No POWER No GO!

[oldmjnut]

Dead engine! New battery. No power. 89 Comanche 2.5L won't start, nothing, no starter turning over, no juice to anything. Tried the lights and windshield wiper test, no go. Meter on battery checks out with 13 volts. I take the battery out or disconnect it overnight, reconnect and it starts right up. Works fine for 2 or 3 days and dies again, no power to anything. My super mechanic is stumped - he really is a great mechanic, have used him for years, even with my first MJ. Says there is a short in some power line which corrects itself overnight, perhaps one of the small lines from the solenoid. Mechanic disconnected the engine compartment black box at firewall going to interior fuse block, cleaned it some, scratched some of the connectors and reassembled. He says, and I agree, it hard to find an electric problem when the car is working, running. Mechanic says I should take my tester with me and when it happens again, start poking through coating each line from solenoid. Will do! Has anyone had similiar problem? Any ideas? THANKS! :cheers:

[XXLMJ]

The only time something like that happen to me, it was dirty battery posts. I filled up the tank, and went in to pay for my gas, when i came out the jeep wouldn't start. It probably took a 1/2 hour of messing around before i wiggled the battery posts. But that sounds too easy for you situation. Your saying yours actually dies? Mine didn't die i just shut it off.

[oldmjnut]

Thanks for your post, XX The battery is new, only 6 weeks old. I cleaned the posts and checked to see that they do not move one way or another - all ok. Also cleaned inside the battery clamps. Removed all conncetions from the solenoid and cleaned them, made sure they have good contact and screwed them back on. Somewhere there is a wire making contact at times and other times not making contact. Hum, to find it ... will drive ya :nuts:

[camjeep3]

seems like u figured out the problem... and u did what i would have said to do. Looks like ur on a hunt to find where that wire may be :wall: good luck! also has ur wiring been messed with by a PO? if so i would carefully look over that

[Wildman]

I'll agree, you have a bad wire somewhere, should be one of the wires coming off the starter solenoid that's drawing current when your parked over night.......now, ya just got to find that :grrrr: wire.

 

Here's the '88 electrical manual that BLHTAZ posted up some time ago.

 

Do you by chance have an after market radio that some PO installed??? Or an alarm system?? Any after market item could be wired up wrong and causing the draw.

[cheapmj]

check the small wire from pos batt to the alt. that what happined to me on my 1990 chevy s10 with the 2.5 eng

[mythreesons]

Dead engine! New battery. No power. 89 Comanche 2.5L won't start, nothing, no starter turning over, no juice to anything. Tried the lights and windshield wiper test, no go. Meter on battery checks out with 13 volts. I take the battery out or disconnect it overnight, reconnect and it starts right up. Works fine for 2 or 3 days and dies again, no power to anything. ........

 

 

So you saying that when this happens it's NOT because the battery is dead, right? If so, then your problem is not with the battery or a drain on the battery but a connection that is/is not stable.

 

It would almost certainly, most probably, very possibly........ well, I would check the first wires from the battery. The positive goes to the solenoid and to the start relay connection where a bunch of fusible links get their start to various places (lights, fuel pump relay, etc). The ground wire from the battery goes to engine ground down by the starter. Other grounds for the system should be checked.

 

Might be easier to have it happen and start checking where the power goes and where is doesn't just follow the wiring diag. and check for power. Easy to do using a test light, but pay attention to where you ground the light to. If to the battery or the engine. Might help to identify the problem. May also have to use a meter to test continuity of your battery cables. Weather conditions, driving conditions, holding your tongue wrong can make "going bad" cables take a quicker route. If you have ANY questions about your battery cables, replace both of them.

 

Let us know what you find. It's the easiest way for the rest of us to learn. :yes:

 

 

Scott

[oldmjnut]

All good advice, thanks Fellow MJ Nuts, greatly appreciated and I will follow the sequence, process of elimination, next time it happens. :typing: Will also post results when problem is solved. CHEERS :cheers:

[1986Comanche]

check the small wire from pos batt to the alt. that what happined to me on my 1990 chevy s10 with the 2.5 eng

 

Not the same 2.5L engine of course. The 2.5L in the Comanche in an AMC engine, not a GM.

[88SporTruck]

Sounds like there is a break in the main power or ground wire coming off the battery. Replace them. They are not very expensive.

[XXLMJ]

88 sport truck, saying the ground, reminded me that one time i had a bad ground and didn't know it. The inside of the cable was completely green and rotten, but the plastic covering was covering it all up. I was having a charging problem though.

[oldmjnut]

:typing: OK, Bigfoot II is back from the shop and the NO POWER NO GO! problem turned out to be a bad negative battery cable connection at the engine. It was loose, cruddy, the covering split open and all covered with 20 years of gunk. Cable and clamp replaced and :clapping: it starts like the champion that all Comanches are meant to be. Several of the responses were right on the money and I appreciate everyone's interest and help. :bowdown: You're a wonder-filled bunch of folks - let's all have a cold one :cheers: Make mine Hofbrau!!!