hi there,

i'm new to the jeep cherokee forum. i have an 88 jeep cherokee. 2 weeks ago i had a viper alarm installed. shortly after that, my jeep would have a hard time starting up as if there's no juice. so i brought it back to the alarm installation place to have them check the wiring. they said that there was nothing wrong with the wiring. so i took it to kragen to have the battery & alternator checked. kragen ran a health test on the batter and was told that i have a pretty fair battery (with half it's life left). the starting amp, i was told was within the normal range. i'm reluctant to buy a new battery and alternator. so my question is, did anyone else have this problem? if so what did you do to resolve the starting problem.

thanks,

j

 

A friend had the samething happen to him recently,would not start,found out the security system was holding it out. I removed the fuse to the system and it runs just fine now.
It maybe your problem.

 

Hi J, welcome to the forum from Fantic.
I have an 88 like yours and starting problems on Jeeps are very common. What is it exactly that it does? Does it crank weakly, or does it just take time to start? When it starts does it splutter or does it start right off?

 

abovetimberline,

thanks for the response. i'm sorry but i'm not that electrical savvy. which fuse are you talking about?

j

 

X2. Go back to what you changed last. Pull the fuse to the alarm system or disconnect it from the battery and see if the problem goes away.

 

fantic238,

thanks for the welcome greeting. to answer your questions, basically all that you mentioned is what i encountered. after the first week, when i would start the jeep, it would splutter and then it would start. then as nights passed, the next morning before i go to work, the crank would get weaker and weaker. then yesterday and today i turned the key and this time it wouldn't even crank (but all electrics work). so i would keep the key on the on position, waiting for that electric to jump. it isn't until i turn the key on and off until i get the electric charge starts to grab.

tnx

j

 

thanks firestorm for the response.

i don't think that the alarm was connected through the battery. it was connected through my main fuse box somewhere. i will have to check and see where they connected it through.

tnx,

j

 

When i first read your post I took it as it would not turn over at all,after reading the other posts,it sounds like you have another issue like starter,or battery,maybe.
The fuse i was speaking of is the one that would have been used for the security system. It could also be your ingnition switch

 

Sounds like a bad starter, do you hear any ticking noise when it doesn't crank?
Have you had your alternator checked?
Check the battery connectors to be tight and clean, check also the wires on the starter to be tight.

 

Ive had customers with alarm problems. I'd end up taking the whole thing out and the problems go away. Personelly I think alarms Suck.

 

hi guys,

i just wanted to give you guys a heads up on this thread that i started. i went back to the alarm shop and have them check the alarm they installed. they said they installed everything correctly. so i went back to kragen & have them check the power again on the battery & alternator. kragen in turn said that my juices and electric output where in normal range. so i got more irritated. i just said screw it...i just bought a new battery just for peace of mind. and now the cherokee starts!!! damn it kragen!!! better yet...dammit user error!!! wait a minute...i'm never wrong. haha

thanks for all your help & input guys.

 

Sounds to me like the alarm which may be drawing down your battery load tested your weak battery over time until it died.
But that is not to say you still might have a draw on your battery by the alarm system, I have seen this time and time again, and if that alarm is not installed right it will mess with your electrical system!