Alright guys... I'm fairly new to the Jeep community and I'm having some trouble with my 89' XJ. I have a new battery and new alternator and it seems that the alternator is not charging the battery. After jumping it, it will start for about 2 days then when it sits overnight, it is drained... For the life of me I cannot figure out what to do..... I recently replaced the power steering pump, i have read a few places that the belt could be too tight and causing the issue??.. I appreciate the help!

 

Sounds like you have a parasitic drain. You can google on how to test for it.

 

 

Yup. Agree with the others; you are experiencing a "parasitic battery drain".

There are plenty of articles and Youtube videos on how to diagnose this yourself if you choose.

Good luck and keep us updated!

 

Well, it did take 2 nights when i first put the battery in because it was brand new with a full charge. Now after sitting overnight 1 night it is dead. I pulled the fuse for the radio and disconnected the aftermarket foggers the previous owner installed. the headlights are LED now as well... I think the guy wired them funny and may be what is causing the drain.... is there a fuse for the headlights?

 

Also, its not just draining it to where it "ticks" when I turn the key. It drains it to where there is absolutely no power. no noise when turning key, no lights.

 

I had this problem and what I would did for a while until I could properly deal with it was to disconnect the negative battery cable when I wasn't driving it.

 

The long and short of it is that at least 1 circuit in your vehicle is drawing power when it shouldn't be. This can happen for a variety of reasons, and ultimately, the circuit will have to be found and the components on that circuit will have to be check to see which one is causing the problem. Youtube has no shortage of tutorials and techniques for approaching this particular type of problem.

One such example is a light that remains on, when the vehicle is off. For example if a door sensor is failing and the vehicle thinks the door is ajar, it can keep the dome light on. Or if the brake sensor is failing and the vehicle thinks the brakes are applied and keeps the brake lights on, or the NSS is tripping the reverse lights. Or a glove box sensor that is keeping the glove box light on, etc.I mentioned these because one of the first/quick tests to do is to charge up the battery and check the vehicle in the dark (like a garage if possible) and see if you seen any indication of light anywhere. Of course, it may not be a light at all, but it is easy to check before getting more involved.

There is an advanced way to check each circuit for amperage draw, that I think is best, but takes a little more knowledge (and some reference material). You use a multimeter to read the voltage drop across the top of each fuse in the PDC and fuse junction block. You then cross reference that voltage drop (based on the size/type of the fuse) against a chart that will tell you how much amperage is running through the circuit that is going through that fuse. This allows you to check almost every circuit quickly, without the trouble of having to disconnect each circuit (the other common method for detecting the source of a parasitic draw).