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Problem Starting My 00 XJ --- Help / Opinions Please

Ghetto2315

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Rumson, NJ
Here is the situation... after I bought my 94 XJ as my DD, I rarely drive my 00 XJ anymore. I would basically drive her when I come home every 3-4 weeks just to get her blood flowing. I have been doing this for 2 months now and everytime I have started her up, she would fire-up without a problem

To make a long story short, I came home today and remote started her to get her warmed up since its cold out now. First attempt to start uncessful, so was the second and third attempts. Its cranking but it wont turn over. I finally get into the driver seat to turn her on manually and also by giving it some gas at the same time.

It finally starts, but not before I have to give it constant gas on the pedal to keep idling at around 1100 rpms. After 3 or 4 minutes, I can let go of the pedal and she can idle by herself without stalling out

I warm her up to 210 degrees and reverse out, but not before it stalls out on me again...

I start her back up, give it more gas and eventually make it on to the street where I can drive her. After 10 minutes of driving, she feels fine and everything looks / sounds normal.

4 hours later I go back out to start her up again, and it happens again...

What is going on? Is it my battery?? I've had the same factory battery since the day I bought her in 2000.

Also, I've been on the same tank of fuel for 2 months now... does fuel go bad? Maybe something with the fuel??

Thanks for the help!
 
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Wow...deja vu. This sounds almost exactly like what mine was doing. Wouldn't start unless I was in the throttle. As soon as I let off it would die. After a lot of work...I finally checked the battery. You'd think that an intelligent person would check this first. My volts were testing out ok but I was down to 125 cold cranking amps. After I put in a new battery with a NASCAR sticker...that thing fired up! I think the sticker had something to do with it personally.
 
When the battery gets run down really low on my 2000 ( and maybe happens to other years ) the computer forgets its settings. It is hard to start and runs poorly for the 10 minutes it takes the computer to relearn its settings. I have read about this happening and it is OK. Get a trickle charger that is meant for keeping stored batteries up to charge. Have the battery checked, my original one already needed to be replaced. Gas can begin to go bad in 2 months, add a can of Sea Foam gas additive or some Stabil.
 
I did some testing a while back, and discovered that our (HO) XJ's have a constant 8mA drain with the key off. The Renixs' have about 17mA. This allows the ECU to stay powered and store the KAM/"keep alive memory".

The small battery drain is of no consequence if the XJ is driven regularly, but if it sits, the battery will slowly lose it's charge. I found this out the hard way when my 89 would lose it's charge after sitting.....
 
15 minutes?

I suppose, is there a capacitor that needs time to discharge or what. thats the only thing i can see why it would nee dot be disconnected for so long.

either way will do it when i get to work and that will be 10 hours off the battery, that should do it

THX
 
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