Charging problem

[IPSteeler]

Ok ihave a 1993 Yj and earlyer i was driving and my radio went off and then about 30 second's laiter the jeep died.
I had no power. So i called a friend and he came and gave me a jump and it ran fine again.
BUT after about 2 miles down the road it died again.
So in my mind the Alternator went out.
I have a 200A MeanGreen that is about 3 week's old so i might have got a defective one and the brushes went out.
BUT after i changed back to my stock one i then jumped it to get her started and i went around the block and by the time i got home it died again. No power.
So now it is down to the battery. It is reading 9V on a fluke meter so it might be fine right?
My battery is a Yellow Top FYI.
Yesterday when a friend came over we went to go get somthing to eat and when we got back about 1 hour laiter i noticed that my top light's switch was on. So my battery was dead and didnt have anything in it at all.
Could it be my battery?
If not the only thing i could thing of is wireing.
I checked over the wiring from the Alt and it seem's to be fine.
It is driving me NUTT'S!

[dirtman13]

Your battery should be at about 14 volts with the key off. I would take the battery to Kragen or some place like that and have it tested. Is your Jeep a daily driver? If not and it sits you should look at a battery tender.

[RAT]

Your battery should be at about 14 volts with the key off. I would take the battery to Kragen or some place like that and have it tested. Is your Jeep a daily driver? If not and it sits you should look at a battery tender.

X2 on the battery output. Minimum of 13 volts turned off. How old is the battery? Have you grounded the battery + side or melted a fuseable link at anytime? If so you may have shorted the charging circuit. If so, dig deep, it ain't cheap to fix.

[Russ Chung]

Dave,

With the engine off, a fully charged battery voltage should be 12.0 - 13.0 volts. With the engine running, the voltage should be 13.5 - 14.5 volts.
1. Start the engine. Connect the voltmeter to the battery terminals. The voltage should be at least 13 volts. If it is, your alternator is OK; let it run for about 15 minutes to charge your battery. While the engine is running, turn your headlights on and off; the voltage should drop slightly and then return to the original value. If it drops more than 1 volt, it could mean that your battery cable is loose or that your alternator belt is slipping.
2. Shut off the engine. Leave the voltmeter connected to the battery. The voltage should slowly drop to about 12 volts then stay there. If not, your battery is not holding a charge and needs to be replaced.
3. If the battery seems to be holding a charge, turn on the headlights with the engine off; the voltage might drop by about 1/2 a volt. Turn off the headlights; the voltage should return to about 12 volts. If not, your battery is not getting a full charge; make sure that the battery posts are tight and that the alternator belt is properly tensioned.

[Kodiak Spirit]

the battery is toast. prolly has an internal short.

[IPSteeler]

Thanks for the help.
My battery is about 1 month old.
My belt is ok
It is also my DD.
when i turn my light's on when it is running it bogg's the motor down but alot.
I think the alt is basicly putting all of it's charge to no where. All the power is going to the battery but the battery isnt taking any of it.

[Kodiak Spirit]

yeah, you have the recipt for the battery, I would take it back and get a new one, sounds like a factory defect. it happens.

[aw12345]

Best thing to do is try another battery. Also when a battery has a full charge you should read about 12.6 volts once the surface charge is removed. I.E when you crank it for about a minute or 2 it should return to about 12.6 volts or atleast 12.4 anything less means the battery is not getting a full charge. When running you should see 14 volts or something very close to it depending how hard the alternator is charging.

[IPSteeler]

Well it was the battery.
I changed it out and it is now running right!
BUT when i was driving around the bottem radiator drain plug blew off.
SO now i need a new radiator because when it blew off it broke the plug and i cant find that kind of plug enywhere.
Oh well i guess what they say is true
"When it rain's it pour's"

[IPSteeler]

Well to let everyone on here know it was not the battery.
It was that big stupid fuse.
I have been running around for 2 days on just battery power!
i am going to rewire the alt with some 4ga and a 150amp fuse.
So if some thing like this happens to you, CHECK YOUR FUSE'S!

[Roger]

Well to let everyone on here know it was not the battery.
It was that big stupid fuse.
I have been running around for 2 days on just battery power!
i am going to rewire the alt with some 4ga and a 150amp fuse.
So if some thing like this happens to you, CHECK YOUR FUSE'S!

Actually "when it rains, it pours" does not adequately define owning a Jeep.

Try: Jeep = "Just Expect Every Problem"

Take it from a guy who loves his Jeep no matter how much it hates me.