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2014 Jeep Compass Sport dies. Is it battery, a relay, a computer???

803 views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  pwright2  
#1 ·
I bought a 2014 Jeep Compass Sport recently. Like a month ago. Its been doing pretty well. Battery was dead one morning but I thought I had left lights on or something. Battery measured 4.5 volts but a few minutes on a charger and it started just fine.

Today was different. I had driven about 5 miles on an errand. All seemed fine. I stopped for half hour, came back out, all seemed well. I drove a quarter mile, stopped for only a couple minutes. Dead as proverbial doornail. I got out my magic brick (LiIon Car Starter). Hooked to battery. It went pung two or three times and car started fine.

I started to drive home. Went about 3 miles, stopped at an entrance gate, then drove on thru and stopped at intersection just beyond it. And car shut off. Nothing when switch was turned. I got out and went to open the back hatch. It would not open. (Is there any way to mechanically open the hatch if it is locked? I find no keyhole.) I figured I was in trouble but tried the electric locks anyway. They worked and I opened the hatch and got my magic brick. (I carry it up front now.) I hooked up the brick and it went spung once and then the 'door open' pinger started to sound. And the car started just fine.

I then drove another 2 miles home. Parked it. Went inside to deal with some other issues. Came back in half hour. I had retrieved a little gadget that plugs into cigarette lighter and has LEDs to show battery and generator status. Showed all green. Turned ignition switch. All the LEDs went out. Magic brick again and it started right up.

I don't think this is a battery- alternator thing. But I have no way to figure it out. And stories on here about Jeeps spending months is the shop with no answers and big bills do not encourage me.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-----Paul-----
 
#2 · (Edited)
I would look at your battery terminal connections. Honestly the factory design of the terminal connectors isn’t very good. Over time they can get bent, corroded, warped etc. When the cables aren’t making good contact with the battery, you end up with problems like the ones you’re describing. They can feel fully tightened down but still not be making full contact. This is also a good time to check the ground connections for corrosion and clean them off if necessary.

my advice is to replace the factory connectors with aftermarket ones. I did that in my 2015 Jeep Compass Sport, and ever since then my vehicle always starts right up. Plus they give you plenty of extra spaces for electrical accessories such as amplifiers, inverters, light bars, whatever you might want in the future. The set I got was only like $12 Amazon.com

To install new terminal connections, you’re going to need a GOOD pair of wire cutters, some prying tools, different kinds of pliers, etc. Eaxh terminal connects in two different places. The one on the front is crimped so tightly you might as well just cut the cable as close to the connector as you can get. The backside of the connector is crimped to add extra cable support, I was able to free this by prying it off carefully so not to damage the rubber sheathing and not have to cut off extra cable. If you do damage the rubber, you can add some heat shrink tubing over the area before you put the new connector on. Once both of the positive cables are free, cut off about 1/2” of the rubber on the end using a utility knife or something similar. You want the copper wire strands to stay tight and in formation. You should be able to put both the positive battery cables into the largest hole on the new connector, then tighten it down with an Allen wrench. The negative side is basically the same process. Once both the new terminals are on the battery and tightened down, you can slip on the plastic protectors. You can sand, file, or cut down the plastic tabs if you want them to be able to be removed a little easier. These terminals fit just fine under the plastic air vent baffle on my 2015, but you might have to adjust the battery position or the position of each terminal for the right fit. Once it’s good, you can tighten the battery bracket back down.
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#3 ·
Great reply! I had independently come to the conclusion of the battery cable. Its so simple and I feel so dumb. Your battery connections are much fancier than mine. Actually, mine look similar but without all the plastic. With mine the problem appears to be only on the negative side. It was pinched alll the way down but still swiveled easily. I pried it open a bit, shoved some solder wire down in the gap as a shim, and tightened it back down. Hardest part was finding my 10mm wrench. We'll see in a day or two how effective it was.

Thanks again.