Hi all,

I am replacing my battery + alternator, but when testing the battery cables with the multimeter, I found that there's a short somewhere, probably what killed my battery. Before I go through testing every little wire ,are there any places where 98 xjs are known to short? about 220 000 miles on it. Thanks!

 

Doors. All 5 of them.

 

Exactly what did your multimeter show that indicates a short and was this short there before and/or after replacing the alternator?

 

Ok thanks! that gives me somewhere to start. My left front power window was really spotty before I dug out the wires and found a tear in both of them leading to the motor, which was shorting out that sometimes. Would that be related at all?

I don't remember the exact reading but I can post a pic of it on Friday. This was with alternator and battery disconnected. I am sort of inexperienced with electricity and conductivity etc, but It was diagnosed by my friend who is an electrical engineer as a short. I am also going to check if there were any switches on or anything which would also give the same reading.

Thanks for the quick responses!!

 

Probably.

 

Ok, Ill start there. Thanks again for the help.

I'll post a pic of what the multimeter is showing tomorrow as well.

 

 

The power windows only have power with the key on so no.

The radio and computer memory have a small power draw so if your friend doesn't know that and expected an open circuit between the battery leads he might then think there's something wrong when there isn't. If a door was open while testing you'd 'see' the dome light circuit in the meter. If you had a charger plugged into the cig. lighter that would also show up. Common things I find that kill a battery is glove box, under-hood, and vanity mirror lights that don't turn off and don't get noticed.

You may have nothing wrong and just had a bad battery. If the alternator was bad that might have been the only problem.

 

I just watched the video Turbo posted, that's the test you want to do. Relying on a ohm test, which is most likely what your friend did, isn't reliable. You need to see how much amperage is being drawn. When you first hook the amp meter up you may notice a brief high number and might even get a small spark as the lead first touches, ignore that and see what the steady number is.

 

Ok, I watched that video and I'll do that test as soon as it warms up outside. The reading on the multimeter was 2.58 ohms. I'll put in my new battery and alternator and then do that test and see what it says. Thanks again for all the help guys. I'll post an update later today.

 

Turns out the massive draw was from the back hatch not being fully closed. Thanks for the help!