voltage...already replaced batt...????

[5spd_xj]

hey, i have a 95 sport, 4.0 ax15 with 141k...the other night, i installed a cd deck, so i disconnected the battery while doing that. when i reconnected it, it was totally dead. i was able to use jumper cables to get it running, and barely got home without it stalling...i had to keep the rpms up or else the lights got really dim, and it tried to stall. so, i let it sit overnight, and the next morning, it was the same way, totally dead. so i went to walmart and picked up an everstart, installed it and let it run at idle for a good half hour with zero problems. drove it all day yesterday, and to work today. on the way home from work, i have the radio turned up pretty loud, heat on, and lights on, and at low rpms cruising along in 4th, the lights dimmed, and the guage went down quickly to about 10(right before the red), so i put in the clutch and revved it a bit, and it went back up to 14. i shut off the heat and turned down the radio, and it didn't do it again for awhile. then, it did the same thing. i revved it, then turned off the radio. and it didn't do it for the last 10 minutes home.

a couple months back i replaced the waterpump, and ever since whenever i have the heat/ac on the belt squeals sometimes. up until tonight, while searching for solutions, i never really thought anything about it. then i read about the belt may be slipping due to its not being tight, and that could cause my problem, possibly?????? either that or its the alternator, right? what do yall think??

any suggestions at all are welcome and appreciated. thanks in advance

 

[lawsoncl]

Sounds like a loose belt to me.

 

[5spd_xj]

i really hope so... is it gonna hurt anything if i drive it to work as is today, tnen fix it tomorrow?? just because i need to leave for work straight from school, i have no time in between. or is it alright, so long as i don't use the radio/heat?

 

[hotelfinder]

radio could be wired incorrectly and bleeding the battery too... check your ground and positive cable. How old is the battery, they do go bad esp if they get a lot of heat. You can get the system check at autozone or advance auto parts for free... I just put in a new Alt and it was easy and fixed my issue.

 

[5spd_xj]

i just changed the battery on saturday. so its either the belt or the alt. hopefully just the belt, i really don't feel like spending cash on the new alternator. i'll try and tighten the belt today and see how it works. any other ideas/input? thanks

 

[ktwalker01]

Maybe the connections to the battery are bad, u might have Jiggled the wires out of place in the connectors when you disconnected it to install the deck. Try cleaning em out and putting on new connectors there dirt cheap at any autostore. I had the same problem a few months back. A good way to check this is if you someone jiggle the cables while trying to start it.

 

[5spd_xj]

i dunno, i looked at them when i replaced the battery, theres corrosion on the outside, but the inner part that connects to the terminals are alright, and i replaced one of the bolts in the process, so they are both pretty tight... no wiggle room at all....

 

[otto]

Just a tip on serpentine belt adjustment: You must loosen the power steering pump bracket bolts (front and back). If replacing the belt, draw a diagram before removal, it's easy to route it incorrectly.

 

[5spd_xj]

yeah, i was just going to try and loosen the p/s pump and pull it as tense as i can and hold it there as i tighten it back up.

 

[5spd_xj]

figured it out... the a/c compressor is seized, so whenever i have the heat on it won't let the belt spin properly, and messes with everything else, including the alternator... i also noticed a couple times last week the powersteering was acting weird, but didn't think much of it, now i know why. for now, i'm not going to bother replacing it, seeing as as long as the heat isn't on it runs fine. i can have it on vent and it bypasses the compressor, so that works well enough for me. thanks for all the help and suggestions.

 

[Vanquish]

Um...AC compressor isn't engaged when the heat is on. If it were actually seized, you'd know. Your belt would only last a minute.

Your battery terminals are loose. Those are typical symptoms.

 

[5spd_xj]

well then wtf. i'm stumped. my battery terminals are tight as can be, and the surface on them is clean. the ONLY time it gives me any problems whatsoever is when the heat/ac is on....you're POSITIVE thats whats happening??????? not trying to argue, but i'm really quite confused...

 

[Vanquish]

Start your truck and disconnect the battery, see what that does.

Also make sure your belt is tight. Grab the belt to the left of the PS pump and twist it. You should only be able to get the best to twist half way over.

Also sounds like something is drawing an incredible amount of power. Double check all of your wiring.

 

[Matthew Currie]

Um...AC compressor isn't engaged when the heat is on. If it were actually seized, you'd know. Your belt would only last a minute.

Your battery terminals are loose. Those are typical symptoms.

The AC compressor is indeed engaged when defrost is on. Try turning the heat from defrost to floor alone, and see if anything changes.

The AC might not be seized solid, but a bad compressor could drag it right down. If everything works as long as the compressor doesn't engage, you can at least temporarily just pull a wire from the safety switch on the receiver/dryer of the AC system. That's the little canister in the engine compartment. It has a couple of wires running to the top. If you unplug that, it will think it's out of refrigerant, and the AC won't cycle. You can then use your defroster in winter.

You should, however, also check the belt tightness, because if the belt is loose, even a healthy AC compressor can cause problems. It draws a lot of horsepower.

You should also check those battery terminals again. Look for corrosion or black oxidation on the battery and the cable terminals, clean them shiny, slather them with vaseline (not regular grease), and put them back on.

Oh, and it is not advisable to run the engine with the battery disconnected. It could fry the alternator or the PCU, and anyway Mopar engine systems run like absolute crap without a battery that is capable of taking a charge. IN fact, if the battery or its connections are at fault here, this could easily explain why stalling was a problem after it started.

 

[5spd_xj]

i looked at the wire...you have to take the belt/rad. hose off to get at it to unplug it right?

 

[5spd_xj]

also did the twist test for the belt, i can almost get it halfway flipped when turning it at the spot just to the left of the p/s pump...

 

[Blaine B.]

i just changed the battery on saturday. so its either the belt or the alt. hopefully just the belt, i really don't feel like spending cash on the new alternator. i'll try and tighten the belt today and see how it works. any other ideas/input? thanks

Don't FEEL like it???? You entered a binding contract, and signed on the dotted line!

JUST EMPTY EVERY POCKET!

BTW, the a/c wont engauge, even when in an A/C setting or defrost, if it is cold enough......

 

[5spd_xj]

haha good point. i ought to know, i had another cherokee before this one. but, i had a toyota in between, so i've gotten into this bad habit of thinking nothing's going to break, and all that. lol, don't worry, i'm slowly getting back into the swing of things...