battery or something else?

Question

i have a 98 jeep wrangler. i drove it saturday night, but sunday morning it would not start. the dome light goes on when the door is open, but it shuts off when trying to start and then fades back on when the key is disengaged. the engine makes one single electrical pop sound when you try to start it. that's it, no trying to turn over. i put a charger on my battery overnight, but the same results when trying start it. my car stereo was stolen a few weeks ago and the wires are haning loose in the dash. i don't know anything about electrical problems. do you think it is the battery or something else?

thanks for all your replies. it turned out to be a combination of a couple dry battery cells and corroded connections. i added water to the dry cells and cleaned the contacts as much as possible, but the nut on my positive terminal is stripped and i can't get it off. anyone have suggestions for getting that off?

Answer 1

loose battery conection, check the termainals, clean an tighten

Answer 2

Guy #3 is the closest. It's a corroded connection to your battery. Loosen the terminals on the battery and clean them. They sell terminal cleaners that work pretty well, and they are only maybe $5. If you have a metal brush, that will usually work pretty well too. When you are done cleaning the terminals and the wire connections, get a glass of hot tap water and put a spoonful of baking soda in it and mix it up. Then dump it slowly on top of the battery and the wires. This will neutralize the battery acid that caused the problem in the first place. Then rinse it all down with clean water and hook the wires back up to the terminals, being sure to tighten them down fairly well.

Answer 3

It definitely could be the starter motor, which during starting drains the battery like mad even if _nothing_ is wrong. A rather common problem on older vehicles is the starter motor being "stuck," for some reason, in a spot which drains the battery but can't turn at all (when you turn the key to the start position). This can often be fixed, at least for the time being, by turning the motor manually (using leverage) to a slightly new position before trying to start again. Take care and don't get your arm or wrist broken... remove the positive battery lead while trying this.

Other problem areas might be: the starter circuit somewhere, e.g. starter motor relay (but doubt this from your description) or even the ignition lock switch itself; battery and charging circuits as others have described, etc.

Answer 4

I think it sounds more like the starter to me, if the engine does not turn over it is not your battery. The wires in the dash where the radio will not affect the car from starting.

Answer 5

I would say the battery is a part of the problem but the thing is its probably the starter that sucked the life out of the battery but 1st tryt he battery then if you still have the problem go after the starter and yes please tape up the wires from the stereo seperatly.

Answer 6

Get some wire cutters and cut off the wires so there is no copper showing, don't cut them too short. That will alleviate any shorts. Charge your battery and while the engine is running unhook the battery and if the car falls dead then it is your alternator. if it doesn't then it is your battery.

Good Luck

Answer 7

It sounds like the alternator to me. It would be cheaper to try the battery first though. Autozone and places like that usually test your battery for free.

Answer 8

Definitely sounds like the battery.

Answer 9

I would start with the battery and if that is alright, then I would have the alternator checked.

Answer 10

sounds like an electrical short somewhere.