Hi guys. First post. In last 2 weeks I have bought 2 cherokees...a 99 for me and a 00 for the stepson. I have been away from jeep for awhile, and only had new ones, so I have a question.
Today, the boys jeep was dead because lights were left on. new battery installed yesterday....figures. ANYWAY, jumped but wouldnt start. Finally got going by manipulating fuel pedal pull in engine bay and had to keep revved for a few minutes before it would run at idle. then door locks wouldnt work for a few minutes, belt howled when giving gas, radio whined, etc. after driving a few miles things seem okey dokey. My question is could this just be due to completely dead system and computer needed to reset itself? Never had one act this way after dead battery.....

I tried to search on here, but didnt find what I needed. Any info would be appreciated.

 

Welcome to the forum.

Do you know any service history of the vehicle? And before the battery was drained, did you have similar issues, or was it starting/running fine?

A sub charged battery can cause weird issues.
1) make sure your battery is fully charged, its just new apparently, so load testing can wait for now,
2)make sure the connections to the battery posts are clean (the terminals will be clean since new, but whatever you got attached to them: shiny and tightly fastened
3) clean all the grounds in your engine bay, scrub them and the mating surfaces clean and retighten
4) check your belt, the squeal when revving the engine suggests its not tight enough


Not sure what you mean with fuel pedal pull...the throttle cable?
needing to rev it to keep it idle (or likely: dying when left idling) could mean things like IAC and throttle body/valve need a clean.

See how you go with the above and let us know. We can take it from there, because other causes can always be present. But a sub-optimal charged battery is high on the list. Recharge it to full.

 

(double post removed)

 

Agreed...need to charge the battery with a charger (not the Jeep's alternator) and clean all connections.

 

Yep. They get funky when the voltage is low or the battery is weak or dead.
Your belt might be loose if it's squealing. They need to be unusually tight.

 

Thanks folks. It appears to be fine now after a good charge.

 

Yup....what you experienced is normal for an XJ with a marginal battery. You got the engine running, but the battery was not charged. The engine management system does not play well with a marginal battery.

The alternator is engineered to "keep" the battery charged, but not to charge it. Battery charger needed for that. Glad you got it figured out.

For the 2000 for the stepson. Have him (or you) keep a close eye on the coolant level in the coolant reservoir. All 2000 and 2001 XJs came from the factory with the infamous 0331 cylinder head, which has a known defect between cylinders 3 and 4. Familiar with that issue? if not, SEARCH and you will find hours of light reading......The reason I mentioned the coolant level is that the #1 symptom of a cracked 0331 head is "unexplained coolant loss"...

Enjoy your XJs!