Nevada Backroaders

I was gone for about five days and came back to a nonworking Liberty. I have no idea what is wrong but need some advice. When I put the key in, i get radio and lights, but when I try to turn it on i get a fast clicking noise. I tried to hit the lock button on the keypad-it will lock but the horn does not sound normal, it's very quiet. I used he TJ to jump it and not 30 minutes later I could not get it to start again. Anyone have any idea? At first i was thinking the battery but i still have sound and lights. I also wonder if it is the starter?!?!

Sheila

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2002 Wrangler (TJ)-Gone, Sheila got it in the Divorce
2004 Rubi - Street tires and an UGLY bug guard - let the mods begin!
1992 XJ-Sold, Hope to get another when I get back to the States.

NBMC/CC/MP/LD

alternator ?

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ɹǝʌo ǝɯ ןןoɹ sıɥʇ pɐǝɹ uɐɔ noʎ ɟı

starting the vehicle requires more voltage then just running the light and radio. if the battery has 1 or 2 bad/dead cells it will not generate enough juice to start the jeep by itself but run other stuff for a little while. my first guess is the battery. it's been very hot lately and heat is a batterys worst enemy. if it was weak sitting in the heat may have killed it. just my 2 cents worth.

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1994 jeep yj wrangler-"d.d." []lllllll[]
Retired Trail Boss and Website Director
Founder of Uncle Brad's Misguided Children
NVBROFC
Re-located from my beloved Mojave to Texas. Where did all the mountains go???

I agree with Brad. It sounds like the battery is shot.

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"I'm not sure where the trail went, but I've got a Jeep and gas so who cares"

Rubicon Bob
Club President
Rescue Ranger
NBMC / NBCC
03 Rubi/2017 Grand Cherokee
2020 Gladiator Launch Edition

What Sheila did not say in her post is that with the key turned to the on position, the check engine light flashes. It has been my expereince that a flashing CEL indicates a very bad problem. That being said, I think that with the repeated attempts to start it, if there was any damage to be done, it would have been done. Also, I have seen a dead battery cause some really funny things in computer controlled vehicles. Just ask Geno I don't remember but I don't think the Liberty has a voltmeter. If it does, turn the key to on and see where it is sitting. If not, try jumping it and if it starts, make sure that the CEL is off. or at least not flashing. If it is on, take it to the dealer. If it is flashing, shut it off and have it towed.


Love ya Bear

_________________
2002 Wrangler (TJ)-Gone, Sheila got it in the Divorce
2004 Rubi - Street tires and an UGLY bug guard - let the mods begin!
1992 XJ-Sold, Hope to get another when I get back to the States.

NBMC/CC/MP/LD

Sounds like a battery. If it is over 2 years old it might need to be replaced. This desert eats batteries up very fast.

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Is 3 4X4s too many?
89 YJ [ ] ||||| [ ]
5"Lift 33 M/Ts MM 9000 Winch 4.2L EFI Locked Front and Rear
06 Ram 2500 Quad Diesel
2" Front Lift 315/17 M/T's
01 Ram 2500 Quad cab LB
Diesel 6 Speed
NVBROFC

Don't listen to JJ he breaks everything

_________________
Is 3 4X4s too many?
89 YJ [ ] ||||| [ ]
5"Lift 33 M/Ts MM 9000 Winch 4.2L EFI Locked Front and Rear
06 Ram 2500 Quad Diesel
2" Front Lift 315/17 M/T's
01 Ram 2500 Quad cab LB
Diesel 6 Speed
NVBROFC

That is the sign of a "shorted" battery.... It seems good and runs the small stuff,,, but when you hit it with the load of the starter,,, it 'short's ' internally and loses power... It's happened to me several times... What happens is that the lead deposits from the cells,, fall to the bottom of the cells and build up there... Eventually,, they form a 'bridge' which causes the 'short' and the battery is history... Just put in a new battery and it will be fine........... The computer should 'reset' itself once the new battery is in the system... Phil

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'95 XJ Cherokee, dark green
2" lift
JKS discos
31" BFG Mud Terrains
NBOFC

sure, what do you all know?

you ain't got mudflaps....

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ɹǝʌo ǝɯ ןןoɹ sıɥʇ pɐǝɹ uɐɔ noʎ ɟı

The first time it gets really hot or really cold will kill a weak battery. We've had three go bad this past week at work on just our trucks alone.

"Jumping" the battery will work unless you shut the vehicle off, as it should run off of alternator power. If the alt. was bad, it wouldn't run likely at all as the battery would be drained and no power coming in from the alt. If your CEL stays on, the computer likely can tell something is wrong with the power supply would be my guess. But replacing the battery should fix it, and likely have the alternator tested just to be safe.

What Phil described is also sometimes referred to as a "top charge". You hit it with a volt meter and it shows 12+ volts, but hit it with some serious amperage pulling items (like a starter) and it will drop to almost zero.

I've killed a few batteries doing load test on them when I was a service tech and a parts jockey. People would argue their batteries were good as they showed 12 volts, yet they wouldn't turn over a starter on the test stand.

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All Jeep trails had to first be Scouted.

1978 IH Scout II Lifted, locked, blah,blah,blah.
2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Her car.
1992 Ford F350 XLT 4x4

I have bigger mud flaps than yours.
Silly Bartender mudflaps are for Trucks (not Jeeps)

_________________
Is 3 4X4s too many?
89 YJ [ ] ||||| [ ]
5"Lift 33 M/Ts MM 9000 Winch 4.2L EFI Locked Front and Rear
06 Ram 2500 Quad Diesel
2" Front Lift 315/17 M/T's
01 Ram 2500 Quad cab LB
Diesel 6 Speed
NVBROFC

well first of all, thank you everyone for your help and advice. Second, I had the time today to pull the battery out and take it to autozone for a test. They said it is BAD. They said it won't even tell them to try to charge it or anything, just that it is bad. But the funny thing is that the TJ has been running on the same battery since we bought the Jeep. I just don't understand how after only being two yrs old it just quits like that. So, it does look like i will be getting a battery.

_________________
2002 Wrangler (TJ)-Gone, Sheila got it in the Divorce
2004 Rubi - Street tires and an UGLY bug guard - let the mods begin!
1992 XJ-Sold, Hope to get another when I get back to the States.

NBMC/CC/MP/LD

shelia, 2 years on a regular battery here in the desert is about normal. and the bummer is that they don't warn you they're getting bad, they just up and die one day. like i said it was very hot when you were out of town and that's all it took. at least it didn't strand you out in the boonies someplace. you may want to look into replaceing it with an optima red or yellow top. i average 3 to 4 years with them.

_________________
1994 jeep yj wrangler-"d.d." []lllllll[]
Retired Trail Boss and Website Director
Founder of Uncle Brad's Misguided Children
NVBROFC
Re-located from my beloved Mojave to Texas. Where did all the mountains go???

Yup, what Brad said. Our battery died on the matterhorn trail during Hump and Bump 2004 (6 months after we bought the Jeep). Replaced it that night with an Optima red and have abused that one for 2.5 years now. Even left the lights on a few times (the battery in the jump pack I bought for the Jeep is now bad) A Jeep in the Mojave is the worst possible environment for a battery. Ok, so in a Hummer anywhere would be worse but thats another subject.

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WS7BR
2019 Cherokee Trailhawk 2.0T
Rescue Ranger & Training Dummy
I'm not stuck, I'm providing recovery training opportunities!

well, the good news is work had two red top optima batteries that they no longer needed. I took them and they are at auto zone getting charged up. We'll have to see if that is all that is wrong with the KJ after I get them back tomorrow. At least for now i don't have to pay for one, knock on wood.

_________________
2002 Wrangler (TJ)-Gone, Sheila got it in the Divorce
2004 Rubi - Street tires and an UGLY bug guard - let the mods begin!
1992 XJ-Sold, Hope to get another when I get back to the States.

NBMC/CC/MP/LD