Jeep Cherokee trouble all of a sudden is quite a common issue nowadays. So, are you wondering if these problems arise from the disruptions in the ground of the Jeep? How to diagnose that?
The ground wire holds the most important part of a Jeep’s electrical system. It’s also familiar as a ground cable or ground strap which operates all the electrical flows of the Jeep. Sometimes, if in any case, it stops working properly, you would face lots of problems while operating your Jeep.
So, what are the Jeep Cherokee’s bad ground symptoms exactly? When you see your Jeep Cherokee having technical problems like dimming lights, low voltage or a dead battery, that’s when you decide that your vehicle has a bad ground problem.
Jeep Cherokee Bad Ground Symptoms:
There are some core symptoms of bad ground you should know about. These symptoms may seem minor to you at first but can take critical form if they remain unsolved. Trust me, it only requires a simple observation to catch the symptoms of the bad ground.
To facilitate this whole process, we have discussed Jeep Cherokee’s bad ground symptoms in the following part.
1. Flickering or Dimming Headlights
You might know that there are many reasons why the headlights of a Jeep may flicker. Among all of these, the poor circuit of the vehicle is the main concern. If the circuit is designed poorly, then there remains a big risk for the ground wire to be damaged or worn out.
If somehow your Jeep’s ground strap got damaged, the headlights of the Jeep face a lack of power supply. Consequently, you may notice that your Jeep’s headlights are not working well. If this continues, they may flicker or dim all of a sudden.
In case it’s totally damaged, you will have to replace your ground strap with a new one immediately. However, you have nothing much to worry about if it’s just a little loose.
2. Low Voltage
When the Jeep’s ground strap gets impaired, it creates a lot of disturbances. Growing low voltage is one of them.
There are some other reasons for low voltage too. Because of low voltage, the fuel pump of the vehicle works slowly which in turn negatively impacts the energy supply chain of the Jeep.
If you notice that your jeep is losing its natural speed, you should launch a test for voltage coming from the terminals of the Jeep’s battery. If anyhow you find the voltage of your Jeep lower than the normal range, you will have to find out the exact reasons for it.
During this process, you will have to take some effective steps if you see that inspired ground wire is responsible for this certain situation. But it’s better to take help from professionals than try to solve this yourself.
3. Battery Is Dead
Your Jeep’s battery may be suddenly unable to charge itself. In this case, it’s not always necessary that the battery is damaged or totally dead. Shockingly, other reasons can cause that.
It’s possible that your alternator is not working or the wire that connects the alternator to the battery is defective. You might even find out that your Jeep has bad ground in it. And that hinders the charging system of the engine.
So, it’s wise to get your ride a full checkup to get to the root of the problem as you find something. Then you can either take help from a professional or fix the problem yourself. But you should change your battery immediately if it’s found to be damaged.
4. No- Start Condition of the Jeep
The bad ground of a Jeep can foster huge difficulties for the owner. The Jeeps with the bad ground can often encounter no-start conditions which means the car is not getting started because of a problem in the solenoid.
A solenoid is part of your engine that stays in the starter of any vehicle. It is connected to the battery’s negative terminal which supplies the required power or voltage to the solenoid. Which is why the vehicle gets started.
But sometimes, the cable between the starter and the battery can get loose. Hence, the solenoid fails to start the Jeep. Rather, it just makes tapping sounds because of the opening and closing of the solenoid.
If you encounter the same problem, check the wire connection carefully. Maybe your Jeep’s solenoid can’t absorb the required voltage from the battery due to the bad ground strap.
5. A/C Doesn’t Work
When the ground strap of a Jeep gets damaged, it disrupts the whole power supply channel of your vehicle. Hence, it’s possible for your air conditioning to stop working all of a sudden.
It might be very disturbing if it happens in the middle of your journey. So, in this case, keep calm and make a light inspection of the connections of your Jeep to detect broken or frayed wire. If you get any, then fix it immediately. But in case you can’t find what’s wrong, take help from an expert.
However, taking this issue lightly might cause you other damage. And that is acid buildup which can be extremely harmful to the vehicle. It’s wise to replace the whole air conditioning system in that case.
6. Irritating Windows
Windows disturbing due to the band ground problem is rare but it happens. Your window can get jammed suddenly or you may not be able to control the opening or closing of the thing. While many possibilities are causing that problem, you may want to get it checked up in a garage.
Due to bad ground, the motor can get broken or get frozen. Or it can be simply a problem with the cable or the switch that’s causing this type of disturbance in the windows. But if you get a problem like this, don’t ignore it.
If you can’t decide on the problem or the solution, take it to a professional. Or, take your door frame off and check the connection and motor carefully. If you find any disruption, fix it accordingly.
6. Dash Gauges Stop Working
Another Jeep Cherokee problem is caused by bad ground. While dash gauge stopping can be disturbing enough, it might carry more bad news like the BAD GROUND!
Usually, you can find three types of dash gauges in Jeeps. They are speed meters, fuel gauges, and temperature gauges. These can make identifying bad grounds an easy job by stopping to work.
Well, Jeep Cherokees are not an exception to these. However, gauges can also stop working due to defective instrument clusters or a blown fuse. So, you might want to figure out the main problem first before getting to any conclusion. Then, you can decide what you are going to do to solve this problem.
Situation-Specific Symptoms of Recent Years:
According to recent scenarios, we have listed some additional symptoms of the Jeep Cherokee
bad ground. The following problems can also mean that your Jeep Cherokee is having bad ground and you need immediate treatment.
- Hazard Lights don’t flash at the time of opening or locking the Jeep.
- All the functions of the memory seats come to a standstill.
- The belt light stays on though it’s not worn actually.
- Dash lights continue to spark and don’t go off.
- No information can be seen on the overhead computer.
- The Jeep doesn’t start after many trials.
- The automatic power lock system becomes useless.
- Interior lights don’t go off when it is needed.
- Sometimes, the information center of the Jeep displays no information except hyphens.
- The bottom information center doesn’t work when the door is ajar.
- Headlights blink when the Jeep is not running.
- The Jeep doesn’t stop after you start it.
These are the most common problems that the users of Jeep Cherokee faced over in recent years. If you notice any of these symptoms in your vehicle, it’s time for you to take the necessary steps. Otherwise, this might eventually lead to something serious.
Why should I find and fix bad ground Symptoms of my Jeep Cherokee?
As you know by now, that bad ground can cause a lot of damage to your ride. Not only your Jeep’s battery can stop charging but also all the other electrical activities of your vehicle will get disturbed. You might ignore these problems at first but then they can turn into something pretty serious and the damage control can get out of your hand.
So, you must find the root of the bad ground problem and take action to fix that as soon as possible.
Final Thoughts
Now that you have a clear idea about the Jeep Cherokee Bad Ground Symptoms, it might be easier for you to fix it properly. While it’s possible to fix these problems completely, it’s better if you can avoid the trouble.
To do that, all you need to do is take good care of your Jeep and maintain a regular checkup. In this way, you can be out of any possible trouble.
But even if your ride still gets bad ground, find a cure before it’s too late. The best decision, in this case, is to take it to a professional for technical help.
