I have a new crap battery from WM... well new since may and apparently my xj had an alarm or still does I haven't checked, anyhow there's a red light installed on the dash that stays on so that's the only thing that could drain it...

well I let the xj and new battery sit for a month and it was drained !!!!! had to charge this thing just because of this tiny little light...

I WILL BE IN THE MARKET FOR A "GOOD" NEW BATTERY ONCE MY JEEP IS DONE !!!!!

 

Funny you mention this. I did try an experiment the last couple of months with the red top battery. I stopped using the keyless entry function with the thought there might be a draw in the system (certainly more than the indicator light) and the battery did hold up a little better. However, once it got really cold out, like in the teens, it became a gamble whether or not there would be enough a juice to crank it over, and often, barely.

Either way, the red top still cranked slow even after install when new.

As said, I put the platnum battery in and all is well. Sat for 6 months without being touched, and fired right up with full power. Definately worth the investment.

 

So it definitely takes less cranks if I let the pump prime multiple times. Still gonna throw a new battery in before winter. Should I consider doing a new pump and filter at this point? I'm not against the idea. This thing is over 20 years old with 243k.

 

wouldnt hurt and at least you could check those off the list of things to replace.... befor you know it will all be new :-)

 

Not saying it sounds like your starter, just pointing out that a starter is an electric motor, and just like any other electric motor, performance can decline over time, it doesnt necessarily just die instantaneously...

I had a starter in a little diesel vw that took a whole summer to die...once the colder months started it wouldnt crank the engine over fast enough to start...new starter, and bam! Ignition! As I stated before, I dont necessarily think this is your problem, just letting you know it may be something to look at after battery and fueling have been certified...

 

Well crap. Put in a new Interstate MT2 today and had the same cranking issue. I didn't try priming it because I wanted to see if the battery fixed it. I'll try priming it a bunch for a cold start in the morning, and if that makes a difference I'm putting a darn fuel pump in the thing.

So if I do a pump, you think it's better to just get the whole hanger assembly (would go with Spectra), or just get a new pump and kit (bosch, carter, or Omix-ada)? Staying far away from Airtex as I've heard they suck *****.