Jeep cherokee starting and electrical problems - Check your grounds!

Thinking you need a starter, battery, or alternator for your Jeep Cherokee or other vehicle? You need to check the conditions of your ground connections first. So many start and run problems come from this area. It should be done before swapping parts, and probably as part of a twice/yearly maintenance regime.

[jovanmorales]

Thanks! Already replaced my alternator and nothing worked. No crank, no power at all. Watched your video and tried this on my 97 zj. Started right up. Thanks again!

[ShaneWisecup]

Had the same issue with a Jeep Grand Cherokee my twin brother helped me get. Being a cancer survivor on a seriously limited budget this video saved me a lot of money I didn’t have to spend. Cleaned up my grounds and problem solved. Thank you so very much for sharing this information. Truly a life saver. A lesson I will never forget and will definitely share. God Bless! Thank you again!

[keving]

The video is informative and well done. The only downside is that you've made me feel really bad about what I previously thought was a "clean" engine bay.

[denniswahl]

Thanks for the great information on the importance of good ground connections. Our 99 Jeep Grand Cherokee would not start and we were told the battery cables needed to be replaced. After watching the video, I was reminded of a similar ground clean up project I did on my 87 VW Vanagon. That effort helped improve its idling and performance, and it made sense to do the same thing on the Jeep. One of the two smaller cables from the negative battery terminal had the most corrosion. I cleaned it up along with the other grounds on the engine and both sides of the engine compartment. It started up right away, and continued to start quickly on several attempts today. Thanks again.

[crapolio]

Thank you!!! I had a 99 Cherokee with no crank, it would jump. I replaced the battery, it ran for a week. Then I replaced the connectors, and it ran for a week. I just cleaned up all the grounds as per your video, it cranked up like when I first got it! Thank you!

[flyingfatcats]

So true. Been an EE for 30+ years, and a mechanic. This is SPOT on and very important. Best video so far on this important subject. Well explained and well done.

[FrankHWeeden]

My 93 Grand Cherokee was having problems starting. I'd turn the key, and it would crank, but it wouldn't turn over. On the second or third time, it would turn over and run just fine. I read all sorts of stuff, and when I described the problem to some AutoZone guys, they said that my starter might be getting ready to go out. Crap... So I found your video, thank God. I cleaned up the battery terminals/connectors real good, then lifted the battery out and cleaned up the grounds to the left of the battery. I pulled the bolt, scrubbed that real good, and scrubbed all three or four of the connectors, too. I got everything real shiny and put it all back together, put the battery back in and tightened the terminals real good, and now, that thing just fires up like it's brand new! Thank you soooo much!!

[steveblottenberger]

Steve from Annapolis I have a 1986 Jeep Cherokee cleaned all the rounds they were all really bad you're right on the money good show keep up the good work I support you mechanic for 30 years

[richardbruce]

Great job, thank you. I noticed the battery negative has this issue regularly but did not think of the others. I bet that is where my rough idle and slow start are coming from on my 95 Cherokee. Three mechanics and replaced all kinds of components and not one of them suggested this.

[americanconcretepushers]

Thank you for this video. My 98 xj wouldn't start one morning. I watched too many videos that pointed to the crank sensor. Only spent $ on the sensor and it didn't work then came across your video. Luckily before buying other unnecessary parts.
Did what you said, and boom it started right up. It also fixed other things. Thx again.

[ashermartin]

I have a 99 xj and am having the exact same issue and it's May now. Wow, what a helpful video. The jeep community needs more gurus like this man. THANK YOU!!!

[mauriziomenetto]

We need more of these type of tutorials...absolutely fabulous advice, cannot express my appreciation enough!

[celt]

My 96 xj starts on petrol/gas then switches to LPG gas. On petrol it ran like a bag of crap but on lpg it ran much better but still a little rough. Thought it might be an injector. Cleaned earths up especially engine to bulkhead. Now runs sweet. Thank you much from England.

[mostlymoparih]

Grounds are very important. I had a starting problem that was intermittent. As I was writing this you said this goes back to the70's and you reminded me of my 63 Savoy that had a fast left turn signal. It was fixed by cleaning the ground. Back to my starting problem. I replaced my battery and in doing I cleaned up the grounds and fixed my problem for about a month then the car stopped cranking all together. I found that I had power to the starter so I got a new starter and when I went to replace it I found a loose ground that was attached to the starter. I tighten that up and returned the starter and I was back in business. Good video. Happy Motoring.

[Cherokee-szxi]

I did this and you wouldn’t believe the difference in the way my xj starts AND runs!
Very important!!
Awesome video man.

[adammorin]

Everyone listen up! Cannot stress enough how correct this man is! I absolutely have known the importance of grounds since I was a teenager as I started working on old Volkswagens. And everyone always said they have electrical issues when really if all the grounds are good they have no more electrical issues than other cars. Actually my Jeep's had more electrical issues than all of my VW's & most of them ground related. Also, learn how your relays ground out, and how to use a jumper wire- you'll thank me later when you jump your starter relay or get your AC working in middle of summer- or get paid for fixing your friends car!

[dlcmsid]

Great info! After days of troubleshooting why my right turn signal would light but not flash and cleaning up the NEGATIVE GROUND points, I found the actual issue was simply corrosion on the POSITIVE cable connection at the battery post and clamp! A quick scrubbing with a battery post wire brush and instantly all lights lit up like a Christmas tree! This vid is the best advice for fixing any elec probs Much appreciated! 👍👍

[sarahschropp]

i have an 89 and i love my xj. shes old but it is one of the best cars ive ever owned. ive had new trucks but she will go anywhere. thanks for the heads up on the grounds four eyes are better than two

[garyilalaole]

Jordan, I had a clicking problem with my 98 jeep when starting and looked on youtube for troubleshooting. Saw this and checked grounds and found the problem, thanks. Cleared it and it starts perfect now. You see that disconnect you have on your ground post. Well, that was the problem. it was corroded inside. Wire brush cleaned it, put electr-greese on threads and reinstalled it and now it start every time.

[joshuacohen]

Thanks man! I brought my car through the car wash and got an undercarriage wash. Brought it home and the next day I was having all sorts of issues - alarm went off when I hit unlock on the key fab, all gauges read zero, and most importantly, when I started the car it died immediately. I had a hunch it was related to the undercarriage wash and noticed the ground terminal on the engine block was FILTHY. Got some cleaning supplies from the hardware store, gave it a solid scrubbing, and sure enough it fired right up! Your video saved me unknown amounts of pain dealing with mechanics. (Anyone else having similar problems - I thought maybe the ECU/PCM got wet so I also unhooked it and let it dry out on a hot day. It didn't look like any water got in there though.)