Check gauges light - then power lost

I have a 1998 Jeep Cherokee with 190K miles on it. Great vehicle, unfortunately full of rust. Anyway, it did something odd today - The Check Gauges light came on and the Volt meter pegged to the right. I drove it to my destination and stopped and shut it off. I noticed that the power door locks did not work, so I tried to start it. It had no power at all, no lights, nothing. I called for a tow truck. The guy showed, we had to push it back to get the tow truck hooked up. Pushing it back apparently fixed what had to be a short, and it started right up without issue. I drove it home, and drove it to work the next day. It seems obvious there is a short. But the battery cables were tight.

When it got power back it was like the battery had been removed, all radio stations were lost.

The Check Gauges light and Volt meter pegging has happened once previously, but that was at least 2 months ago and the Jeep gets 400 to 500 miles per week.

I guess I am hoping that this is an activity that someone will recognize and can give me a hint where to start looking for the short.

Thanks for reading,
Sammer

Typically you should associate those symptoms with loose, or poor quality, wire connections.

Perform routine maintenance of the start and charge systems. Remove, clean, and firmly reconnect all the wires and cables to the battery, starter, and alternator. Look for corroded or damaged cables or connectors and replace as needed. Copper wires should be copper color, not black or green. Do the same for the grounding wires from the starter to engine block, the ground wires at the coil, and the ground wires from the battery and engine to the Jeep's frame/body. You must remove, wire brush, and clean until shiny the cable/wire ends and whatever they bolt to.

Jeeps do not tolerate low voltage, bad connections, or poor grounds.

Place your DVOM (Digital Volt Ohm Multi-Meter) on the 20 volt scale. First check battery voltage by placing your multi-meter's positive lead on the battery's positive post ( the actual post, not the clamp ) and the negative lead on the negative post. You need a minimum of 12 volts to continue testing. Next, leave your meter connected and take a reading while the engine is cranking. Record this voltage reading. Now connect your positive lead to the battery terminal stud on the starter and the negative lead to the starter housing. Again, crank the engine and record the voltage reading. If the voltage reading at the starter is not within 1 volt of battery voltage then you have excessive voltage drop in the starter circuit.

Typical voltage drop maximums:
• starter circuit (including starter solenoid) = 0.60 volt
• battery post to battery terminal end = zero volts
• battery main cable (measured end to end) 0.20 volt
• starter solenoid = 0.20 volt
• battery negative post to alternator metal frame = 0.20 volt
• negative main cable to engine block = 0.20 volt
• negative battery post to starter metal frame = 0.30
• battery positive post to alternator b+stud = 0.5 volt with maximum charging load applied (all accessories turned on)

Test the output at the alternator with your volts/ohms multi-meter. You should be measuring 13.8-14.4 volts. Load testing the alternator is still recommended.

Have the battery, starter, and the alternator Load Tested for proper function in a test machine that applies a simulated work load. Handheld testers are inaccurate and will often pass faulty parts.

I walked out this morning to a dying battery. I am pretty confident that the battery is good (less than 2 years old). I am going to remove the alternator and have it load tested this evening. I will clean all associated cables as I go. Thanks for the advise.

Sammer