1st can you test the alternator by pulling the neg. battery cable to see if its working like on the older cars ? I replaced the battery & alternator in 2021. A month ago the radio & dash indicator lights blink on & off a few times. A few days later it would not start unless i jump started it. Since then it would not turn over unless i turned the key several times. I replaced the alternator again. It seamed fine for about a week. Now the battery is going dead over night.
How long has your 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee had this problem?
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Hi, this is Bo, an auto expert on RepairPal's Car Genius team!
No, you shouldn’t test the alternator on modern cars by pulling the negative battery cable—unlike older cars, this can actually damage the electronics. Your issue sounds like it could be a parasitic drain, where something is drawing power from the battery when the car is off. Since you've already replaced the alternator and battery, you might want to check for any electrical components that could be staying on. A multimeter can help track the drain, or a mechanic can run a more thorough electrical system test.
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