Click & Slow Crank

PhillyJake

PhillyJake

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 22, 2020
Messages
106
Location
Philadelphia
I realize that sounds like the name of a local country bar band, but unfortunately, it's the only tune my TJ is playing at the moment.

A bit of context: I swapped full doors for new half doors & cloth uppers just to get a feel for them. I took out fuse #4 so the interior lights didn't stay on while I had the doors off. I have since reinstalled the full doors for the remainder of the Northeast winter, as well as fuse #4. In addition, I have:
  • Two old-school KC fog lights on the A-pillars wired to the battery with a new KC harness & relay
  • Two aftermarkets LED fog lights replacing my factory fogs, wired to the factory harness & switch
  • Amazon seat heater on drivers side that goes under my seat cover - switch wired through firewall to battery - with fuse
  • I am not an electrician and these add-ons are the first I've ever done, though I've had them wired in for over a year
  • Prior to fiddling with the doors, the only problem I've had is from leaving the seat heater on overnight and draining the battery
  • Advanced Auto Parts' battery checker said "replace battery" - but then the guy tried to hard sell me a battery, which felt a little fishy
Now I have a problem. If she sits for more than a day, I get this (see video for reference). A trickle charger for less than 30 minutes and she fires right up.



Here's what I'm thinking, but I could use some advice or someone to check my thinking:
  • Maybe the battery needs replaced because I sucked the life out of it leaving the seat heater on? The battery gauge on the dash is reading well under 13.
  • I could suddenly have a draw somewhere and I'll need to buy a decent multimeter to figure out what's what and where
  • I probably need to wire the seat heater to the ignition so it shuts off with the Jeep and I don't execute another battery
  • Final question: if you watched to the end of the video, you'll hear those two sets of clicks - externally, the turn signals blink in unison, and if the door's open, the "lights on" chime sounds. What is that? It's a new feature I haven't seen from my Jeep since I bought it two years ago.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions, and feel free to openly heckle.
 
Make sure inside the battery cable clamps and the battery terminals are free of oxidation and the clamps are tight on the battery terminals.
Check the positive cable terminal on the starter; check the ground cable terminals on the ground stud to the left of the oil filter to ensure they are clean and tight.
Disconnect the seat heater continuous power from the battery and install a switched source.
 
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clean and tightend battery terminals as suggested along with getting the battery load tested. All signs point towards a failing battery.
 
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CharlesHS said:
Make sure inside the battery cable clamps and the battery terminals are free of oxidation and the clamps are tight on the battery terminals.
Check the positive cable terminal on the starter; check the ground cable terminals on the ground stud to the left of the oil filter to ensure they are clean and tight.
Disconnect the seat heater continuous power from the battery and install a switched source.
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This is helpful, I'll do all this tonight and see if I get a change, but looks like I might need a new battery.

Just one question: when you say a "switched source," do you mean installing a relay in the line? Just want to make sure I'm clear here
 
A lead acid battery fully drained once is essentially destroyed. You can charge it back and it'll regain some performance but overall the battery is probably toast. In colder climates I wouldn't expect much more than two or three years max. Significantly less if the battery has been run dead once. You might have other issues as well but at a minimum I'd say the shop that tested your battery was probably correct.
 
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pagrey said:
A lead acid battery fully drained once is essentially destroyed. You can charge it back and it'll regain some performance but overall the battery is probably toast. In colder climates I wouldn't expect much more than two or three years max. Significantly less if the battery has been run dead once. You might have other issues as well but at a minimum I'd say the shop that tested your battery was probably correct.
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oh nice a new rabbit hole! I didn't know that there were alternatives to lead-acid batteries, but now I know about AGM...thanks!
 
PhillyJake said:
oh nice a new rabbit hole! I didn't know that there were alternatives to lead-acid batteries, but now I know about AGM...thanks!
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AGM is damaged as well if you fully discharge it. Even a quality deep cycle is damaged if you run it completely dead. I didn't mean to suggest your choice of battery was the issue. A very high dollar battery will do slightly better but essentially anything you put in the Jeep will be damaged if it is let run completely dead. It's just an unfortunate part of all of these lead acid batteries including AGM.
 
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PhillyJake said:
oh nice a new rabbit hole! I didn't know that there were alternatives to lead-acid batteries, but now I know about AGM...thanks!
Click to expand...
An AGM is a lead acid battery too, its acid is just in a paste form and the cells are densely packed together. It's far more able to withstand the normal shocks and jolts of offroading too.
 
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just closing the loop here - got a new battery and have had no issues since. Went AGM. Also finally connected the seat heater to a switch fused, which is going to save me boatloads of headaches in the future. Thanks for the guidance, gents.
 
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