help: my xj has a gremlin!

[00xj4.0]

hi guys,
im a newby here! i have a 00 xj 4.0 4x4, runs perfect, almost stock except for the 3" lift. just recently, my battery went dead i noticed my rear defrost button lit. i didnt turn it on. if i opened my drivers front door, defrost lite went out. close it, it goes on. hmmm! so i pulled fuse for defrost. no more lite on. put in new battery, 3 or 4 days later, jeep was dead. no defrost lite on. didnt pay attention to guages those days. how do u know what could be wrong? i found numerous wires under the steering wheel were stripped of some insulation? just small sections, wires not cut. i got a new battery. when i tried to jump just the battery cables from my truck to shut windows, the horn started to blair! weird! never was told about a alarm! no remote! how do i trace this? what will a meter read if a drain is on battery? im not good w/ electrical yet! please help! i miss using my xj!

[joshs1ofakindxj]

Now that is an electrical gremlin. Sounds like a ground could be rusting off...I'm not sure. Yikes. those wires with insulation missing all have something in common. Find out what it is.

[Deadman 94 xj]

Agreed. I would start by taping the bare wires up and see what you get.

[00xj4.0]

that is the 1st thing i did. i taped them up, no cuts though. i did notice that a couple fatter wires had another short sections of wires sticking out. i removed them. then asked a dealer they said that prev owner may have had remote start. jeep runs but i discnnct the battery everytime

[jlovbasz3]

gremlin!

[muddeprived]

Might want to get the church involved. That thing is possessed.

[Dragonslayer]

Definately completing a circuit somewhere. I had similar situation when my dome light's were on constantly. Ended up that I had some wires melted together(my fault) and over a little time started shorting out.

[ZJ_5.2LIMITED]

on my ZJ the other day while sitting in front of the house i would hear an electrical zap every couple seconds an my gauges would react in that they would jump, my defrost light would come on and my idiot box in front of the gear shifter would reset itself.. this went on till today i found out one of my MSD wires were rubbing on the steering shaft an arcing on it (these are 8.5mm wires so even if yours were brand new 7mm wires its possible).. relocated and now perfect.. not saying its your exact problem but i would check grounds, an old wires rubbing on metal..

[Seismik]

Kind of sounds like our XJ here at work, except instead of the defrost light, ours was the Check Engine light. And the battery being dead was an idiot that kept leaving the dome light on...

Good luck, I hope you figure it out!!

[00xj4.0]

Kind of sounds like our XJ here at work, except instead of the defrost light, ours was the Check Engine light. And the battery being dead was an idiot that kept leaving the dome light on...

Good luck, I hope you figure it out!!

i took the xj to a garage for the problem, they said it was the alternator. even tho guage and charging were fine. he said diodes, were draining when shut off. ok replaced it. works fine now no drain.

[Dragonslayer]

Great, glad to hear you got it fixed. I'll have to keep that in mind if it should ever happen to mine. haha