needmoremoney

The basics, '98 XJ, 4wd, auto, 4.0, 190k of which i put 70k on in past 7 years with few if any mechanical maladies. Winter of '16 it got relegated to wife's snow vehicle, as well as the 'extra' when one of the regulars required shop work. Since jan '17 was a lite winter, it has only been run once a month since then. Now to the issues-
*had to charge the battery, wouldn't crank, played with console mounted shifter to get it to crank 'near' neutral. Guessing that issue is neutral safety switch?
*tremendous 'whine' once i got it to crank....alternator seized. Changed it, and after numerous start/off cycles, it now cranks/starts every time with shifter in neutral, no searching for sweet spot. Assuming still the neutral safety switch?
*the factory dash mounted voltmeter only shows approx 11-1/2 volts, cranks & starts just fine. Turning on heat/ac drops voltage to 11 from 12-1/2v after engine's running. Revving to 2000 usually shows 13 volts. Since starting is a non-issue, i'm assuming the voltage readings are also a non-issue?
*next voltage issue...more often then not, the voltage guage drops to 9 volts (not below like when engine's off), an external meter still shows 12-1/2+ volts. Besides removing & cleaning the wires going to the alternator, where else could i be having the 9 volt (bad connection?) issue?

I'm guessing snow/ice/salt & lack of regular use caused my issues. Just looking for any sugestions if these are 'normal' issues.

*one final issue is the LONG rear brakeline rusted through behind the framerail under the rear drivers side seat. Best place to find brakelines? Anyplace sell prebent? Anybody know length i need?

Cane

what does your battery cables look like? i'm at that time of the year where i'm slowly preparing for winter and next on my list is upgrading my battery cables. a new battery and new alternator won't work to their full potential if the current flows through corroded cables. here's a good write up, useful to know how many cables you need and the correct length, instead of trying to figure it out by yourself. https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/cor...ummary-154248/

i was told that the dealer sold pre-bent likes, but when I went there i was told they don't have them anymore, they only carry stuff like that for 10 years after the last model was made, so that would mean 2011 was the last year they produced them, but there might be some laying around at your local dealership, who knows.

needmoremoney

Cables & terminals are good. No dirt, grime or corrosion. Terminal ends the same, & they were cleaned to a shine.
My 1st thought was to re-clean terminal ends that go to new alternator, which i did. But ONLY the voltmeter shows issues. If there was a bad connection there, i'd think more then just 1 guage would be giving me fits ��

djgrayxj

Note from DJ
Have a look at this thread on brake line replacement material
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/abs...ersion-228028/

BlueRidgeMark

Check it with a real voltmeter before you pull out any more hair. Dash gauges are not known for being uber-accurate.