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Help! Battery not charging, jeep dies.. Alternator?

18K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  Razz 
#1 ·
2002 Wrangler....

1. Jeep won't turn over.
2. Starts with jumper cables
3. Check engine light comes on.
4. Gauge indicates battery not charging
4. All gauges quit working
5. Jeep sputters and dies 5 minutes later and will not restart.

Time to go through steps 1-5 above is ~10 minutes.

What to do, what to do....

It's stuck in a convenience store parking lot right now - gotta move it asap.
 
#4 ·
I have to somewhat disagree with TJdude09, A weak battery does not have enough CCA to start the Jeep. Once started, the alternator will charge it but a dead battery will not hold a charge. Your Jeep will not run long with a dead battery.But first, clean/tightened your battery terminals. You need to disconnect the battery and have a buddy drive you to a parts store to have it load tested, if it's good then alternator may be the culprit.
 
#5 ·
I have to disagree with TJdude09, A weak battery does not have enough CCA to start the Jeep. Once started, the alternator will charge it but a dead battery will not hold a charge. Your Jeep will not run long with a dead battery.But first, clean/tightened your battery terminals. You need to disconnect the battery and have a buddy drive you to a parts store to have it load tested.
He said it starts off a jump. It will run if alternator is good. Or turn off if bad.
 
#10 ·
I would agree with Tjdude as from what I know, the battery is just there to start your vehicle and once it turns over, the battery is no longer used. From that point on it is just simply getting charged when the vehicle is running. If the alternator is bad then it will drain the battery making it where it won't turn over. But if you jump it with a good battery, it will turn over which would clue into having a bad alternator.
 
#11 ·
Do you have or can you borrow a battery charger?

Charge up your battery, use a multimeter to test voltage before and after starting the Jeep. That will tell you everything you need to know. That is, after you get it home.

Probably a bad alternator/dead battery combo from the sound of it.
 
#18 ·
It appears that the problem was the battery.

I put a new battery in it and it fired right up and the electrical gauge went to 14 volts.and stayed there all the way to Autozone where I got the alternator checked.. The alternate passed the check.

Thanks for all the help guys!
 
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