Sequoyah

I have a 98 sport 4.0 I was checking the spark plugs on. When I got to plug two the end of the ratchet swiped the positive terminal and arced. Car was dead as a door ****. So I looked at ways to fix it and I found some... one worked to a point. I'd get lights, interior and exterior on (radio and everything else) but when I turned the key to the on position, it trips and is dead as a door **** again. so I thought it was just a low battery. so I jump the car, it starts, but struggles to stay alive. I thought it was just a low battery causing it to die so I rev'd it and soon it would run. I figured it was enough time after 5 minutes so I took the jumper cables off and it still ran. I was pumped and thought my struggles were over so I turned it off and tried to start it up again just to double check. nope, dead as a door ****. I thought, the battery is probably shot, so I pulled the battery out of a spare car my parents have (the same one I jumped the Cherokee with) and hooked it all up in the jeep. I get all lights, but when I try and start it up it just trips out again and is dead as a door ****. as of right now the jeep is battery-less and is sitting. I will try it again tomorrow morning to see if it starts but I need help ASAP. Thanks!

freegdr

Sounds like youve got a bad connection at the battery. If by tripping out you mean everything shuts off.

Sequoyah

Everything at the battery is secured and bolted down. and sorry I was at a lack of words when I was thinking about it, I was thinking more on the lines of like a circuit breaker tripping . but by tripping out i mean when i turn the key to the on position every lights up like the gauge, radio, dome, head lights, interior lights, the radio plays pretty loud with out any hesitation or flickering of the lights. when I turn key to start it, everything abruptly turns off. the radio isn't blaring and all the light aren't turned on when I turn the key to start but you can hear a click like the starter is ready to move and then it turns off.

freegdr

After you return the key to off then back on do lights come on again ?

Sequoyah

no. To get the lights to turn back on again I have to take the cables off the posts, then reconnect them. Then all the lights come on again. id have to do that every time after trying to start it

freegdr

It does this with both batterys ? Leave headlights on next time and try and wiggle/move one cable at a time on battery see if lights come back on .

Sequoyah

yes with both batteries. if i slide the pos cable up a little bit the lights will come back on. but by any means the cables aren't loose. also one time after i tried starting the car up it, shut off abruptly but when the ignition sprung back to the on position the courtesy lights would come on vaguely.

freegdr

Bad connection on possitve cable deff .

Sequoyah

are you sure? because i tightened it down the most i could. and if it was the cable why is it always turning off when i try and turn the key.

freegdr

Not saying its not tight its a bad connection are they still factory cables ? Might be time to cut off factory ends and bolt on new ends . There is no circuit breaker that cuts power on and off that removeing and reinstaling battery cables will reset. ...

Sequoyah

okay thank you very much for the help! just one question though, why would this just start happening right when i accidentally grounded the positive?

freegdr

Very possible the connection where cable goes into the factory end was affected some how. Then again sometimes schmit just happens at most inopertune times.

Sequoyah

haha i know tell me about it. Well thank you very much and I'll try it out!

Ant.

I had same issue,
Turned out my ground wire was corroded all the way through,
Replaced entire wire and all is good now...

Ant...

Sequoyah

so i tried it again today with no luck.. my main concern with the whole corroded wire theory and the loose connector theory is the fact that im able to start it when i jump start it, but i can start it with the original battery by itself or the battery i switched in it from the car i jumped it with. could i have fried electronics? and if so which ones? i looked at all the fuses (i think there is two panels, one under the hood to the left and one on the passenger side kick panel) and hopefully they would have blown before frying electronics. but when i also think, it couldn't really fry electronics or the fuses because the car is still able to start and run perfectly fine on the original battery.