Hey yall
I have a 96 sport, and I've been having some issues, and it seems to keep getting worse. For a little while, I would run into the issue of the battery being drained out of nowhere. Sometimes hours after having driven it. I would jump it, and it'd usually be fine, other times it would idle very low and keep dying if I didn't give it a little gas for a little bit while it charged up, and then it would hold good rpms. After that, it would be fine until it would randomly happen again in a week, few weeks, a month, whatever, random. about a week ago I gave my battery to my brother so he could move his Cherokee. When I put it back in, it needed a jump, and it had the idle problem much longer than usual, but I got it going. The next time I tried starting it it was dead again, didn't jump, and even after charging off another car for like 15 minutes, it clicked once when I turned the key, nothing. I figured the oil leak on my filter adapter had finally gotten to the starter, so I took the starter off, cleaned some gunk, debris, and oil out, and got it tested. It was good. I put it back in, jumped it, and it started, but had the idle issue much longer than any other time, kept dying without gas. I got it idling after a few minutes, and started messing with the throttle cables. Pulling on em, seeing if theres a problem there. I tried rigging a line up with a zip tie so it would idle a little higher, and as I was doing that it died, low idle, ptttht, dead. Then I heard a clicking in the fuse box, fuel pump relay. I swapped it with the ac relay and it seems the fuel pump turns on. But now all I can get it a rapid clicking when I try to start. tried knocking on the starter, didn't help, put in a new starter relay, b/c through messing with the relays I thought I might've messed it up, idk. nothing.
The battery, starter, and alternator are all less than 2 years old. This thing has been a reliable dd since I got it, and now all of a sudden, I can't get it started. I'm sorry for the long post, guys, but I wanted to break it all down, so I can figure this out. Greatly appreciate any input. Anyone know whats wrong with my baby?

 

Have the battery load tested.

 

Have the battery tested and check your battery cables. The battery is obviously not getting charged if you keep having to jump the thing or you have a parasitic draw on the battery when the vehicle is not running.

Take a multi meter, disconnect the positive cable and use the multi meter on the amp setting to bridge the positive terminal to cable with the engine off, igniton off, all lights off, doors shut. If you see any more than a few hundred mili amps of draw you have a parasitic draw coming from something.

 

As stated, have the battery tested & check your battery cables. Also, clean up and tighten all your grounds.

 

No cel? I'd say, after testing battery, check your ignition coil.

 

Thanks for the tips, I was thinking it might be (partly) a bad battery... I'll try some stuff tomorrow. Unfortunately, part of the problem is that I started a second job the day after it crapped out, no time for jeep work