2000 Jeep Cherokee Battery gauge spikes

2000 JEEP CHEROKEE
81,000 MILES • 6 CYL • 4WD • AUTOMATIC
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CURTNELSON
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I have a 8 year old Jepp cherokee with 81,000 miles. I have been experiencing situations where I come outsite to find a dead battery. If I use a trickle charger to charge it overnight, it seems fine (for a couple months), but if I jump start from another car, it runs fine for a few minutes, then the battery guage spikes to the redline mark and the check guages light comes on.

Do I need a new battery or is there a bigger electrical problem? I have not experienced any other electrical realeted issues.

Thanks!
Oct 17, 2008 at 1:15 PM
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LONGDAYAHEAD
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Could be that the voltage regulator is failing. This used to be a separate piece that you could replace easily, but somebody figured a way to get it into the alternator as a "all-in-one" unit. So, you may have to replace the alternator. Also check for any bad grounding that might be draining your battery. If you find that the alternator is bad, you may want to replace the battery as well depending on how old it is.
Nov 12, 2008 at 8:19 PM