The Jeep curse strikes again!

Jayne

Jayne

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Yesterday I got to spend some quality time waiting for a tow truck, my Jeep Patriot (as seen in several other threads here) 100% crapped out as I was pulling out of a gas station. Everything just stopped. Random stranger helped me push it out of the middle of the station over to a parking spot. 5-speed for the win, much easier to push.

If you give it a jump it will start but dies as soon as the jump box is removed. If you leave the jump box on it sorta can drive around, moved it a few feet to get it better lined up for the tow truck.

My guess is that the alternator died (and there doesn't seem to be an idiot light for that) and I was running on the battery until that final start to leave sapped the last of the juice and then.... all went dark.

It's at the shop now.

I do not plan to keep it at this point. :(

Now I'm trying to come up with a list of things to change in my van ahead of an upcoming road trip. Other than all fluids and a new battery, what else? Actually replace the alternator? The thermostat housing failed a few months back so that's all new, but the water pump itself wasn't changed. Or the starter. I've seen power steering pumps fail like water pumps but it's always been a long slow death, not a catastrophic failure.
 
If the alternator had failed and you were driving only on the battery, you would have had a dash warning light.
My bet is a sudden failure of the alternator, creating a short that drains the battery. I had this happen on a Honda Accord once.
Sorry to hear about your trouble! And curious to see what you find out.
 
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Started reading this post and thought we might have met until I saw the date was today….i helped push a stalled jeep into a cvs a couple days ago.

Good luck
 
So the answer is.... the battery. They're claiming that it was shorted and was keeping the alternator from supplying power to run everything.

I've never heard of that before, and I've seen some dead, dead batteries. Once running the vehicle always ran until you shut it off.
 
Jayne said:
So the answer is.... the battery. They're claiming that it was shorted and was keeping the alternator from supplying power to run everything.

I've never heard of that before, and I've seen some dead, dead batteries. Once running the vehicle always ran until you shut it off.
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Same here.
But if it’s working now, it must have been the battery like they said?
 
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Jayne said:
So the answer is.... the battery. They're claiming that it was shorted and was keeping the alternator from supplying power to run everything.

I've never heard of that before, and I've seen some dead, dead batteries. Once running the vehicle always ran until you shut it off.
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yep, back when I used to work at Chrysler/Dodge/jeep dealership we saw all the time with those 3 car lines. Other makes don't need a battery even in there as long as the engine is running, but Chrysler and jeep products need a healthy battery at all times. Don't know why but that's the way they are. They don't even give you a warning like a slow to crank or jump start, they just shut off.
 
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Lager said:
yep, back when I used to work at Chrysler/Dodge/jeep dealership we saw all the time with those 3 car lines. Other makes don't need a battery even in there as long as the engine is running, but Chrysler and jeep products need a healthy battery at all times. Don't know why but that's the way they are. They don't even give you a warning like a slow to crank or jump start, they just shut off.
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Good to know, and this whole thing has been a reminder to swap out all the batteries in the vehicles. Just because we were stuck at home for years doesn't mean the batteries weren't aging.
 
Jayne said:
Good to know, and this whole thing has been a reminder to swap out all the batteries in the vehicles. Just because we were stuck at home for years doesn't mean the batteries weren't aging.
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Don't know what to tell you about your idea about swapping or buying new batteries for your vehicles, that will be up to you. After retiring from the auto repair business for the past 45 years at the OEM level and now working at the local A Zone part time I can tell you, just because you bought a new battery does not mean its any good. Things are not made they used to be.
 
Lager said:
Don't know what to tell you about your idea about swapping or buying new batteries for your vehicles, that will be up to you. After retiring from the auto repair business for the past 45 years at the OEM level and now working at the local A Zone part time I can tell you, just because you bought a new battery does not mean its any good. Things are not made they used to be.
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I did just order up a voltage gauge, I can at least keep an eye on things and see if the running voltage is correct.
 
My experience with modern jeeps is that the only sure fire way to get it there is via a tow. Old jeeps, non Chrysler , seem more reliable.
 
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