dead battery

There may be something else on that circuit besides the lamps. 170 milliamperes is not a huge load on the battery. Should take more than a week to draw it down to where the battery won't start the car. You may need a new battery. For sure if it's the original.

I leave my '93 JGC on a charger most of the time. I only drive it about once a week, and the battery will run down if I don't drive it at least that often without the charger being on. I use one of the "smart" chargers that installs next to the battery. I just pop the hood and plug it in when I'm not going to use the Jeep for a while.

Dick

Dick did pass the time by typing:

I can leave my 93 in the garage for four weeks and it still starts. Your battery is toast or the charging circuit isn't keeping up.

Check any item that has a memory circuit, they all draw a little. If you want to stop all problems with the battery draining you could use a disconnect but be forewarned, that long without power will dump the ECU and your firt few miles will be fun as the jeep relearns all the sensor inputs and recalibrates. Disconnects are only a good idea for long term (1-n month) storage

.17A is partially the memory ciruits for the radio and other gadgets. But just to be sure wait till it's dark and look up under the engine to see if the hood lamp is on and inside to see if the glovebox light is lit. Those two can cause problems. You might also leave the light switch in the OFF position as I've noticed there is a slight draw in the AUTO position even with the key off. :/ (least on my 93 there is)

I could too if I drove it enough to keep the battery charged. Nothing wrong with my battery or charging system. Just doesn't get enough use.

Its a brand new battery, 2nd one actualy after it killed the first new one it the battery never recovered.

Matt 0|||||||0 Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves

You are now describing a bad connection on one or more of the main battery cables. When you have a corroded connection the alternator can only put a surface charge into the battery so it will go dead overnight until you finally just kill the battery.

The battery cables have two ends don't forget. The one that hooks to the block always gets missed in a clean. There also is a wire mesh ground strap from the engine head to the firewall that needs attention. If this is ratty you will get your symptoms.

Or your fan belt is loose or the alternator is dead. A multimeter on the output of the alternator can give helpful readings.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

JEEPR wrote:

Dick, if your battery can't hold a charge for a week, there's a problem.

The battery is brand new, less than a month. The 0.17 amp draw occurs with the main computer unhooked, the draw is on the cluster light circuit only. Would like to know what is on that circuit to cause a constant draw.

Mike I'm going to check the cables an I'll let you know. I have a sneaky suspicion that there is a faulty weight in the under hood light. does not seem to roll to smoothly and seems to hang up.

The problem is that typical use for the Jeep is a 1-1/2 mile trip to a meeting once a week and return. The alternator doesn't get a chance to even replace the starting current, let alone top off the battery. That, combined with a lot of ham radio equipment that is also drawing standby power, and the need for supplemental charging becomes necessary.

Dick

I would guess the clock maybe in the instrument cluster or anything else with a memory chip will draw.

Mike

JEEPR wrote:

JEEPR did pass the time by typing:

Don't think the underhood light is on that circuit. Check the glovebox lamp. Another "remote possiblity" is salt causing a connection around the door switches or in the harness.

With some systems (e.g. my boat), the connection from the battery to the alternator is direct (well ok ... via the connector on the starter). If one of the alternator rectifier diodes goes bad, the battery can go dead overnight because of current passing from the battery through the diode to "ground". It's not clear if you're checking that path ... others here more familiar with jeep wiring can help out on whether a bad rectifier diode is a possibility.

I had an '81 Malibu that kept draining batteries. It turned out to be the light under the hood was always on. After I removed the bulb the problem went away.

FWIW I have gotten new batteries that were bad After I replaced the battery on my daughter's '88 Cougar the problem went away .

Decades ago when I took auto shop they taught us it took 20 minutes to replace the juice required to start a vehicle. Even at that it shouldn't go dead in a week for a 1.5 mile trip weekly.

Even if the alternator was bad a battery should supply the car's electriacl needs for 30 minutes or so depending on the reserve capacity.

Your local parts store can check the charging system in a few minutes and it is usually free or only a nominal cost.

No clock. Had the whole dash pulled apart and unplugged every thing I could get my hands on, only thing left plugged in was the center console, still the .17 amp drain. Checked the wires, no bonding wire from the block to the fire wall as you suggested, only from the negative battery cable to the block and from the negative battery cable to the frame, these I cleaned, and we will see. Thanks for your suggestions. She takes it back to Barrie on Monday, three hour drive, we'll see what happens after that.

I had a dead battery on my 2000 Jeep one month after I bought it new.

Got a new battery (under warranty of course) and it went bad in about 6 months. Got a 3rd battery which has now lasted about 4 years.

I would have a shop give the battery a professional test.

--James--

If your corrosion is bad enough that it has pitted your cable ends...consider new ones. The pitting means that the full flat surface of the wire lug isn't making contact and that only the raised parts are....this means that you have a bunch of little fuses that are making the connection and that it will heat up if it's bad enough.

this localized heat on the battery terminal isn't cool (pun intended)!!

If the diode shorts, it will give a resistive path to ground (depending which one in the bridge goes).. But doesn't OBD2 monitor charging voltages....you'd get an engine light (HEy, maybe your engine light is always on, but the bulb is burned out...haha nevermind).

A guy I worked with had to boost his battery if he left it off for more than

8hours or so. Turned out to be a short in the interior light which still happened to light (might've been 2 bulbs -- one shorted/one fine).