'06 Liberty won't start -- please help!

[enomosiki]

Hello, folks.

I have a '06 Liberty that was working fine up until yesterday, but refuses to even start this morning. I need your help.

I put the key in the ignition and turn it, but the engine won't crank. The computer will come online after a second, but nothing happens, apart from a small, low noise that seems to be coming from a motor under the hood.

The battery seems to be working fine. I have to get it checked out with a multimeter to be exact, but it is powering the alarm, computer, etc.

The alarm is an aftermarket DEI model. I had to get rid of the remote keyless entry and install an aftermarket alarm/remote after having the car broken into, twice in a span of a month, since I suspect that the scums used a jammer to gain entry. The alarm is working fine. When trying to start the car remotely, the same thing described above happens, the car trying to start itself but not cranking, and some noise being made under the hood.

Now, here are three weird things, apart from the vehicle not starting, that I've also noticed;

• The brake pedal won't depress, at all. The accelerator does, but the brake pedal is just stuck and I can't depress it.
• The door won't lock/unlock using the lock switches. Both the lock switches on the doors and remote do not engage the door lock. The car usually does this when the key is still in the ignition, but now it won't lock/unlock using the lock switches and remote.
• When the alarm is engaged/disengaged, there is usually that honk. It seems really weak now. Maybe it's the battery, I do not know.

While I wait for the responses, I'll try to get a multimeter and test the battery, flush out the engine, and/or see if I can get it to start in neutral.

Apart from minor breakdowns (window power regulators), the car never had any issues as big as this before. If you folks can help me get my Jeep back to work, I'd really appreciate it.

 

[enomosiki]

Upon further testing, I'm leaning more towards the battery.

The lock switch does work now, but barely. I don't know what caused it to not function before, but it works sluggishly. It doesn't have the usual "vigor" when engaged and disengaged, and works slower than usual.

The horn is barely making any noise.

And, finally, the odometer light seems to be very weak, as well.

But, the weird thing is, why won't the engine even crank, and why is the brake pedal stuck? They just don't add up...

 

[martin_metal_88]

Start your engine use a lot more juice from the battery then your alarm or other small electronic so it's very plausible that few thing work while the motor that start ignition don't The engine sound you ear is probably the fuel pump.
For the brake pedal, it's probably because you already pressed it and now there is pressure in the cylinder so you can't add more. When the car will start it will empty itself and everything will be back to normal. Personally I think you battery may be bad or may be discharged because of the anti-thief system.

 

[enomosiki]

Start your engine use a lot more juice from the battery then your alarm or other small electronic so it's very plausible that few thing work while the motor that start ignition don't The engine sound you ear is probably the fuel pump.
For the brake pedal, it's probably because you already pressed it and now there is pressure in the cylinder so you can't add more. When the car will start it will empty itself and everything will be back to normal. Personally I think you battery may be bad or may be discharged because of the anti-thief system.

Thanks for the info. I was really worried about it not even cranking. I guess that the starter pulls quite a bit of amps. Ugh.

I have a field mechanic coming in. Hopefully, he should be able to jump the car so I can go and grab a fresh battery with higher rating. It's around 2.5 years old, so it's not that old. I do have to admit that I have a lot of stuff plugged in (alarm/remote, a pair of USB cables, dashcam, FM transmitter).

It kinda ***** that Jeeps don't cut power to the lighter sockets when the ignition is off. I was worried about something like this a year back, but never thought it would cause me this much headache.

I guess it'll be a good time to invest in a good jump starter. Speaking of which, what's the CCA for a KJ, anyway?

Thanks again. I'll post further after the mechanic is done with it.

 

[deliciousdaly]

I like that the power stays on the the adapter, my phone will still charge after I shut off the car.
My jeep doesn't start sometimes, getting a new battery does the trick every time. In Florida I have to get a new one every 18 months.

 

[martin_metal_88]

If you would like to cut the power to the 12V outlet when the car is off you should get one with a power switch on it. Considering you already have few item plugged a 2-3 outlet with switch will be a easy find.

 

[enomosiki]

I replaced the battery and everything works fine.

The dead battery was an Interstate model with 650 CCA. I replaced it with a Duralast gold top with 800 CCA. That should, hopefully, serve me well for at least a couple of years.

I like that the power stays on the the adapter, my phone will still charge after I shut off the car.
My jeep doesn't start sometimes, getting a new battery does the trick every time. In Florida I have to get a new one every 18 months.

18 months? Yikes. What could be causing it to die so fast?

Also, I like the fact that it stays on, as well, because I have a dashcam that's recording 24/7, but now I'm weary of parasitic drain after the ordeal.

If you would like to cut the power to the 12V outlet when the car is off you should get one with a power switch on it. Considering you already have few item plugged a 2-3 outlet with switch will be a easy find.

How safe is an outlet splitter with power switch will be? I previously tried to unplug and plug the splitter to prevent parasitic drain, but did more harm than good when the fuse for the lighter sockets ended up blowing. I'm not sure how it was even possible, since the combined current draw of all of the devices don't even reach 5A.

 

[martin_metal_88]

it's as safe as a light switch is. Just don't go over the rated current and everything will be just fine

 

[deliciousdaly]

I replaced the battery and everything works fine.





18 months? Yikes. What could be causing it to die so fast?

It's really hot here, they don't like the heat. And I buy cheap batteries, they always get like half off because its still under warranty.