f4joc

I joined the forum in Feb. because I was having this problem and learned that the rear cargo light was the culprit. Now the problem has returned and I've yet to find the circuit that is staying energized.

97 Grand Cherokee, 6 cyl. Factory air and a few electric options but not 'loaded'.

Initially the dome lights were staying on. Now they aren't. I've had a test light on the battery, in series with the positive cable, and I've removed every fuse, one at a time, both fuse panels, I still show a draw no matter what I de-fuse or disconnect. A DC amp guage shows about a 1.3 amp draw, doors closed, ignition off, key out, dome lights off, underhood light disconnected. I've checked glove box and console lights too.

A new battery, fully charged will only last about four days if the car isn't driven in that time and will loose close to 2 volts overnight.

Anyone have a suggestion what component might be responsible for this elusive current draw? Next step is the ('shudder') dealership.

Tom

Fred/N0AZZ

Check the alt. it could be bad, just replaced one on 1 of our Power Stroke diesels that was bad and drawing the batteries down after 4-5 days.


You can have it checked at an Alt. Shop or AutoZone can tell you.

davev

Make sure you're not pulling the key out in the ACC position. My last two jeeps both have that issue and it kills batteries in 3-4 days.

dave1123

Yeah, check the alternator. Disconnect ALL the wires from the back of it, then check your current draw. You shouldn't be drawing more than 0.75 amps for the PCM and radio memory. A bad diode in the alternator will keep the field windings energized all the time. This will show up with a good multimeter as an A/C voltage in the D/C output. (Yes, you can have both A/C and D/C in the same wire)

f4joc

Thanks guys.
It's raining right now so I'll check that alternator tomorrow.
Quick question however. I know the alternator is charging. Would a bad diode that causes a current draw show up in a voltage test? It puts out a little over 13.7 now and the battery stays charged if the car is driven daily.

I checked the ignition switch/key removal and it is definately in the 'off' position. In fact the key will not come out in the 'accessory' detent.

Thanks for the replies.

Tom

f4joc

It figures. Went out this morning to do some checking. Before I disconnected the alternator I checked the current draw. Prior to today I was seeing 1.3 to 1.5 with everything off. This morning it's .48.

Whatever was drawing from the battery has gone away. Now what? Start driving the thing normally and hope for the best? It never gets driven daily. It's my wife's beater not her daily driver. She's concerned about getting stranded somewhere and I can't blame her. She said, "Let's sell it and buy something new.

I think she wants a new car so maybe it's time we retired the old Cherokee. It needs a paint job anyway.

Thanks for the assistance and suggestions. If anyone is interested in checking out another forum like this one and you're interested in or curious about motorized bicycles, take a look at motorbicycling.com. Tell them Tom sent you.

Tom

dave1123

This is a stop-gap measure if you REALLY want to keep the Cherokee. Install a trickle-charger and plug it in when it'll be parked for an extended period. My brother does this with his boat.

BTW, faded, dull paint just adds character.

f4joc

Thanks Dave. Just sent you a PM.

Tom