1997 Jeep Cherokee Clicking Noise Draining Battery

@sethnicholsdj...I am having the exact same problem with my 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee...just happened!...I hope someone can answer your question...The clicking noise is coming from under the glove box...my lights are on so it is not the battery.

yep, it's like the turn signal clicking sound, but 2 times as fast.

Remove right side kick panel see if can locate clicking to a specific relay

my 97 jeep Grand cherokee just did the same thing. leaving on road trip/move n 6 days. PLEASE HELP!!!!!

Check the main junction block under the right side of the dash. I have attached an image with the relays that are co-located there pointed out. Let us know which one is clicking, and I'll send you a schematic for that system so you can track the short.

SEEN THIS BEFORE!

SOMETIMES YOUR GAUGES SORTA GO HAYWIRE TOO

MOST LIKELY---BATTERY DYING/ THEN DEAD

ALTERNATOR/ BATTERY FAILURE/ SOMETHING IN THE SYSTEM FAILURE(IT WAS THE ALTERNATOR IN THE CASE I DEALT WITH)

ONCE AGAIN RIVERMIKERAT!

UN-JEWG THE BATTERY COMPLETELY FROM YOUR RIG (REMOVE BOTH CABLES FOR ALL YA'LL YANKEE TYPES!)

COMPUTER WILL RESET

CHARGE OLD BATTERY/ REPLACE OLD BATTERY, WHICH EVER WORKS BEST

JUMP STARTING MAY MAKE YOU "GO", BUT THE PROBLEMS PERSIST

...........THE COMPUTER AIN'T BEEN RESET, TILL YOU UN-JEWG AND RE-INSTALL "FRESH" BATTERY (SOME 'ROUND HERE SAY, "BAT-STREE"!)

ONCE UNDERWAY---CHECK SYSTEM FOR, "NOT CHARGING" (FOR WHATEVER OF MANY REASONS!)

OR A BAD BATTERY

IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO DO THIS, MANY POPULAR AUTO PARTS STORES WILL DO THIS LOAD TESTING, CHARGING SYSTEM TESTING FOR YOU FOR FREE!!!

KEEP US UPDATED

THE MEDIC

SORRY SORTA LEFT SOMETHING "TO BE INTERPRETED WRONG"

FULLY CHARGE OLD BATTERY IF IT'S GOOD---OR PUT IN A FULLY CHARGED NEW BATTERY

SORRY....LIKED THE "EDIT OPTION" THE OLD SITE HAD

THE MEDIC

This just happened with my Dodge Caravan !999), I opened car door (with key) and that loud fast clicking was going. I turned the key to start... not a sound. Nothing (lights, inside/out; horn; blinkers; brakes are stiff) works.. The only thing that DOES happen is the engine temp and gas ant gauges go up. But, when I turn the key off, the clicking starts again. I'm waiting for an answer from the website mechanics... It was weird, after never hearing something like this, I read all these SAME problems, with different vehicles... I'M NOT ALONE!!! I appreciate all the sharing. I'm bracing myself for a car repair I can, in no way, afford...

It sounds likes a short somewhere. Fully charge the battery and leave the charger on. Do whatever is required for the clicking to start. Then start pulling fuses and replacing them until the clicking stops. The affected circuit has just been discovered. Once that's done, we can figure out why and where and how to fix it.

I know this is years old, but I just thought I would report on my experience. I have a 1996 Jeep grand cherokee with this issue. I got down to looking through the fuse box and found that the issue is coming from the courtesy lamp fuse(slot 16) If the fuse is pulled the clicking and battery drain stops.

Hey TDAWWG,

This is what I found for the draw, there is a relay that I think has shorted or you have a glove box or hood light that is staying on, here is a diagrams and some wiring diagrams to get the problem fixed.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-battery-dead-overnight

Please run some tests and get back to us so we can continue helping you.

Best, Ken

Engine Mechanical problem
1997 Jeep Cherokee 6 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic 18000 miles
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battery being drain every day. why is this alternator sis checking out ok an just bought a new battery had replace already still dead in morning. can you help me fnd the issue

Drain test is needed
you need a test light
disconnect battery negative cable
place the test light in between cable and battery if light on and strong you have a draw start puling fuses one at a time watching the light you need it to dim out
let me know what happens
most likely power door luck

Here's an experience I had a while back,

maybe it is similar to your issue.

Read about the 'power seat' and why it was a 'player' but not the actual problem.

https://www.2carpros.com/questions/2002-acura-mdx-battery-always-dead

Return with good news!

The Medic

Hello:

I have a 1989 Jeep Cherokee with 4.0L engine. I have had the vehicle for about six years and now have a very strange problem occuring. I moved to Texas for school from Washington State and everytime it rains my battery dies. I never once had this problem in Washington where it rains all the time. But, here in Texas every single time it rains the battery dies.

I don't have a problem if I am driving just overnight. For example it started to rain today after nearly 100 straight days of heat and go to drive my Jeep and the battery is flat dead. I thought I had fixed the problem by replacing the battery from the last couple times this happened. I even upgraded to a Yellow Top Optima (Incredibly powerful deep cycle battery.) Yeah I know these are only for highly demanding situations such as marine use. I am a fire fighter with many radios and lights (none of which were on, I checked).

So whatever the problem is seems to be directly proportional to rain. What could be getting wet enough to cause a battery drain of a heavy duty deep cycle in under 4 hours?

Yes the problem is the vehicle won't start. You say your an auto mechanic? If you are you should know that the alternator is putting out approximately 60 Amps for a standard alternator, mine has an output of approximately 110 Amps @ 14.5 VDC. That equals 1595 Watts of Energy. This is more than enough to keep an engine running unless there was a direct short.

The battery recharges without problems once I jump start the Jeep. The trouble is the battery dies when it rains and does not allow the vehicle to start.

Thanks for the help!

Hello,

There must be something that is staying on such as the computer is not shutting down the car. Here is a guide that should help you get the problem fixed.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-battery-dead-overnight

Please run some tests and get back to us so we can continue helping you.

Cheers, Ken

Electrical problem
1998 Jeep Cherokee 6 cyl Four Wheel Drive Automatic 163143 miles

my husband bought a 98 jeep grand cherokee laredo less than aweek agothe first couple of days it wwas fine the last two night the battery drained overnight the battery checked out fine we tested all fuses what do we do now

Do a battery drain test:

Electrical problem 1996 Jeep Cherokee 6 cyl Four Wheel Drive Automatic 166747 miles I'm having a problem with battery drain. If I pull the neg wire, the battery is good in the morning. When I left the battery hooked up in the morning is practically dead. How do I find the drain and determin what is wrong. It runs fine if I start it and pull the neg terminal, it runs fine. So were do I go from here? Allan.

Battery drain test

Get a test light and disconnect the negative battery cable now put the light between the cable and battery negative post is the light On? If so start removing fuses one at a time -the fuse that turns off the light is the trouble circuit. Then break out the electrical wiring diagram.

In the event you removed all the fuses and the light is still On disconnect the alternator batt. feed and the connector-if this one turns off the light-the alternator has bad diodes.

[quote:92650c46e9="rasmataz"]
In the event you removed all the fuses and the light is still On disconnect the alternator batt. feed and the connector-if this one turns off the light-the alternator has bad diodes.[/quote:92650c46e9]

I have a 1989 Cherokee that is having the same problems with battery drain when the key is off. I have removed the fuses one by one and my voltmeter still reads full voltage. (I used my voltmeter in place of a test light.)

Would someone be able to explain the above quoted recommendation to me please? I don't know what it is referring to by the "alternator batt.feed and the connector".

I apologize for my ignorance and thank you for your assistance.

Thank you!
Melissa

Electrical problem
1992 Jeep Cherokee 6 cyl Four Wheel Drive Automatic 167000 miles

Something is draining my battery and it's dead if I don't drive it every day. I can't find an obvious cause. I have in the past used a tester with a light and started pulling fuses until the light went out then I knew I had found the cause. What I can't remember is where to put the tester. If I remember correctly it's on the negative side. Is that correct?

Or is there an easier way for me to find the source of my drain?

Thanks

Battery drain test-see below:

Electrical problem
2001 Jeep Cherokee V8 Four Wheel Drive Automatic 115000 miles

My 2001 Jeep gGrand Cherokee Limited has been sucking the battery dead whne it is turned off. I have pulled all the fuses one by one while checking the volt draw with my voltmeter from the negative post to negative cable and saw no fluctuation in the volts. The voltmeter is pulling 11-12.5 volts with nothing running. Any advice to assist me find the problem would be much appreciated.

When you tested this, did you wait for at least 15 minutes before disconnecting the battery? Did you make sure the key was off, and all accessories were off? Finally, did you disconnect the underhood service light?

Here is a list of checks that you can go through. Let me know if it helps.

https://www.2carpros.com/first_things/why_is_my_car_battery_dead_over_night.htm

Thank you for your reply. I dont think i waited the 15mins before i started my testing as i didn't know about the delay. other than that all of the accessories were off and i did disconect the underhood light. I am in the process of moving but as soon as i get to my destination i will be going through the checklist you have given me. thank you for all of your help.

Air Conditioning problem
1998 Jeep Cherokee 6 cyl Four Wheel Drive Automatic 125000 miles

Anytime I leave my Jeep parked for more than a couple of days without driving it the battery is drained completely. Is this a bad alternator or is there something else wrong here?

1995 Jeep Cherokee 6 cyl

The first problem is my car wouldnt start without a jump and after the jump it would shut off after a couple of blocks. We took the alternator to a auto parts shop and they said it tested good so then we had them test the battery and they said it tested bad so we replaced the battery. The car ran good for four days but the check engine light came on after two days and on the fifth day it wouldnt start agian and the gage says the battery has no power.

Electrical problem
1999 Jeep Cherokee 6 cyl Four Wheel Drive Automatic 62.000 miles
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I bought a new battery and recharged it three times and it still drains. The company that I bought it from told me that the battery is good and that I have a drainage problem. I don't now what to do? So please would you help me Thank You.

Get an analog voltmeter remove the negative battery cable, attach the Black lead to the battery post, Red lead to cable end, then pull fuses one at a time, make sure there are no accessories or lights in the on position, Key off! Close the door after each fuse and check meter, when you pull the fuse for the bad curcuit, the meter will drop to 1 volt or so. Check all fuses, even under the hood. If meter does not drop, remove the battery connection from the alternator, if it drops now, the diodes are bad in the alternator. Put the fuse back in were it goes as you go so you don't forget which fuse goes were!

Get the alternator load tested if okay could be a short circuit draining the battery. Do below

What I need you to do is check to see if there is a constant draw on the battery. Here is the how to for checking.

Let me know what you find.

https://www.2carpros.com/first_things/why_is_my_car_battery_dead_over_night.htm

Electrical problem
1995 Jeep Cherokee 6 cyl Four Wheel Drive Automatic 195000 miles

First thing in the morning the battery indicator on my dash shows about 14 volts. While driving the volt meter slowly starts to discharge. This has been going on for a long time. The other day, right after a very low temperature cold spell I the volt meter went to zero. The jeep was still running though. when I turned it off, it would not start. I got a jump and was able to drive it home. I removed the alternator and battery. I checked the battery with a volt meter and it showed 12.34 volts. I had them both check out at a auto parts store and they said they both checked out OK. Said it was probably a loose connection. I put everything back together and everything looked good except I was still discharging slowly while driving. Now the voltage is really pulling down again and my check engin light is starting to come on some. Also ever since I have had this jeep. when we turn the lights on the failed rear lights indicator will come on most of the time but not always. All the rear lights are working though. It seems the battery builds up over night but something is pulling it down while driving.

Electrical problem
1996 Jeep Cherokee 6 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic 104000 miles

It started about 100,000 mile count. The electrical windows would work intermittently. Then the front passenger window stop operating completely. The other windows still work off an on, but since the front passenger window has stopped moving at all, the others do seem to work more than not. The new symptom or honestly might have been there for awhile, it just showed up because I don’t drive the car every day. The battery will wear down while the car is not on. I have been through 3 batteries. I have checked the Alternator for functioning (car running). I have charged the batteries outside the car , let them sit for several days, checked that they held charge, put battery in car, don’t use car, next day battery down 40%. It is definitely not the batteries. I noticed last night that the car clock stays on, not sure if it always did or not, could be symptom do not know.

Sounds like you have a draw on the battery. Finding these can be a very difficult and trying thing. You may wan to find a shop that specializes in electrical repair to see what they charge for finding a draw. This can be difficult for an experienced tech much less a DIY

To me what is sounds like is that !. the connections could be bad from the altinator to the battery or 2. the altinator is charging but grounding the voltage out like the battery is fully charged. The engine does not take much to keep it running, but if you use heater fan or anything the voltage can drop quick.

Sounds like your problem is 2 fold. 2- the power windows. The wiring diagram shows a lock out switch on the driver's control panel. If this switch fails you will lose power, or have intermitent power to the other 3 door controls. You can check this switch with a test light as with the rest of the up/dn switches. The passenger side window may be the switch or the motor. the battery drain: The only thing that should be drawing voltage from the battery with key off is the various memory circuits which only draw 5-6 volts and should run for weeks on a fully charged battery. The following is the best way I know of to find your drain.... Using an "incandesent" test light, not a neon or led, disconnect it between the battery positive post and the battery cable. If you have a major drain, the light will be bright. If the load is just the memories, it will be a light glow. I would expect it to be bright. Then, start pulling fuses one at a time, keeping them in order, until the test light goes either dim or out. The fuse that either kills or dims the light is the one that is draining your battery. You will have to find out what is on this circuit and repair or eliminate it to stop the drain. Then, as you replace the fuses one at a time, keep an eye on the light. You may have more than one drain. Hope this helps. Jim. One last thing. When you find the draining circuit I can supply you with a diagram of that circuit if you tell me what the fuse # is and which block it came from. Thanks for the donation. It is shared between all of the moderators.

Using an "incandescent" test light, not a neon or led, disconnect it between the battery positive post and the battery cable.
If you have a major drain, the light will be bright. If the load is just the memories, it will be a light glow.

Yes, I meant "connect" between the positive cable and the battery. Sorry about that, my fingers got ahead of my brain. Must be old age.

Issues with battery drain. Have resolve the battery and the alternator to start. Will still be dead in 24 hours of not driving it. Stays charged if you disconnect the black battery cable. Have checked fuses one at a time and found nothing significant to explain the massive battery drain thats happening. No interior lights in this car and no seatbelt chimes...today i removed the light in the glove box but i doubt thats the problem. Suggestions? Love love love the car but thinking this is why it was traded in.....