help please!Battery or alternator? problems.. :(

[mark_123]

Hey all went to kick the jeep over and got some really quick clicking sounds, the dash lights also flashed in sync with the clicking noises... great, battery is dead. So i hook up a jumper pack and she starts first kick and then dies straight away..

try again.. harder to start, hand on the accelerator a little and she fires up, and dies again.

Unless i keep reving, the engine just dies! Would this be my alternator & voltage regulator? or just a severely flat battery thats sh#t itself??? or something else :S?

Started fine this morning so seems really odd as to why its doing it now? no lights had been left on and scnaguage is throwing no codes.

Hope you can help me guys, its kinda urgent!

cheers mark!

ps. probably doesnt mean anything but its a 99 tj sport.

[Tonka Jeep]

So it dies with the jumper leads still attached?

[Macca2801]

Sounds like both now..dead alt and now dead flat battery. Can you throw the battery on charge and after charge start vehicle and check charge voltage with scan gauge or multimeter?

I suspect your alt dropped out and the last drive you did was running down the battery. When you started it you ripped the very last out of the battery and now its too low to support the ignition and injection system when the accessories cut in (when key is moved from start to on)

How many kms? For a 99 I woulds guess its most likely just the brushes in the alternator need replacing.

Matt.

[mark_123]

Yeh It dies when the jumper pack is still attatched.

it has just under 133,000 kms.

is there anywhere else othe than quadratech that i can get a new alternator? somewhere local? im in Melbourne.

Ill take a battery tester into work tomorrow and check if its stuffed or not. definately flat though!..I really just wanna know whats wrong so i can buy the parts, hate having the jeep off the road!

the last drive i did was only 10 mins from home to work, could the battery really lose all power in a short time?

[timbotrog]

I had something similar with my WG a few months ago. The battery was so stuffed that as soon as the jumper leads were removed after jumping it would die. The battery had died adn in the process killed the starter motor.

if oyu are going to check the battery check it from and old fashioned current tester not a voltage tester as the voltage my read ok, (leading you to chang the alternator), whn in fact it's just the battery thats stuffed.

If you want to givfe this a try, it worked for me. After jumping it leave the jumper leads on both cars with both cars runninf for a few minutes (maybe 5-10 minutes), then take them off. It will probably die straight away as it may think its being stolen. Then restart the car as normal.
See how you go.
Cheers
Tim

[mark_123]

this sucks major ass. problem is, the tj is sitting in the work car park.. Im working both sat and sunday so cant do any testing then.. and my rdo isnt till the 23rd! might have to just stay after work tomorrow.. hopefully its still light when im finished.

might take a spare battery with me and see if that does anything..

thanks for the speedy replies guys, appreciate it!.

[Macca2801]

Definately throw the spare battery in if its charged and in good condition....but still test the charge voltage if it starts and runs. You might mask the problem with the spare battery or you might fix it...win win either way you are eliminating the battery as in whether its internally shorted and if not...its alt.

I wouldnt buy a new alternator, got be be cheaper to get an auto sparky to test it, throw some brushes and bearings in and get another 12 years out of it. The also test rectifiers and regulators so you will definately get a good alt back.

Matt.