battery to one of the bolts on your radiator support. Scrape the paint off first.

5. The crank sensor isn't hard to test, but it is a little tricky to replace. Here is more.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1044073