I have a 96 Cherokee (if you couldn't guess haha)

Two weeks ago, it overheated to the point where it ran like a bag of s*** and died. Waited 4 hours and went back, started it, and drove it home (it was driven for 0.7 miles from where it broke down to my house). Just put in a new radiator today.

Now, having sat 2 weeks, the battery is dead. I mean, dead dead. Kinda like a dead guy, but not a person. There's no bringing it back. If I jump start it, the Jeep will start but it will not stay running unless I stay on the accelerator pedal. Has this happened to anyone else? Or has anyone ever heard of this? Please help me out if you know anything, there's an event at the 4x4 park I go to next weekend and I'd like to have my Jeep running by then. Also, it's my DD since my car was totaled.

 

Common with a dead battery. trhe week XJ alternator is not strong enough to charge a drained battery and run the motor.

 

So, new battery is in order? I've been thinking about switching to an Optima Red Top for some time now

 

When you do have it running check your alt. output...late

 

Buy a new battery, or just hook your Jeep up to a battery you know is charged and try and see what happens.

 

Mine did the same thing when my battery took a dump, Def get the optima , there great,

 

When I jump the battery with a good one, the same thing happens. It'll stay running as long as I'm buried in the throttle.

 

Then your battery isn't the problem, you can get a new battery but if jumping another in doesn't fix it then a new battery wont either.

 

I put the battery on the charger for a good 4 hours, started it and it stayed running. Topped off all fluids and drove it 30 miles. No leaks, no oil being burned, no coolant lost. Looks like "El Heepo" is fixed.

 

I hate to bump a old thread but i am experiencing the same exact thing....car died seemingly out of nowhere and when jump started will not stay running unless floored...it also seems to be running real rough. I put a slow trickle charge on it for about 30 hours and when i went to crank it over i only got clicks...not enough juice. So a new battery seems like its in order....Im just worried that if i go buy a new battery and stick it in...the same thing is going to happen and ill waste another battery. The battery currently in it is about a year old and im broke college kid so money is super tight. How likely is it for a battery to just die out of nowhere? Up until now the battery had been rock solid....never any issues.

 

Take the battery into any parts store and ask them to perform a LOAD TEST.

That is the only accurate way to determine the condition of the battery.

And it's FREE!

That will tell the story.

But before you do that, be absolutely sure that the battery cables and battery posts are SHINY clean. Connections are often overlooked and are a common source of problems.

Good luck!

 

Ah! awesome. I'll lug it down to the local autozone see whats up. Thanks for the reply

 

I had the same issue with Jeep running fine when giving gas but dying as soon as let off gas. Or will start and then die, unless jumping on the gas. Mine was at 190,000 at time...and apparently carbon can build up on the engine over time haha. Ran through carbon build-up cleaning out process 5x and it ran just like new!! Don't know if you've checked that or cleaned before, but it's worth checking out if other fixes haven't fixed it.

 

Clean the throttlebody really good both inside and out. Also remove your AIC motor from the TB and clean it and it's bore. They get gummed up from the crappy gas we're forced to use these days and will cause idle issues.

 

i just went through something like this too. but mine was an 02 sensor. i replaced it and it ran fine for 2 weeks. then it just died again. i had no problem with starting it; just keeping it idle on its own. it would just die. Luckily it broke down in my driveway twice.lol.

so in my research i found out that dodge,chrysler and jeep products do not take well to aftermarket 02's. i had a chrysler tech confirm it.

when i got the mopar o2, it was plain to see the difference between the aftermarket one and the oem replacement one. so hopefully there isn't an electrical problem causing me to run through 02 sensors... time will tell.

the difference was that the aftermarket sensing bulb was slightly longer and the shaft above the threaded part was not the same either. the aftermarket one was overall... alot bigger. so what i think is happening is that the bulb is to close to the inner wall of the pipe,thus making the 02 sence the wrong air/fuel ratios and noxious fumes. it acted like a barrier in the pipe.

lol. i've posted this in 3 other posts. i wouldn't have thought this could have been relevant in other posts on here.lol.

So my addvise to all, is do not waste your hard erned money on nappa,autzone,advance,oriley etc... electrical parts. spend alittle more and get the oem. it will last longer and you will have piece-of-mind.

starters and batteries are fine. i mean stuff like tps,cps,iac,02 etc.

just my opinion. its ur ride.