Cabin rattling, also, difficult cold start up?

[jeepXcore]

So I know my Jeeps like 15 years old, I'm not surprised that the panels have been loosened up over time, I've located the point of rattling on the drivers side panel where the paneling by the steering wheel meets the door, when I put pressure on that paneling, the rattling ceases. How easy is it to pop off the paneling to put some paddling or tighten up that paneling to get rid of that rattle?

Also, this morning, when I went to start her up, the engine just clicked like the battery was dead/or the starter was crapping out on me. I tried to get her to start twice, then, gave up, went in to call my insurance to use my roadside assist. I jumped back into the Jeep and tried it once more, and it weakly started up and ran fine.

Drove it 10 minutes to work, parked it, turned it off, turned it on again, it started up strong like normal. During one of my breaks, about 1 1/2 later, I tried it again, starting up strong and normal again...

I'm guessing the cold was just messing with the battery this morning? It was 13 degrees out when I tried to start it up when I had trouble starting up.

 

[Chris]

Test your battery. You can test it yourself if you have a multimeter, or just take it to any auto part store or Batteries Plus. They will test it for free and tell you if it's good or bad.

There's a chance it's a bad battery.

 

[RaymondT]

So I know my Jeeps like 15 years old, I'm not surprised that the panels have been loosened up over time, I've located the point of rattling on the drivers side panel where the paneling by the steering wheel meets the door, when I put pressure on that paneling, the rattling ceases. How easy is it to pop off the paneling to put some paddling or tighten up that paneling to get rid of that rattle?

Also, this morning, when I went to start her up, the engine just clicked like the battery was dead/or the starter was crapping out on me. I tried to get her to start twice, then, gave up, went in to call my insurance to use my roadside assist. I jumped back into the Jeep and tried it once more, and it weakly started up and ran fine.

Drove it 10 minutes to work, parked it, turned it off, turned it on again, it started up strong like normal. During one of my breaks, about 1 1/2 later, I tried it again, starting up strong and normal again...

I'm guessing the cold was just messing with the battery this morning? It was 13 degrees out when I tried to start it up when I had trouble starting up.

First off, you're just dipping into overnight temps where a block heater is desirable. The starter could also be weak due to age and grime that gets in there. Any leaks in the oil filter over the life of the Jeep pretty much winds up on and in the starter and adds to the build up. Mine is pretty much in the same boat and I'm going to rebuild it when it gets warmer out. A good clean out, some new bushings, a brush holder, a little light viscosity grease on the planetary gears, and some attention to the copper ring should do it(lots of YouTube videos on this).

Rattles can be obvious or almost impossible to locate especially with the effects of thermal expansion. Sound can reflect off stuff and make it tough to nail down. Since you've located the source, at least you can do something about it. There's peel n' stick felting that the factory and dealers use on panel edges or your local parts store may offer something thin with an adhesive backing you can apply to the edges.

 

[Chris]

Rattles can be obvious or almost impossible to locate especially with the effects of thermal expansion. Sound can reflect off stuff and make it tough to nail down. Since you've located the source, at least you can do something about it. There's peel n' stick felting that the factory and dealers use on panel edges or your local parts store may offer something thin with an adhesive backing you can apply to the edges.

X2

That paneling is easy to remove, so you shouldn't have a hard time with it at all.

 

[jeepXcore]

First off, you're just dipping into overnight temps where a block heater is desirable. The starter could also be weak due to age and grime that gets in there. Any leaks in the oil filter over the life of the Jeep pretty much winds up on and in the starter and adds to the build up. Mine is pretty much in the same boat and I'm going to rebuild it when it gets warmer out. A good clean out, some new bushings, a brush holder, a little light viscosity grease on the planetary gears, and some attention to the copper ring should do it(lots of YouTube videos on this).

Rattles can be obvious or almost impossible to locate especially with the effects of thermal expansion. Sound can reflect off stuff and make it tough to nail down. Since you've located the source, at least you can do something about it. There's peel n' stick felting that the factory and dealers use on panel edges or your local parts store may offer something thin with an adhesive backing you can apply to the edges.

Got it, I'm going to look at the starter this weekend and check for any obvious oil stains on it/etc.

Same thing happened this morning, however, on the 3rd try, I tried starting it while giving it a little gas, it got up and running...I'm starting to wonder if the fuel Injectors or the fuel lines/pump might be the culprit(s)?

 

[Stinger]

When you pull that battery to take it for testing mske sure you clean (or replace) the battery cables. Bad connections can cause your symptoms.

 

[Chris]

Check for engine codes as well.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Test your battery. You can test it yourself if you have a multimeter

No you can't Chris. Even a battery that is on its last legs or nearly dead can show over 12 volts on a multimeter. It's what happens to that voltage when a heavy load is applied to it like happens when starting an engine that is important.

The only reliable way to test a battery that will show its true health is called a load test. That is done by a special load test device with a meter that places a big load on the battery for a specified period of time, like 15 or more seconds. Most auto parts stores that sell batteries can perform a load test but not many of the sales staff actually know how to properly conduct a load test.

For example, I had a battery that was still in warranty that I knew was bad. I took it in to a battery shop I had been using for years to have it replaced under warranty. The guy at the counter was new to me and when he said it test good, I knew he hadn't done the test properly. He then refused to replace it. I then located another employee there who had been there for years and told him what had just happened and asked him to load test it for me while I watched. Sure enough, the voltage dropped off to near zero after holding the load on for more than 2-3 seconds.... a sign the battery had gone bad. He replaced it under warranty and told me he'd teach the other guy how to properly conduct a load test.

JeepXcore, cold takes out batteries especially since cold engines are much harder to crank. What else can also cause an engine to be hard to start is a bad battery connection. A dirty/corroded/loose battery connection can look perfectly fine but it can be the difference between the starter motor getting enough power or not. So in addition to having the battery load tested, go buy a $4 battery brush and use it to clean the battery posts and inside of the battery connections. Battery brushes are wire and include male and female side to clean the post and connector. Then make sure the clamp bolts are tight enough that you can't move them around the battery post even with considerable hand pressure.

If you can't get the connectors tight enough, which happens when they or the battery posts wear, there's a free way to fix that. All you need to do is to shave/cut a thin layer of lead off from both sides inside the battery clamp gap that gets pinched together by the clamp bolt. Doing that will allow the clamp to close tighter around the post like it did when it was new.

 

[Chris]

Well crap, I learned something new, thanks @Jerry Bransford. Electrical has always been one of my worst areas!

 

[RaymondT]

No you can't Chris. Even a battery that is on its last legs or nearly dead can show over 12 volts on a multimeter. It's what happens to that voltage when a heavy load is applied to it like happens when starting an engine that is important.

The only reliable way to test a battery that will show its true health is called a load test. That is done by a special load test device with a meter that places a big load on the battery for a specified period of time, like 15 or more seconds. Most auto parts stores that sell batteries can perform a load test but not many of the sales staff actually know how to properly conduct a load test.

For example, I had a battery that was still in warranty that I knew was bad. I took it in to a battery shop I had been using for years to have it replaced under warranty. The guy at the counter was new to me and when he said it test good, I knew he hadn't done the test properly. He then refused to replace it. I then located another employee there who had been there for years and told him what had just happened and asked him to load test it for me while I watched. Sure enough, the voltage dropped off to near zero after holding the load on for more than 2-3 seconds.... a sign the battery had gone bad. He replaced it under warranty and told me he'd teach the other guy how to properly conduct a load test.

X 2. A proper load test with a carbon pile to pull some serious amps is the only way to test a battery. Those electronic battery testers that many places carry (made by Midtronics) are practically worthless! I used one for many years at Freightliner and did hundreds of warranties.