I have a 2000 Cherokee , 137000 miles . I bought it last April in California in anticipation of me moving there. My getting there has been delayed. Its been sitting in a garage and a buddy will come by irregularly to start it up. I asked him to drive it around a little, but all he does is back it out of the garage and let it idle for varying amounts of time. The last time he did this it was a no start. He said it "sounded" like a dead battery as it tried to kick the engine over. But stopped. He borrowed a trickle charger and left it on , and that didn't "charge" the battery. The battery was new , by the previous owner when I bought the vehicle. He is going to pull it and have it checked out at O'Rileys today. I have never let a vehicle sit like this, with only infrequent starts to know if letting it just idling will keep the battery good, or I may have another problem. That's the best information I have. Thanks for any opinions.

 

It's the battery. Replace it.

 

You can believe the previous owner just as much as you would believe previous wives/girlfriends, jus sayin'.

 

The battery has that Manufacturers Date on it of 11/13. That's what makes me believe its new. And it looks new. Hope its just the battery. My buddy can't get it out to have it checked. The hold down bolt is stripped, tweeked stripped, or something and he is unable to back it out. Thanks to you both though.

 

I asked my buddy to try the charger on the bat post directly, and not through the cables. When he does the charger shows green light, which he says means the bat is charged. He's gonna leave the charger on over night, reconnect the cables and try and start it. If the bat is charged , it could be the cables, cable connections or? I am going to be getting back to it in late Jan after a 8 hours flight. Would like to get up the next morning and have a working vehicle until my truck gets shipped by barge several weeks later.


Thanks

 

Do the headlights dim when the key is turned to start?

 

No headlights. No nothing. When he first tried to start it the engine tried to turn over , slowly as if the bat wasn't putting out enough juice. Then it quit and nothing works. I believed initially it was the bat. But now that charger is giving a green light which indicated the bat is charged. I am not there so I can't trouble shoot this myself. Like I said. The vehicle was barely driven over the last year, so ho can it be something big. I am thinking cables. Don't recall if the negatory one goes directly to the block. Its new. They look clean at the terminals. Just hoping to help him so when we get there after a long flight with 3 cats we have a operating vehicle.

 

Replace the battery and clean the terminal ends on the cables.

 

I plan to do that when I get there. Thanks to everybody.

 

is there any way he can jump start it with either a booster pack or another vehicle, and let the alternator charge the battery. it is possible he left the interior light on or whatever the last time he backed it out.
a lot of times using a boost pack or battery charger may not get a good connection through the spring clamps, therefor not putting out a good charge.

i can't see the battery dying if it's that new, in california. it just doesn't get cold enough to freeze a dead battery.

 

The Jeep is parked in a narrow garage with a narrow driveway. It would be hard for him to back it out on his own. He has a big Dodge truck which would do the job to jump it. If he was able to push the Jeep out , the back would be up against the front of his truck. There is no room for his truck to be pulled along side the Jeep to jump it. He's my buddy and I don't want ask him for to much. Once I get there we'll figure it out. We'd have to get both vehicles in the street to jump it. I find it odd that one of the cables was replaced and not the other. I think its got something to do with that. I think there might be a corrosion problem with the negative cable, or connection issue that might have been temporarily solved by replacing it. He's never turned on a light inside. As far as I know. Thanks again.