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alternator/battery?...WTF

in4aride

in4aride

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Montrose
ah i am so mad right now....
so my 86 XJ has a brand spankin new alternator in it and a damn good battery.......
someone tell me why i will be needing to get ANOTHER alternator and ANOTHER battery cuz mine are completely dead....AGAIN....for the THIRD time....
am i doing something wrong here?.....
everything worked perfectly fine started fine and all that good stuff everyday....
then today it starts raining so we head up to the mountians to goof off....and before i even get up the mountain my alternator must be out...because once up there i cant start back up...i wasnt runnin any lights or anything at that point.....just drivin.......
but then once i get it bump started and just head home cuz i dont want to get stuck....my lights and my Hella lights all work perfectly fine and bright....
but when i go to crank over all i get is *click*:wow:
i dont get it......at all....super pissed......
 
try cleaning all of the battery cable connections at the engine and on the starter, have u load tested the battery?, while it is running have u checked the voltage? i have seen battery cables corrode from the middle out and not be able to tell it until start moving them around, really sounds like a bad ground or connection hth
 
in4aride said:
ah i am so mad right now....
so my 86 XJ has a brand spankin new alternator in it and a damn good battery.......
someone tell me why i will be needing to get ANOTHER alternator and ANOTHER battery cuz mine are completely dead....AGAIN....for the THIRD time....
am i doing something wrong here?.....
everything worked perfectly fine started fine and all that good stuff everyday....
then today it starts raining so we head up to the mountians to goof off....and before i even get up the mountain my alternator must be out...because once up there i cant start back up...i wasnt runnin any lights or anything at that point.....just drivin.......
but then once i get it bump started and just head home cuz i dont want to get stuck....my lights and my Hella lights all work perfectly fine and bright....
but when i go to crank over all i get is *click*:wow:
i dont get it......at all....super pissed......
Click to expand...

Either that, or your starter has started heading South on you. Changing the alternator and battery wouldn't do anything about that...

If you're getting a "click" - we can probably assume that your starter motor relay is good, and it's just (probably) failed contacts in the starter motor solenoid or worn brushes on the starter motor proper.
 
ya now that ive cooled off a lil im thinkin of going thro all my wires and seeing if something is cut or whatnot...my girl drove it hte other day anddidnt bolt down the batttery, so i found it leaned up against alternator...wonder if a wire was cut?.....
thanks for the tips
 
A good field test for an alternator is to disconnect the GROUND side of the battery. If it dies the alternator is not putting out enough to keep it running & is probably n/g. Your alternator probably fried a diode when the girl friend shorted it out, thats why you should always have the battery tied down properly.
 
I will echo the remarks about the battery cables....
After you installed the new alt. and batt did you use a multimeter on the battery posts with engine running to verify the alt is charging(13.5v or higher and 12.5v or higher with motor off)
 
Not good to disconnect either side of the battery while the engine is running -- resulting voltage spike can fry electronics.
 
X2 on that...not disconnecting neg battery cable while running...you could fry something.

That's an old test trick for older vehicles before the advent of solid state electronics and PCMs.
 
ok now what if you go to jump it and all i still get is the click?.....
when i usually start my jeep the volometer on the dash usually reads abou 9 or 10
then once im started and rollin it reads just at or above 13....
still reads the same and that stupid damn door buzzer is loud as hell! so i dont think its the battery not juicing it enough......so it would have to be a wire no?
 
The IP voltmeter is a notorious liar - don't trust it.

Take a "known good" multimeter, connect it to the battery, and look for the following values as minima...

Engine Off - 12.6VDC at the battery
Cranking - 9.6VDC at the battery
Engine Running - 13.5VDC at the battery

The first shows state-of-charge of the battery, the second shows whether you have a "dead cell" or not under load, and the third checks your alternator.

Do Not rely upon the voltmeter in the instrument panel for these tests! Always back-check the thing!
 
Next time when all you get is a "click", climb under and give the starter a couple "taps" (don't whail on it with a hammer) with a screwdriver handle. If that changes things then your starter is likely going south.
 
ok so running my alternator was pumpin a prett 14.22 out and the battery is good....

my friend had the genious idea (after redoing all the damn wiring) to crank it over again after the jeep was bump started.....
....and nothing.....
a good starter should have whined and squeeled...but i got nothing...so its the starter thats out.....thanks kids.....
 
cherokee chuck said:
A good field test for an alternator is to disconnect the GROUND side of the battery.
Click to expand...
Don't ever do this.

If you are trying to jump it and all you get is a click,its gotta be the starter or wiring.I'd say your battery and alt. are fine.


Oops,too late,you got it figured out.
 
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