New battery but Jeep dies when I try to start

[Mattmull]

2000 Jeep Wrangler. No previous electrical issues. Would not start one morning. Battery was old, took it to get tested and was diagnosed as bad (low amps).
Installed new battery, turned key to "on" but not start, dash lit up and gauges read as they normally do. When i turned to start the engine jsut a "click" and everything went dead.
I have no clue where to start to check what went wrong - any suggestions?

 

[Joeinnewjersey]

Make sure battery connections are on tight.

 

[Mattmull]

Make sure battery connections are on tight.

Checked them - they are solid.

 

[Joeinnewjersey]

Checked them - they are solid.

Maybe the new battery is also dead.

 

[Moglocker]

got to be a bad cable

 

[Mattmull]

got to be a bad cable

So why would it click and go dead? If I try to jump start it it does the same thing

 

[Moglocker]

So why would it click and go dead? If I try to jump start it it does the same thing

Cable could be full of corrosion or lose ground,if it jumps off another car it’s a bad battery

 

[Luke Markham]

Did you clean the cable connections before reconnecting a new battery?

 

[Jerry Bransford]

So why would it click and go dead? If I try to jump start it it does the same thing

Two suggestions... either you have a bad battery cable or the new battery you installed is bad. And once a modern Wrangler with a dead battery is jump started, it will die soon after disconnecting the jump start battery. Believe it or not the alternator runs off 12 volts from the battery and if it can't get enough power from the battery it and the ignition system will die.

That wasn't true with older generators and some other car brands with a different type of alternator but most modern alternators do require the battery be charged to work. That's why we get told they're not designed to charge up dead batteries.

Have that new battery load tested!

 

[Mattmull]

Two suggestions... either you have a bad battery cable or the new battery you installed is bad. And once a modern Wrangler with a dead battery is jump started, it will die soon after disconnecting the jump start battery. Believe it or not the alternator runs off 12 volts from the battery and if it can't get enough power from the battery it and the ignition system will die.

That wasn't true with older generators and some other car brands with a different type of alternator but most modern alternators do require the battery be charged to work. That's why we get told they're not designed to charge up dead batteries.

Have that new battery load tested!

Thanks - I will get the battery tested tomorrow!

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Thanks - I will get the battery tested tomorrow!

I'd be wary of the load test process, not all auto parts store employees know WTF they're doing. Make sure he holds the load (half of the battery's CCA rating) on the battery 15 seconds which is the minimum to get a valid test. Some just load the battery for a few seconds which is not long enough to know if the battery's healthy or not. They're not just measuring its voltage with a meter, they're also putting a heavy electrical load on the battery to see if it can continue to put out 12 volts while the load is on it.

 

[Chapman4266]

Just a click could be starter

 

[Mattmull]

Thanks - I will get the battery tested tomorrow!

Battery tested fine. After the battery was disconnected, for maybe 30 minutes, I reconnected the battery. Put the key in turn it to the on position and the gauge lights came back to life. Had my daughter try to start the jeep while I was by the engine compartment, heard a click that may have come from the starter, and everything went dead again. Is this indicative of a bad solenoid on the starter? What a solenoid kill the power to everything and then reset after a while?

 

[JKP]

More likely a bad starter, the click is the solenoid working.

 

[pagrey]

Is this indicative of a bad solenoid on the starter? What a solenoid kill the power to everything and then reset after a while?

No, the starter wont kill everything and reset after awhile. Like a few have said I'd suspect the cables. They might look okay but one or the other end may be corroded or damaged. Take a really close look at both cables at both ends, the wires should look perfect with very little sign of corrosion. A damaged section of wire may simply get extremely hot when it tries to start and then once it cools off it flows enough current to power the instruments again.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

With everything going dead with a good battery I'd suspect a bad/corroded cable connector.

 

[Gilaguy23]

As mentioned many of the AP stores have clueless staff. Did they load test it and did you see them do it?? Do you have a digital volt meter you can stick on while trying to crank it over and watch for a big voltage drop? Also look on the side of the battery for a little round year of mfg sticker. I can tell you a big locally a farm and ranch supply has a real nice battery display set up. I looked at most of the battery's on the display and the ones up front anyhow had been sitting for 2 years in most cases. Ya just never know these days.

 

[pagrey]

Do you have a digital volt meter you can stick on while trying to crank it over and watch for a big voltage drop?

That's a great suggestion. A cheap voltmeter on the battery terminals when you crank would tell you allot.

 

[Mattmull]

More likely a bad starter, the click is the solenoid working.

Replaced the starter and the issue remains

 

[Moglocker]

Almost sounds like a loose ground,but the battery and starter were both good the morning it stopped starting,maybe the ignition switch in the column is not releasing the full power to the starter?