Before starting I don’t know too much about cars in general so please forgive me if this is a stupid question. So I bought a 2001 Jeep Cherokee 2 days ago from a guy who resells cars and the car seemed to be in excellent condition and looked well taken care of. The guy reassured me that he worked on the engine himself and even bought a new battery so that everything was working fine so I paid the money and drove the car about 5 minutes to a gas station and then pulled over to find directions back home and left the car in idle for about 10-15min and it just cut off and the battery light came on so I tried restarting it but nothing. Eventually a guy came with a jump start (one of the ones you don’t need another car for) and still nothing and I asked him if it was good and he said that it should’ve started right away. So I eventually had to get the car towed a little over 1 hour home and once I got home I tried the car again and it turned on but this time the engine light was on when it wasn’t before. I then checked the fluids (I know I’ve should’ve done this before hand but I didn’t think to at the time) and the engine oil was extremely low so I added some more. The coolant didn’t look too clean and was low, the transmission fluid was good and pink. I tried the car two times yesterday just to see if it would start and it did (still with the check engine light). So this morning I tried starting it again with hopes of just driving it down the road and back and it would turn but very faintly and didn’t want to turn on. I turn the headlights on and tried the car and they became very dim but still didn’t turn on. I’m not sure what the problem could be so I’m hoping someone can give me good honest advice. Once again I don’t really know about cars so please bare with me. Thank you!

on an unrelated issue I was hoping if someone could tell me what this hose is under the front of the car. Is it important? Should it be attached to anything and is it reason for concern?

 

My initial thought is maybe your alternator isn't charging correctly. Also, I wouldn't trust anything he said to you. People lie, people are incompetent. Hopefully he is honest but you will never really know for sure and take everything he told you with a grain of salt.

​​​​​​Check the battery voltage. It's probably low based on how you say it barely cranks and lights are dim.

If this is the case I would fully charge the battery, you'll see a full battery should have about 12.5v or better.

Then start the car and check the battery voltage with the engine running. The voltage should be about 13.5v or better.

If the voltage doesn't go up into the 13s or 14 volts range your charging system probably isn't working right, then there's a whole bunch more stuff that would have to be checked/done.

If you can drive the car to an auto parts store they can usually do all this for free for you.

That hose is likely some kind of a breather. You'd have to follow it to see what it attaches to. It could also be a condensate drain tube for the AC.
in either of these cases, it's normal. Just check where it goes


The one thing I see that would disprove the charging problem theory is how the guy at the gas station tried to jump start it. When I used to do roadside service years ago I couldn't tell you how many times I've had to jumpstart a car after others have already tried and failed for various reasons. Soooo maybe his jumpers didn't work correctly, or maybe the did and your problem isn't the charging system.

Also check allllll your battery connections and grounds in the engine bay that they're tight and clean. If they're bad connections all sorts of weird issues including yours can happen.
​​​​​​

 

Dimming lights and a battery light could be a low battery and/or the alternator. Im guessing the battery, but check both. They work together. You said the CEL was on, so check it for codes. Post the code. The "coolant didnt look too clean" is a concern being a 2001. Is it milky at all? 2000-01 use the 0331 head, which is known for cracking. Oil will mix with the coolant if left alone and wipe out the bearings. That tube could be the ac drain. The drain pokes out of the firewall on the passenger side. Someone added a extension for it if thats what it is. If its not the ac drain, i dont know.

Looks to be missing the bumpstop on that side as well.

 

Thank you!! I appreciate all the information. I’ll definitely give that a try the next day that I’m off of work

 

The coolant just looked kind of darkish but I couldn’t really get a good look at it considering it was low. I don’t have a ride expect for a coworker that has been taking me to work so i have to wait a day or two to be able to take it to get the codes check but once I do I’ll definitely post them. I was able to get in contact with a friend who’s family owns a car shop here locally in town to look at the car this weekend so hopefully all goes well! I appreciate the help and will definitely post updates.

 

Have your friend's family give the car a good once over before you sink any more money into it. I don't know if you will be able to get your money back from the guy you bought it from, but you may be able to lodge a complaint with the BBB if the report from the mechanic comes back with numerous major problems.

 

Yea it was hard to get in contact with the guy afterwards but he eventually answered and said that he was just as shocked as I was which seemed a little sketchy but I’ll definitely look into that. I didn’t want to take it to a random mechanic because I was worried that they might try to scam me but I’ve know my friend and his family for a long time and they’re honest people and always offer to help. Hopefully it’s something minor but I did pay a pretty penny for it, 4,800 which is a lot to me because I don’t make that much. Granted it is my fault for not having better knowledge but i will definitely file a complaint if it’s really just straight up bad.

 

None of us here would want to see someone get taken advantage of. If you get a chance, see if you can take more pictures of the truck and we can point out problem if possible. Also, try to post any details about the truck (engine, transmission, transfer case, etc.)

Hopefully any issues are minor. I'm curious about that hose.

 

I believe the hose is the ac drain, it appears to be exactly where mine is.

The coolant is a big concern. You paid a lot of money to have to put a new engine into the Jeep. Just remember the more time that passes the harder it will be to get in contact and arrange any type of refund with the dealer.

 

So I went ahead and replaced the battery because the guy at the auto parts store told me it wasn’t good after testing it. It’s started right up once I put it in. The oil pressure looks kind of low though but the engine light isn’t on anymore. Still want to go take it to get tested for codes. What should the pressure be at in idle? It was pretty much like this the entire time just drive about 15-20mph around the neighborhood a few times

 

Hopefully it was just a bad battery. Not really uncommon for used car lots where they sit, and the dealer hits them with the charger right before selling them.

The factory spec for oil pressure on the 4.0l engine is 13 psi at idle, and above 1600 rpm, it should be within 37-75 psi. Keep in mind the dash gauge isn't overly accurate and a bad sensor causing wild reading is pretty common. There's lots of threads about preferred engine oil, but I typically run Shell Rotella T6 5W-40on an older 4.0l which helps the oil pressure a bit. I also use NAPA silver filters (aka wix brand) and avoid Fram.

 

Sounds to me like it's probably just a bad battery. Oil pressure can be an indicator of how the engine bearings in the lower end are doing. Typically low oil pressure can indicate that the engine is getting old. I'm a bit conservative when it comes to oil pressure in the 4.0L though because I drove 60k on my old XJ that had really low oil pressure at idle without ever having any problems.