after 6 days of rain, my 97 tj se won't start. there's a fast clicking, so i thought it might be the battery. i put a vom on it and it read
12v, but i threw a 10a 5 hr charge on it anyway. the inside lights got brighter, but it still won't turn, just clicking. i tried until it stopped clicking, waited a few minutes, and same thing. i checked the codes and got 12, 55. that's nice because i took the battery out to charge it (12=battery recently removed). no other codes, so the computer is not helping (iguess i should have checked it before disconnecting the battery. there's not much to this 2.5l engine. the battery was replaced about a year ago by my mechanic (some no name battery that's supposed to last for 55 months). I don't have much time to spend working on this jeep, if the battery is a good shot, i'll replace it. any thoughts?? thanks
Check the connection of the + cable on the starter look for corrosion also check the ground connection and battery connections make sure they are clean.
Technically you're battery is closed to being discharged (0Volts doesn't mean dishcharged)....I thinkit's something along the lines of 11.8 volts for a fully discharged battery.
Of course, clean the term> after 6 days of rain, my 97 tj se won't start. there's a fast clicking,
First pull and clean the battery terminals. Check the positive cable to the starter and the negative cable to ground for being clean and tight. If in doubt, pull them, clean, and tighten.
Your symptoms sound like a battery on its last legs if the charger makes your lights brighter. Unless you find a *really* bad cable, plan on getting it running long enough to go get a good name brand battery. Ignore the warranty as 4 years is a long time even for a premium battery. Charge or jump it, and head for a battery dealer.
If you can't turn the headlights on for 10 minutes and still read 12 volts, the battery is going.
Thanks for all the great suggestions. I should have mentioned that the battery is about a year old and it died one other time (well I assume that it died, because I recharged it and it worked fine all summer). But, now you got me thinking because last time I charged it, I also cleaned the terminal connectors. I'm going to recharge, clean the terminals and terminal connectors, the starter and solenoid connections and see if that fixes it. Probably a good idea to do that once a year away, huh?
While you are in there check and clean the main electrical grounds. There should be three. Check the cable also, sometimes they disintegrate from the inside.
Ok gents, here's the cure. Sometimes you overlook the simple stuff, so I said, let me try to jump start this with my suburban, I connected up the boosters and bingo started immediately, but the instrutment panel lights were very bright and the battery voltage guage was pinned and the red check guage light came on. Crap, I thought I may have fried something or my bigass suburban scared the piss out of my little wrangler. I drove down the driveway and could smell hot electrical something, so I shut her down and disconnected the battery, but the bat v guage was still pinned, I knocked on the dash like any good backyard mechanic would do and it stayed pinned. I reconnected the battery and still nothing, now no lights. As a last resort before a bon voyage in the pond out back, I drove over to my friendly Sears just about closing time, so they sold me the cheapest diehard for the jeep with no core fee and plenty of cold crank amps to turn her over in the winter. I cleaned up the cables and slipped it in her and she loved it! Started right up, guage back to normal (~13v) and lights just right. Lesson learned...never trust a battery regardless of how old (mine was just about 12 months) and never skip over the simple stuff, and always clean up before slipping it to her! Thanks for all your suggestions! Cheers!!!
Frankie, Just a post note to your battery charging technique, 10 amps is a VERY high charge rate. It is, imho, a last resort and could lead to melting/shorting the internal copper plates if the temperature is not kept under observation. Of course while doing this charging you had the battery disconnected from the vehicle, the caps lifted for ventilation, and each cell filled with 'distilled' water, and was vigillant to maintain the water level. Right? The best rate to charge a battery is a prolonged trickle charge - say 2amps. Although your situation may have given to more desperate measures warranting the 10A rate, there are also the other steps I mentioned above that accompany this urgency. A problem battery can be brought back to life and be made almost new. I have taken old batteries and put them in my ICU. I use an eye dropper to suck the crap off of the top, add distilled water, than charge a bit longer, than suck more crap off the top and continue charging. I continue this until I can see clear water and the plates are easily viewed (with a flashlight) and continue charging until a full charge is obtained. After all of this your lights will work fine but it will not gaurantee the batteries cranking power. This method is not a high percentage operation, but if you have the time and enjoy the challenge of bringing one of those suckers back to life - it's kinda fun. If maintainence is not ones gig go out and buy a GOOD battery. The cheapest will put yourself in the same position 6,9,12 months down the road. A quality battery properly maintained when servicing the jeep will last and keep on going, and going, and going..... And as Bill once suggested on this board, use dialectric grease for the internal connection of the battery and coat the outside with (I think he said) varnish or paint. I used varnish and it beat the hell out of my previous use of pertroleum jelly. Good Luck. Steve
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