big problem

[DoctorPhate]

Ill try it when i get home from work at midnight... now i have to leave to catch the bus..

 

[Kevinma255]

you can clean terminals with a swis-army knife if you have to. scrape the heck out of it then try to wiggle the terminal (dont rip it off the battery).. I had the same problem based on your discription. It was (and still is) the alternator. same sequence and everything. I agree to clean and check all connections and fuses. If it is the alternator you will either need to get a single wire and skip the built in setup or replace it with what comes off. any jeep alternator from a non renix system will not work on a renix system and viseversa

 

[theNAST1EST]

do you have a can of Coke/cola around?

...works wonders on corroded battery terminals, especially if the corrosion is keeping you from removing the cables. when you have them off, do as everyone has suggested, scrape them down with whatever you have.

remember, necessity is the mother of invention

good luck :thumbup:

 

[FlexdXJ]

do you have a can of Coke/cola around?

...works wonders on corroded battery terminals, especially if the corrosion is keeping you from removing the cables. when you have them off, do as everyone has suggested, scrape them down with whatever you have.

remember, necessity is the mother of invention

good luck :thumbup:

Ya beat me to it!

 

[Big Kev]

Alternator? Mine was having similar problems when the alternator crapped out. But it was noticeable and took some time for it to die. Try tapping the alternator with long some thing, I used a flash light. If the power comes back then you have your answer.

Or a short or bad ground. I hate electrical problems. Good luck.

 

[theNAST1EST]

Try tapping the alternator with long some thing...

 

[kf_chris]

You need to get tools. badly.
winterbeater has good advice for every issue on a jeep that I've read so try what he said.

 

[AIbandit]

X2 lol

Good luck man it would seem "Phate" got ya

Maybe a parts store can loan you a Multi-meter... I don't know if canada has Kragens/schucks/O-rieley if they do then they should. They also test alternators for free in some locations.

 

[UNCC_99XJ]

First things first--fully charge the battery or you are wasting your time.

Clean all your cable ends and grounds.

After the battery is fully charged, start the vehicle and see if the voltage goes from 12v static to 14v running.

Now drive to the parts store and have them load test the battery and check the alternator output.

If the battery passes the load test, and the alternator's output is good, you either fixed the problem by cleaning the cables OR you have an excessive current draw when the switch is off and need to locate the draw and eliminate it or you will be back in the same position again.

This is exactly what I would do before moving to replacing parts. This does sound like a done alternator to me...usually you'll start losing electronics one by one like you did when they go out.

Definitely check/clean all connections first, charge the battery, and see what the voltage does. Did you happen to look at your voltmeter on the dash when everything was going out?

 

[DoctorPhate]

Well the stereo is because the fuse blew. I figured that part out. The connections were all cleaned but that little part of the wire that goes INTO to terminal from the starter is corroded like hell and i cant clean it.

I got a boost today in a parking lot after driving and couldnt get it to start again. Everything turns on but it just wont start. However it was only a 4.6L v8 F150. But I think its the cable from the battery to the starter at this point.

The lights work now btw... lets just chalk that up to me being a Fing moron lol.

 

[joe_peters]

Git R dun!

 

[DoctorPhate]

turned out to be starter. after the cost of the diagnosis, starter and labour it cost 320$.. i got a couple of free fuses and a new headlight out of it.

 

[DoctorPhate]

However. My wipers and heating and signal lights still dont work..sigh lol

I'm starting to wish i didn't buy this thing lol. especially last night when i was on my way home in the pouring rain... lol

 

[winterbeater]

Sounds like 1000$ more to me. But it's just Canadian money, right? And you don't REALLY know if it was just the starter connection! Mechanics get paid WAY more to replace parts than to fix connections.

 

[DoctorPhate]

it was the starter itself. I saw him test everything myself. I would have been able to do it myself easily but since I'm over 100km away from any of my tools or a garage to work in.

And btw Canadian money is just as hard to earn as American money, I'd appreciate it if you didn't bash it.

 

[winterbeater]

And 100km is only like 62 miles, right?

 

[DoctorPhate]

yeah about that. But I also working 60hours a week.

 

[boomhauer]

First Mod:

Have a set of tools for your garage and most importantly, always carry a set of "Jeep Tools:repair:"; specific to your buildup and mods, including a Factory Service Manual :read:. lol Sucks to be without tools! -B

 

[theNAST1EST]

I have a hard time believing it was your starter, but I've been wrong before. Because there is a dedicated cable that runs to the starter, it's the easiest thing in the world for a mechanic to say, "oh it's your starter"...only to turn around and fix the terminal on the positive side. It was a bad connection...you said it yourself. Therefore you spent $xxx.xx on a starter and labor rather that $2.00 for a molded connector and a wrench.

...go ahead, ask me how I know this...


At any rate, I'm glad your rig is fixed. But please, for your own sake, be very skeptical of your mechanic unless you've grown to know/trust them with your vehicle.

 

[DoctorPhate]

I am very skeptical. Which is why I sat there and watched and asked questions the entire time he was working on it. Normally I don't even use mechanics, but being that im 100km away from my tools and a garage to use.