USAFREODRetired
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Mark
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2019
- Threads
- 7
- Messages
- 86
- Reaction score
- 66
- Location
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Vehicle(s)
- 2018 JLUR
- Thread starter
- #1
On our way up to the mountains for the long weekend on Friday afternoon, and made it as far as Westcliffe, CO when I get that dreaded warning that my 2018 JLUR will shut down and pull over soon. I found a garage that was still open, and one of the guys puts a multimeter to my batteries (I'm running the Genesis Offroad Dual Battery System) and is only getting 12.1V on the main and 12.5 on the secondary. I'm definitely draining through the drive, and he suggests I might have enough to turn around and make it home to the Springs. The alternator was running white-hot, unusually so. I have suspected I have a serious parasitic load but haven't had time to find it, and I can't believe that would make the alternator run so hot.
We didn't make it and about 20mi out the Jeep did start to shut down, finishing off with the loss of power steering. We get off safely and get a tow back home.
Based on the Tech's initial assessment that it was a bad alternator, I called around looking for one but turns out the 240A OEM alternators (I have the tow package) are in very short supply here in CO. Hoping to get one next week sometime.
In the meantime, I decided it would be a good time to do the "Big 3" upgrade and ordered my new cables. I pulled my alternator this AM, then proceeded to remove the main alternator to PDC cable to do the swap, and what do you know I find a nice large abraided area with a lot of exposed copper and some evidence of arcing. (BTW, anyone know exactly where the main engine block ground is located on the 3.6, can't seem to find it?)
Now I'm getting paranoid, and wondering what else I might have fried driving around with a shorted alternator. Any ideas on what I should be checking before doing anything else?
Thanks in advance!
We didn't make it and about 20mi out the Jeep did start to shut down, finishing off with the loss of power steering. We get off safely and get a tow back home.
Based on the Tech's initial assessment that it was a bad alternator, I called around looking for one but turns out the 240A OEM alternators (I have the tow package) are in very short supply here in CO. Hoping to get one next week sometime.
In the meantime, I decided it would be a good time to do the "Big 3" upgrade and ordered my new cables. I pulled my alternator this AM, then proceeded to remove the main alternator to PDC cable to do the swap, and what do you know I find a nice large abraided area with a lot of exposed copper and some evidence of arcing. (BTW, anyone know exactly where the main engine block ground is located on the 3.6, can't seem to find it?)
Now I'm getting paranoid, and wondering what else I might have fried driving around with a shorted alternator. Any ideas on what I should be checking before doing anything else?
Thanks in advance!
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