So im having a bit of problems with the new cherokee i picked up. Never owned one before so a need to learn all the tricks with these things. Anyway the battery tested good twice with my own machine and at the autostore. I tested the alt and it is only putting out 13.5 i think it should be about 14.5 or higher. So if i let this thing sit for 48 hrs the battery is dead. I took the negitive cable off and put a test light between the cable and the battery and nothing with from what i know doesn't mean anything is drawing power but yet it is still dying. Also the other problem is i was out off roading with some friends and the light just started flickering on and off about hr while driving it. If i turn the just the light off for a little while and then turn them on again they work ok this is while the engine is running. It seems like when they get hot they go out and act up.

So guys where should i start and what should i do to test the battery draining and the light flickering?

 

Sound to me like your alternator is tired or you have some bad grounds. What light or lights are flickering? this could also just be a wire issue, or a weak relay or connected to the grounding. Once you eliminate the charging/storage issues, then start on the ligh issue, If you still have an issue. You have been wheeling it, something could just shook loose or have an excess of dirt or maybe some water caused contamination.

 

The headlights kept flashing. So i took the whole front end lights apart and cleaned out the connections and put electric grease on the connections.

 

What is the best way to test for a bad ground? Everything seems to be hooked up oem plugs etc.

 

Find the ground wire/strap/cable, unbolt it clean it and the attachment points reattach. I suppose you could check continuity of the wire while you have it disconnected.

All plugs should be unpluigged, cleaned, greased and replugged. In many cases unplugging and replugging is enough to freshen most plug connections.

 

They said the diodes in the alt were bad which is why I have the parasitic drawl I'm hoping. Does that sound right?

 

Yes. Replace the alternator.

 

So i replaced the alt and it appears i still have a parisitic drawl. I put a test light in between the neg cable and battery terminal and the light came on with the car and everything off. I put every fuse and no changes. I also made sure the door was closed after i pulled each fuse. What else should i be looking for that is causing my battery to die after two nights sitting.

 

Are you sure the glovebox light is off?

 

Im pretty sure it is off but i will double check the glove box light again. Im an idiot and wasn't testing milliamps i was testing volts. So i got my meter hooked up right and put it in between the neg cable and battery terminal and it is drawing 107.5 milliamps. What is the normal range of draw on a jeep cherokee?