wierd battery cranking trouble??

[ozflip]

Ok...I've searched but cant find anything to match my problem....for the last 5-6 days my 96 xj 4.0 has been acting like it has a low battery. Really slow/sluggish starts. It seems to just have enough juice to crank. Its been getting worse by the day. Day 1 just seemed a little off. Today I didnt think it was going to crank. I took it to a local tire shop that is an Interstate dealer. The guy said it was my alternator...but it was pushing out like 13-14 volts. It has always been just under 14. Ive always been under the impression it was just a jeep thing. Ive drove a XJ the last 7 years and its always been like that.....heres the wierd part, I turned it off to talk to the guy and then when I cranked it...it was like nothing was wrong...Ive been driving it all over town turning it on and off many times and its fine. I drove it like 200 miles the other day and then it was still sluggish. Its like the tester thing fixed it...which I know isnt possible. But any ideas??? Should i be looking elsewhere?

 

[KarlVP]

clean up your battery cables.

 

[red91]

clean up your battery cables.

i would agree for this as a starting point, but I just went through EXACTLY what your talking about.

slow starting...usually worked good in the morning, albeit slow, but would eventually catch. The more you started it during the day the worse it got, right ?


My alt was working correctly, and I knew that batt was good....

only option left was the starter. Wouldn't even click last week...I mean NOTHING. The hammer massage idea didn't even work...went to the garage for the spare starter, slapped it in, and WA LA!

NO MORE problem.

Good luck.

 

[kg4bet]

Check your starter.

Sorry Red 91 beat me to the button.

73's KG4BET

 

[ozflip]

cleaned the cables and posts a few days ago...ive had a starter go out before on my old xj and it is nothing like this...befor when it went out it was like the gears were stripped out and you could hear a spinning/zipping noise and then a thump(thats the best i know how to describe it). Are there different symptoms of a bad starter?

 

[red91]

cleaned the cables and posts a few days ago...ive had a starter go out before on my old xj and it is nothing like this...befor when it went out it was like the gears were stripped out and you could hear a spinning/zipping noise and then a thump(thats the best i know how to describe it). Are there different symptoms of a bad starter?

yup...and you found another....I'm assuming here that the internals were just giving out, or the solonoid is going bad (on mine)...either way..if you clean the cables and it didn't work...you only have ONE other alternative left.

Be thankful the starter is much easier than the alternator to change.

 

[ozflip]

Thanks...I'll look into this...is there any way to check it or should I let a mechanic check it out...dont worry Ill change it if its bad ...before anyone jumps me about payin someone to do it.

 

[red91]

Thanks...I'll look into this...is there any way to check it or should I let a mechanic check it out...dont worry Ill change it if its bad ...before anyone jumps me about payin someone to do it.

the easist way to check it is to pull it out and jump use your battery and a pair of cables. Ground it, and hook up the positive end to the starter connection and jump it to the solinoid. Or take it in and have someone test it when it's out.

I got $5.00 says its going out.