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Electrical Issues?

S

Seeker

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Whittier CA
My 96 Auto Cherokee is having issues.Two weeks ago it pooped out on my while driving. I thought for sure alternator. I had it benched tested and it was fine. Took my 6 month old red top optima to pepboys they said it was bad. Try to return it to Sam's Club and it passed. Took it to interstate and they said it was good. I put everything back in and cleaned all the grounds and everything it ran great beside an 02 sensor code I have had for a while. Today it was hot and humid and it got up to 230. I shut it off and then it won't start. Sounded great but wouldn't turn over. Let it rest for ten minutes and it started right up. I drove up a fireside road. Shut it off and it wouldn't start. I waited ten minutes and it started again. We check compression and all cylinders are good. Regapped spark plug since we had them out. Then I drove 5 miles and the battery light appeared and it seemed like it wanted to shut off. The light appeared for about a day before it pooped out on my while driving before. Any ideas? :repair:
 
Try a different battery and see what happens when it gets hot under the hood.
 
So it seems that the alternator is not charging the battery. The voltage is higher when the car is off then when it is on. I had my alternator bench checked four times before I put it back in and it passed everytime. The cable from the battery to the alternator is giving power. What would be causing the alternator not to work other than a bad alternator? I just want to check before I pull the alternator out again and waste my time.....
 
I have also had some power issues with the headlight. Before the optima the headlights would turn fade in and out. Even with the optima they aren't that strong... harness? Or could it be related to my charging problem?
 
I've had nothing but junk luck with Optimas (had 12 of them, and only 1 worked well for more than a few months). I use regular johnson controls non-sealed / non-gel type batteries. I seem to have more problems with maintenance free units, so I stick with the old tried and true style where you periodically top off with distilled water.

For the headlight issue, if your alt isn't charging properly then yes it would cause the lights to flicker up and down. When you have the alt tested, are they doing it while its in the vehicle, or out? Sounds to me like it could be a wiring / grounding issue, and that in turn is allowing the alt to not sense that it needs to charge.
 
I'd start with the positive and negative cables to the battery first. When running, touch and see if either are very hot. Then, put a meter on the battery to see how many volts you are pumping into the battery. After that, measure the output at the back of the alt to see if there is a large drop, or if they are the same. Note that sometimes batteries can drop a cell or two and act like an alt going bad.
 
if it won't restart when its hot, and it turns over, then its either a no-spark issue, a no fuel issue, or a low voltage issue. Did you check for spark when this happens? I've had coils before that when they got hot they would fail. Once they cooled down, all was good again until they were hot once more
 
Alternator isn't working whether it's hot or cold now. Took pepboys because that's where the alternator is warranted. They said it's the PCM. Ordered an eBay one. Anything I should know when installing? Does it need to be reflashed?
 
Seeker said:
Alternator isn't working whether it's hot or cold now. Took pepboys because that's where the alternator is warranted. They said it's the PCM. Ordered an eBay one. Anything I should know when installing? Does it need to be reflashed?
Click to expand...

As long as it came from same model / same code, then shouldn't need to.
 
Optima Batteries a short statement on them.....

I have been using them for over 15 yrs. first in race cars then for the last 12 yrs. for a Emergency Communications Station Armature Radio all bands all Modes. There are 12 of them in that setup alone powered by solar and wind with controllers so far 6 yrs. for this set and no failures all within tolerance.

In a off road 4x4 they hold up better than a std. battery for sure because of the plates being round and not conventional flat ones that will short between them when battered heavy.

JMHO but what I have found from my usage YMMV.
 
Put a "new" ebay pcu and tried another battery still no good. I am going to try my wife's alternator (she has a 2001) and if not planning on redoing the wiring unless someone has any other ideas....
 
You can quickly test at home using a good multi-meter. At idle check the output on the back of the alt on the fat cable that goes to the battery. You should see 12-13V at idle. Have someone hold the idle around 2k rpm and you should initially see an increase over that. If not, replace. If so, then your issue is elsewhere.
 
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