Alternator / voltage regulator question

Put a new battery in the XJ a couple months ago, over the last day, each time I crank it the starter turns slower and slower.

Is the voltage regulator built into the alternator on the XJ (1997)? The last time I messed with this system on a vehicle they were separate (it was a 1967 mustang), and the voltage regulator was the first (read, cheapest) thing to replace.

Thanks,

Mark

Hallo. Voltageregulator is in the ECU.:laugh: But don't blame the altenator for the slow starter in the first place.

Check your power cables and grounds. Even money between bad connections and the starter going bad.

Check the voltage at the battery. A fully charged battery should read 12.6, or greater (engine not running). With the engine running, you should see 13.4 to ~14vdc, depending on the state of your battery's charge. Example, if you have to crank her over for a long period before she runs, you should see max charge (14v) as soon as she starts, slowly tapering off to the 13 volt range, as the battery recovers from the start-up drain.

Battery when vehicle is off is 12.4 volts or so. When engine is running it's 13.7, when a load (lights or windows) applied is 13.4, when load stops goes back to 13.7.

Today the engine cranked over normally. One other thing I noticed. When I bought this jeep the light under the hood was disconnected. I figured it was broken and would drain the battery so I left it disconnected. I had the jeep in at the dealer a week ago and when it came back, the light was reconnected. It was parked at the airport for a couple days this week, I noticed it cranked slow when I got back.

Is the under hood light known for going bad in the on position and draining the battery? That may be the culprit here.

Thanks,

Mark

Yessir, most I've seen are disconnected too.