i bet this topic has popped up more than once , but here goes again, i have a 1998 jeep grand cherokee, straight 6, my battery mysteriously drains at no apparent time , you could be using the jeep for weeks , then park it for a couple of days and then dead. i replaced most of the sensors and switches in the vehicle, alternator is about 2 years old and charging good, i changed batteries twice, both with brand new batteries , i did the static draw test with a amp meter and it shows only .17 draw. not enough to drain the battery. does anybody have a clue whats draining the battery?

 

anybody?

 

Well on mine when my battery died 5 times within a few weeks I found out my rear hatch had a bad connection on the hatch light. The light would come on for no reason in the middle of the night (I assume since it has not done it since I replaced the hatch lock) and that is how I found out it was funky. Sometimes the dome lights would flicker on while I was driving and I could not figure out why for the longest time.

Not sure if that helps.

Max

 

Well do ya have a draw or don't ya? Have you actually checked the state of charge at the time you have a no start condition or when you claim it's dead? If you don't have a draw could be ground wires. I don't know what exactly you did with that static draw test but how I do it is to put a simple volt meter on the battery with the key off and watch for a drop in the voltage. If you see a drop, start pulling fuses until it stops. Then you have at least isolated the circuit causing the draw. Finding the actual offender is another story. Some slight draw with the key off is normal for memory functions.

 

http://youtu.be/KF1gijj03_0

 

state of charge when battery is dead is 5 volts. i did the static test , .17 draw at time of test, after i fully charged a good battery,. it starts up and runs fine , but then sometime after about a week and a half i go to start it and its dead. so now what im doing is after work i check the draw every day, maybe one day i'll find the draw that mysterious appears and then start pulling fuses to see where its at.

 

First you said after sitting for a couple of days now you say it's dead after a couple of weeks of sitting. Which is it? It makes a difference. I'm not sure on the ZJ's if there is an IOD that can be disconnected like on the WJ's for longer storage. Might be worth checking out.

 

it does not happen the same time , all the time. i said one time i was driving it for weeks , then i let it sit a couple of days and it was dead, , that was just one time, another time i ran it for a few days and then a few days after that dead, theirs no consistent time it goes dead. it just happens spontaneously. maybe it might not do it for 6 months, . im just saying theres a draw somewhere that i have not found yet and wanted to get input from others with the similar problem so i can check out there problems if i have the same.

 

Are you sure it's the battery? Might it be the starter? When it's "dead", do the interior lights and guages still work? Check the battery voltage when it won't start. It might even be a battery cable that's causing the problem.

 

All new battery cables. Good battery ground. Brand new starter. Volts are 5 volts when battery is dead no intierior lights are on when it is dead. Must be some loose connection that happens occasionally

 

Let me ask a "stupid" question. What do you have in it for a sound system? I'm thinking a booster amp or something is not shutting off once in a while and sapping power. This is a mystery because it only happens after being parked for several days, right?

The only other thought I had was to install a battery knife switch like they use in heavy equipment and disconnect the battery if you're going to park it for several days. That is an extreme measure, but might work. I've seen those on large boats with a locking cover to help prevent theft also.

 

yes it has an after market system in it when i bought it , it seems to work fine but i think i'll go over it and check it out completely, if and when it keeps happening after a while , im just going to install one of those battery cut off switches inside the dash. then problem will be solved. but i want to dig into it further before i go that route.

 

Does your amp have a switch on it? On my old jeep I had an amp without a switch and althought the amp shut off (or should've shut off) with the headunit, it still would drain my battery. I put a switch on the remote wire and it never did it again. I know that doesn't really make sense but it worked. Also it's nice to be able to kill the system when im not using it and let the alternator do it's job

 

i did not get to check out the stereo system yet . probably this weekend i'll get a chance to look at it.

 

Hi! I have a Problem with my JEEP XJ 1998 "Sport" 4 Door Auto
The Battery Light Comes ON....Yellow Colour when Driving.
The Leads Near the Poles are Frayed looking On Neg & Pos Side
I Placed Tape On Them to Separate Any Connection
Battery Fully Charged...Green Light!
Do I Need to Replace Both Leads?????
I Would Appreciate Help ! Thanking You 19/6/14.