Funky 4.0L ZJ

[XJoshua]

Well the moms ZJ is acting up this winter. Havent got all the details but enough.

Problem:
1.) Well I was asked to flush the cooling system for her to prep it for the winter months. I went out there and the radiator has a small crack so I need to fix it with some dump in stuff. Since I topped it off I started it and heard a whinning sound. You can only hear it at 2300RPMs+ right now Im thinking the fan is bent or fan clutch is going out or it needs a new belt since none of the accessories heat up the belt.

2.) Engine cranks like the battery is dead, but if you crank it long it start up and trys to stall then springs to life. This also happened that same night which made me think one of the accessories is locked up but none heated the belt or the pulleys. Today she said she had to be jump started at work, so either she lef the lights on and killed the battery or its draining somewhere. This still doesnt explain for the weird cranking its been doing for these past few days.

So any ideas on where to start with those? Im thinking of just sending her to a shop but I dont want her spending millions of millions of dollars to fix the damn thing. :eeks1:

 

[jeepnuts311]

Since I topped it off I started it and heard a whinning sound.

did you spill coolant on the belt?

Engine cranks like the battery is dead,

when my battery is dead, my engine doesn crank..
batteries can get dead cells if they sit for a while, im not sure what causes it tho

-Tim

 

[XJoshua]

No, this whinning sound happens all the time now. At that RPM range.

Ill probally take the battery in to be tested. Just seems weird how all this happened right before I touched it.

 

[Hellbent]

noisy alternator going...killing battery? got a voltmeter/battery tester? see what it's charging at. anything physically rubbing against anything else while it's running-fan shroud, etc?

 

[XJoshua]

The ZJ has the volt guage and reads at 11.5v I think not sure if its volts or amps. Electricity is my enemy.

I dont think anything is rubbing. If the alt is going out, that would probally explain the whinning sound and hard starts. On the XJ when I stacked the bearings on the alt it cranked hard and squealed. No whine, but Im sure it would have if I didnt clean the oil off with well water(very stupid idea on my part).

 

[goodburbon]

11.5 is volts and is definately low, check the battery while off and while running with a seperate volt meter just to be sure, but It sounds like your alt is on its way out

 

[mcnamaag]

Also check for volt drop at the battery when you try to crank the engine. I had a starter going bad and it did the EXACT same thing. ie Crank slow then speed up, drain the battery over night etc.

 

[mcnamaag]

Local parts store can do this with their battery/alt tester.

 

[XJoshua]

Every car Ive owned has always ran at 11.5. Not completely at the middle mark but slightly below at idle and slightly past middle at speed.

Ill just take it in after I check my CPS today on the XJ.

 

[dutchjeep]

I agree that 11.5V is low. Maybe use a multimeter on the battery directly (I find that more accurate than the ones in the car; I know for a fact that mine is notoriously unreliable) and also see if the volts go up when the car is running (it should be charging). A full test (local autopart store) is the best since that also measure amps. Just my 0.02.

 

[XJoshua]

Hmmm moved. Isnt a 4.0 a 4.0? Im just BS'n. The alt is so much more of a pair to remove from a ZJ its at a mid engine position where our XJ alts are at the bottome, weird...

 

[Blaine B.]

A/C? (as in defroster.....) Mine whines if it is on, and you can hear it more at certain RPM's than others.

Also when using a meter at the battery, when running idle, mine runs at about 12.7 volts.

 

[UNCC_99XJ]

As far as the radiator goes, I would not recommend any of those stop leak or quick fix things you just dump in. Buddy of mine had a small crack in the Radiator of his Pontiac, and added some of that stuff. Yeah it plugged the leak, but it also plugged everything else in the process.....water pump stopped moving, gummed up the hoses too. Had to drain everything out, flush it a couple of times, and put some new hoses on it to get it running again.

 

[Blaine B.]

how can the waterpump stop moving? And perhaps he shouldn't have poured in a full container of stop-leak for a tiny crack.

 

[XJoshua]

Well I gave up on trying to help because if something were to get messed up today, tomorrow, or five years from now somehow someway Id get blammed for it. So I just gave my dad a bunch of suggestions and let him take it from there. That whinning noise scares me because its not my car, but Im sure its either the fan or the alternator. Still runs though just have to add coolant when needed.

 

[UNCC_99XJ]

how can the waterpump stop moving? And perhaps he shouldn't have poured in a full container of stop-leak for a tiny crack.

What I mean is it stopped up everything....water pump stopped FLOWING, water pump began squeeling.

And I agree, but I do not know how much he added. I still wouldn't put any of that crap in any system.

 

[Blaine B.]

Jesus, sounds like cake mix lol