Battery Question??

[schooncj7]

I bought my jeep last August and the PO had a new Battery from Wal-mart in it and until now has never really given me to much trouble. I haven't taken the jeep out in a little over a month because of weather and work so today I wanted to take a ride and wouldn't even turn over. I jumped it off and it did fine so I let it sit for about 45 mins and turned it off and tried to start it again and nothing. Not even a attempt to turn over. I hooked up the battery charger it and says that it is charged. Ok so does this have something to do with the cold cranking amps. It only has 550 and has been below freezing most every night except the last few days so that is my thought but I'm not to fimilar with carb engines and didn't know if it could be something else. So before I go buy another battery please help

 

[CJ]

Sounds liked a dead cell in the battery... I would take it back and exchange it...

Your starter should at least attempt to turn the engine over...

 

[schooncj7]

The only thing is that last fall all the way up through November when I was driving it at least twice a week I didn't have these issues. I did have to charge it or use a jump start from time to time for the first start but after running for a little while it would start back up without a problem. I also forgot to mention what I am starting is a AMC 304 V8 with DUI distributor not sure if that matters just seems like it would take a lot to get it started.

 

[mylittlecj5]

A few unrelated thoughts:
-If you drove it twice a week until recently, and now it won't start, it could have a drain in the electrical system that was not noticed until you stopped driving it. Letting it sit with a drain would have drained the battery enough to describe the symptoms you are facing. this is what I am leaning towards.
-_When you jumped the Jeep off and idled it for 45 minutes, did you ever raise the RPMs up to around 1200 or so, even for a few seconds? Some alternators require this to energize the charge field in the Alt.
-Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) is a measure of the stored energy in the battery at a given temp, telling you how long the starter will get juice to crank the engine. This is measured at 70* (IIRC) and goes down with colder temps. It really has nothing to do with why your battery is dead now.
BTW, 550 CCA is pretty good for a mild AMC 304 most of the time. Cold weather could give you problems with an older battery.
-With a battery that was new in Aug., its unlikely (but possible) that there is a dead cell in it. Find the date code ( 2 Letter-number combo) on a sticker or melted into the case and decode it. (C8 would decode as march 1998 for example). See how old your battery really is. This is also how WM will rate your warranty if you don't have the original sale paperwork.

 

[schooncj7]

Thanks that is helping me narrown it down.

This is what I know so far:

I did removed the ground while it was sitting because there is something that is drawing power that I haven't discovered yet. So I didn't reconnect the ground until I was ready to start it.

I think I will take the battery out of my Cherokee and she if that answers any questions.

Again thanks for any help!

 

[IOPort51]

Do you know how to jumper the solenoid just to turn the starter over?? You can take the battery to AZ and have it load tested but something tells me you have a wiring/ground/solenoid problem. The charger reading fully charged it the biggest clue , IMO.

 

[schooncj7]

Changed out the battery with one from another vehicle and it started right up. I am still having issues somewhere though. I have the voltmeter dance and something is pulling off of the battery. All part of the joy of working on it I guess

 

[IOPort51]

time for a new battery charger too.
"I hooked up the battery charger it and says that it is charged".

​

Changed out the battery with one from another vehicle and it started right up. I am still having issues somewhere though. I have the voltmeter dance and something is pulling off of the battery. All part of the joy of working on it I guess

 

[BajaEdition]

I would go for a electrical drain going on while parked myself, CJs are known for butchered wiring.
Also a 550 is a small battery fo a 4x4 used in the dirt, a lot of multiple cranking can be required at times, plus most winches need a 650, I run a 650 for both the winch and the radio, 1700 watts require a big battery.

 

[Old Dog]

time for a new battery charger too.
"I hooked up the battery charger it and says that it is charged".

If you had a drain on the battery and it was compleatly drained it will not take a charge from a reg. charger.
You need to hook it to another good battery with jumpers, than hook the charger to them and it will take a charge.
Or as cj said a cell might have went bad.

 

[schooncj7]

Thanks I'll give that a try and if not Wal-mart said they would swap it out

 

[Boscoe]

Get an Optima dry cell battery, these are the toughest batteries I have ever seen. They cost a little more but are well worth it.

 

[Cheepjeep85]

one major problem is the NEVERSTART battery you have they are made cheap, and sold cheap, by yourself a good quality battery, and your problems will most likely be solved. people go to walmart and buy those crappy batteries thinking their saving money, they have a one year warranty and most of them after just a little over a year so you wind up buying another new battery. problem is the plates are made to thin and they use a cheap paste to cover them. i have one in my jeep but i didn't buy it, it was the starting battery in my boat the PO put in, i replaced it and threw that one in my jeep, i know its going to out on me soon, just a matter of time

 

[TDHofstetter]

Your posts & post clamps are good & clean, right? If the clamps aren't making good contact with the battery posts, you can have exactly the symptoms you've described.