I have a 2001 jeep cherokee. I was driving the other day and half way to dropping my wife off at work my serpentine belt was squeaking , it stopped for a second , then check Gage's lite came on and showed alt not charging. Not wanting to stop and get stranded I dropped wife off and headed back home, check Gage's light on all this time. Made it back home , shut off jeep, then restated jeep, light went out and all back to normal. Is it common for the guages to reset? Any ideas or has any seen this?

 

Tighten down the belt.

 

I'm not sure how mechanically inclined you are but before condemning any part test it, take a volt meter and put it on you battery with your xj running if the alternator is working correctly you should be between 13 and 14 volts 14.7 is a good number and means your alternator is working okay I would check this first also check the tightness of the belt your should have about a 1/4 inch up and down play nothing more this may be causing your squeak and when's the last time your belt was replaced? Check for cracks and dry rot this could cause the squeak. Reply back with what you've found

 

I would start by having the alt. tested. it sounds like it may be on the way out. But, If you are lucky your belt may be a little loose. Although it sounds more like your alt is going to fail you soon. The only reason I say this is because if it was only the belt slipping it would show your symptoms more often. Let us know what you find.