Well hey there fellas,

Long time no Cherokee forum speak! I'm actually excited about being on here, but I need some help. So, the Jeep is giving my son (Papa John's Pizza Delivery Guy) a little adventure, and he definitely needs his ride for money while he's in school and to help with his bills at home.

So here's the deal:
Rough start
Flickering headlights
Random cut off after the lights flicker (sometimes the lights work without pulling the headlight **** to cut them on)

Even though we replaced the alternator in 2014, I told him to have it checked. It was just under 7 volts so we pulled it out yesterday (thank God for receipts) brought it back to Advanced Auto with the receipt, and they swapped it out for a new one (free of charge). We put it in, but then she still wouldn't start.

I got under the Jeep with a hammer and tapped on the starter, she started, so I figured that was the issue. He pulled it out, got it tested, they said it was completely dead. Got a reman with the lifetime warranty. Put it in and she started.

So we did all this yesterday afternoon so he could get to work by 6pm (he did). While he's at work, she cuts off and on (same issues as above). He disconnected the battery cables a few times, and she started back up but the Rough start, Flickering lights, and Cut offs continued through his delivery shift.

He seems to think it may be the cables that go from the starter to the battery, but why did tapping the starter with the battery work with the old starter? I just want to make sure we are on the right track, or if anyone has had these issues before. We definitely need to save time and money. More than anything I want him safe!

Thanks guys! Hope to hear from some of my buddies!

 

First thing to do is check all the positive & ground wires.

 

This.

And the lights being on without the **** pulled is often an indicator of a bad ignition switch. Definitely worth checking out.

 

Take a moment to inspect battery cables, clamps, and ground connections. Disconnect them, wire brush until shiny, and reconnect everything tightly.

 

As stated above grounds cleaning etc.

Another thing that might help us out is stating the year of the vehicle. Most of these old Cherokees have electrical issues but some are worse then others. Look forward to helping you.

Check out this site for a list of grounding points

http://cruiser54.com/

Cruiser54 is quite active on here.

 

Ok, we'll check all of the ground wires, and tighten things up. Also, it's a 1994 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4.0, and I changed the ignition switch in 2012 so I don't think that's the issue again. Especially since the symptoms are so different. Thanks guys, I'll report back.

 

Just remember, grounds don't typically go bad because they need to be tightened up. They go bad because ambient moisture in the air, oil, salt, etc, can get in between anything and cause corrosion which resists voltage flowing. So disconnect them, clean them until they are shiny, and reconnect them tightly. You can't normally see a bad ground.

 

Thank you very much, but I just want to make sure I know where these ground wires are located. I know there are multiple ground wire locations, and we need to tackle them all.

Diagram, pictures? I haven't found anything specific on the web.

 

I point them out in the video I linked above. You didn't mention your year, so they may not be exactly the same (mine is a 96). But it will get you started, and most will be where I showed them.

 

By chance was the old starter covered in oil ? If so should address that issue also.

 

If the alternator and starter were bad is the battery still good?

 

No, I changed the valve cover gasket last year.

 

Hey Guys.

My son cleaned all the ground wires, and he's good to go. Back to delivering those pizzas in chill mode with the tunes on of course (I hope not ridiculously loud). Thank you all for your help. Every single one of yous!