Ok, I have a '91 wrangler with the 4.0L. I'm having sort of a head scratcher type issue that I haven't dove into much yet, but I'm looking for suggestions for maybe a quick fix that I'm unaware of before I go tearing into the electrical system.
The problem is that it's not charging the battery. The voltmeter shows a constant 15 volts with the engine running, and the rig will run forever once it's started even if the battery voltage drops way down, so I KNOW the alternator is putting out juice. I drove it for half an hour the other night on the highway with the headlights on, and as soon as I pulled in the driveway and shut the engine off the lights went completely dim and the rig would not restart due to the battery being close to dead.
I've tried two different batteries, the 1st one is the one that came with the rig... at first I suspected it was just TU, so I replaced it with my faithful Optima Red Top from my XJ, but it's slowly being drained as well every time I start the rig.
What gives? Do these things have a fusible link somewhere between the alternator and the battery that would cause this to happen, yet still show it charging on the voltmeter? I've cleaned the battery terminals and poked around a bit, but I haven't had much chance to look at it in depth yet as it's always dark when I get home from work. Any ideas?
The problem is that it's not charging the battery. The voltmeter shows a constant 15 volts with the engine running, and the rig will run forever once it's started even if the battery voltage drops way down, so I KNOW the alternator is putting out juice. I drove it for half an hour the other night on the highway with the headlights on, and as soon as I pulled in the driveway and shut the engine off the lights went completely dim and the rig would not restart due to the battery being close to dead.
I've tried two different batteries, the 1st one is the one that came with the rig... at first I suspected it was just TU, so I replaced it with my faithful Optima Red Top from my XJ, but it's slowly being drained as well every time I start the rig.
What gives? Do these things have a fusible link somewhere between the alternator and the battery that would cause this to happen, yet still show it charging on the voltmeter? I've cleaned the battery terminals and poked around a bit, but I haven't had much chance to look at it in depth yet as it's always dark when I get home from work. Any ideas?
