Starting Issue

[05Saab]

Battery was completely dead on my Jeep last night. Only a few hours after starting and driving normally. No lights, radio, ect were left on. Jump started it fine. When I got home, shut it off, and immediately everything died...no power at all. I went to check the battery with a volt meter...read 12.4V. So with the volt meter still connected, I checked, and sure as shit. I had power for dome lights, ect. (didn't try to start it)

For now, I took out the fuses for my off-road and bumper lights. Im guessing there is a short in the wiring somewhere. But im wondering what took over a week to drain the battery, even after driving it everyday, and it sitting for much longer periods without being started.

Any ideas, or further things to possibly test?

[TomKat]

Connections. Make sure the battery cables are on tight.

[paulmeisterpk]

Connections or a dead cell in the battery.

[DirtyBird]

If you have a multimeter you could check for amperage draw on the battery whith it off, doors closed. Just dont turn anything on or you will kill your meters fuses. That and get your battery tested at autozone for free.

[DirtyBird]

I would also check the wiring for all your dam new lights too.

[SgtRauksauff]

I'd maybe check your alternator too. and maybe any fusible link areas, if any, in your power harness. My Diplomat took almost a week for the battery to go completely dead (on the way to TT, of course). I thought it was the alternator, but it was the fusible link between the alternator and the battery. so there was no way for the battery to get charged, only discharged.

--sarge

[abot316]

Idk how anybody but Jeffro can answer this question, its a Jeep thing, we wouldn't understand

[05Saab]

I was wondering when someone would chime in with the Jeep comment. Lol

I will have to try a few of these things. Just pissed me off, because it gave no warning that it was dying, and I jump-started it at 1am in the cold lol

But I think a new battery is in order at some point soon anyways. The connectors and the terminals on the battery are so screwed up due to being soft metal

[northsydryd]

it took a couple days to realize what happened after i put the hids on the 1g.right away i knowticed everything slowing down.then 1 morning nothing,ended up being the alternator...but ya check your battery connections,get it started and dis connect the battery and see if it dies

[05Saab]

Had the battery tested, it was good. So put it back in, made sure everything was tight and it fired right up. Must be a Jeep thing, JUST to piss me off lol

[TomKat]

Connections or a dead cell in the battery.

If it had a dead cell in the battery it wouldn't have 12.4 volts.

[VPT]

It would have 11.8 or less.

Maybe it was the fuel filter.

[Scrad]

Rob, did you turn the key all the way.

[05Saab]

Everything is fine now....I'm guessing it was a loose connection. Even though they were pretty damn tight when I had to remove them to take the battery out. Just wasn't on the top of my list of things to check at 1am lol

I may have not turned the key all the way back to off when I parked. I found out the yesterday that I can take my key out in almost any position of the ignition. So it may still have had power to some things. Although I know for a fact the radio, fan, interior lights were not on.

Either way, runs fine now, so may have just been a discharged battery, or a phantom issue that fixed itself once the battery was taken off and put back on.