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1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee slow drain on battery ( 1 week to 10 days)


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mauro1946
New User

Mar 31, 2017, 4:36 PM

Post #1 of 7 (1986 views)
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee slow drain on battery ( 1 week to 10 days) Sign In

wifey loves her Jeep but I'm going crazy recharging the battery every week, already replaced battery with new one, also brand new leads to battery, mechanic said it's NOT the alternator, asked around and was told that it is probably a poor contact somewhere and it is rather hard to diagnose it, so I'm asking the experts here if there is a simple test that I can do to establish problem, I can get help from friend with tools, not very handy myself!


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Mar 31, 2017, 5:57 PM

Post #2 of 7 (1983 views)
Re: 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee slow drain on battery ( 1 week to 10 days) Sign In

Have you at least determined if it be being drawn down overnight?

If it is.........


There is a procedure for finding a battery draw like that.

You will need a digital ammeter and a jumper wire with clips on the ends to do this.
First rig any door switches so you can have a door open without triggering the interior lights and unplug the hood light. Remove one battery cable and attach the meter in series between the battery cable and battery post. Take the jumper wire and also attach it the same way. Leave the jumper wire on for at least 30 to 40 minutes to expire all the automatic timers. Now remove the jumper wire and read the meter. Anything over 50ma is too much draw. The way you locate this is to start removing fuses one at a time until the meter drops to normal level. This will be the circuit with something staying on. Determine what components are part of that circuit and check them individually until the problem is isolated.



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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



mauro1946
New User

Mar 31, 2017, 8:11 PM

Post #3 of 7 (1971 views)
Re: 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee slow drain on battery ( 1 week to 10 days) Sign In

I'll try the procedure you suggest, but the drain is not sudden or overnight, usually after I charge the battery up it will start promptly every day for up to 10 days or more ( I never really timed the # of days ) Whatever time has lapsed I usually can tell right away because the dash lights are very dim and when I turn the ignition a ke-ke-ke-ke sound occurs and the motor will not start, I will then charge the battery overnight and everything is back to normal, quick start and all! Once it even started after a few minutes of charging ( with battery charger still attached) but I didn't trust it a gave the full charge overnight.
What do you think about the suggestion someone told me, that there are several points of contact throughout the system and any one weak point is causing the drain!?


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Mar 31, 2017, 8:22 PM

Post #4 of 7 (1969 views)
Re: 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee slow drain on battery ( 1 week to 10 days) Sign In

There are only 3 possibilities here...........

  1. The battery is not being recharged by the alternator
  2. The battery is being pulled down by a parasitic drain when parked.
  3. The battery itself is bad and not capable of holding a charge.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



mauro1946
New User

Mar 31, 2017, 9:25 PM

Post #5 of 7 (1963 views)
Re: 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee slow drain on battery ( 1 week to 10 days) Sign In

Mentioned to a mechanic and he excluded the alternator, and the battery is new and takes the charge, methinks the parasitic drain is the culprit, it seems to not start whenever it's not used for more than a day!...I'll follow your suggestion/procedure and keep my fingers crossed....thanks for the help! Muchas Gracias!


Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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Apr 1, 2017, 1:34 AM

Post #6 of 7 (1957 views)
Re: 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee slow drain on battery ( 1 week to 10 days) Sign In

Friend - do that test. Your new battery is probably already ruined from discharging that much if more than a few times, it's already harmed. If you don't do a full charge when you do charge it up, the alternator once thought good works too hard up to ruining it to. If safe go ahead and feel it just 2 minutes if battery is too low alternator metal will be too hot to touch,


Your call,


Tom



kev2
Veteran
kev2 profile image

Apr 1, 2017, 7:57 AM

Post #7 of 7 (1944 views)
Re: 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee slow drain on battery ( 1 week to 10 days) Sign In

 - what did you add modify or recently work on? Are there any codes - scan even if light is off - use a scanner.
Tip: new≠good






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