Starting about a month ago I've been experiencing intermittent starting problems with my '02 Liberty. The first occurrence was a quick trip to get some food. After about five minutes inside, I came out to leave. As soon as the key was switched to the "on" position (not even attempting to start the vehicle yet), all power cut out and would not come back. After waiting about two hours for a jump, I drove directly to Sears Auto Center for a new battery. It was the original battery and I have a lot of electrical stuff hooked up to it, so I figured the battery had finally just died. Two more hours later, I left with a perfectly working Liberty. Later that night, the same problem occurred. This time I was able to jump it myself with my truck. The next morning I woke up early to ensure it started before I had to leave for work. It worked twice. Great! Problem solved! An hour later when I went to leave for work, it didn't work... Jumped again. It happened twice more that day. I tested the battery with about 12.5v with the vehicle off and about 15v with the vehicle on. So, the alternator appears to be working. After that occurrence, a few weeks ago, I've had no problems up until just a few days ago. I've seemed to narrow down the problem. When the vehicle doesn't start, I simply get out and wiggle (sometimes just lightly touch) the negative battery cable. There was some corrosion on the terminals, although since cleaned and coated with anti-corrosion grease from Sears...

Does anybody have any idea as to the likely problem of this? Possibly a corroded negative battery cable? Corrective course of action? HELP!

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http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3225256

1st wash all that junk off your terminals,#1 cause of a bad conection.

2nd is to take the terminals off,mix some baking soda and coke(the drink not the drug) together to make a nice paste,coat the terminals and let sit for about a hour.Come back out and use a wire brush to clean the terminals,paying alot of attention to the inside where they touch the battery terminals.Rinse with clean water,dry and then look at them again,if nice and clean put the clamps back on and make sure they are tight.If needed apply a thin coat of dielectric grease to both terminals to prevent corrosion.


If problem continues then you need new ends on your wires,very easy to do with basic tools.Almost 7 years with a Optima and zero battery terminal corrosion and no chemicals added on the terminals ever.

Since the ends were recently cleaned "professionally" at Sears, wouldn't it be more likely the cables themselves are the cause of the problem?

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http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3225256

The problem went away long enough for me to feel comfortable enough to buy my lift kit. Now with the lift kit on the way, the problem has started again! I'm about to try the previously mentioned technique, but does anybody else have any suggestions? Keep in mind to regain power all I need to do is pull or push on the negative cable. Should I simply have both cables and ends replaced or is there something more sinister I should be looking for (ignition switch, alternator, etc...).

Also I have noticed that when I attempt using the automatic windows the lights dim both on the instrument cluster and with the headlights. This never happened before this problem started occurring.

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http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3225256

thats why i can never get my terminals clean...

Re-clean (with a wire brush) the battery terminals and then the battery cable end terminals to ensure you have a proper conductive surface for the electrical system.

If your battery is new, think about getting a warranty replacement to eliminate any concern over a weak battery

From the information I quoted in your post I would guess that your ground wire is corroded on the inside. But before you go replacing all kinds of cabling in your KJ lets make sure that your connections at the battery are providing the proper electrical conductivity.

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02 Liberty Limited
Silver Outside & Taupe Inside
Heated Seats, Sunroof & Infinity speakers
USA Spec I-Pod adaptor, Mopar Sub, Garmin GPS
Tow Package, Select-Trac
Rock Rails, Tow Hooks

My best guess was the ground cable was corroded, but I did try the baking soda and coke last night when discovered the terminals were fairly corroded already. I cleaned off all the anti-corrosion grease and used a wire brush to remove any corrosion on the terminal ends. After everything was clean and dry I tightened the terminal ends very snugly. Hopefully this will solve the problem, although it was three weeks since the problem occurred before yesterday, so it may be a while until it malfunctions again if the corrective action I took last night didn't solve the issue.

At least the problem isn't something that will keep me stranded somewhere (again) now that I know all I have to do is wiggle the cable!

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http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3225256