sean882

Yesterday, my cherokee ran great in the morning, but come the evening, woulnd't start. It woulnd't crank. I heard the starter relay clicking, but nothing after that. Being that I'm at college, with very limited tools and not even a sturdy jack (only the one that comes with it), I didn't want to take the starter out. I was getting power before the solenoid. I saw someplace that tapping on the starter/solenoid can free up a little corrosion, so I did that this morning, and sure enough, it fired right up. I do want to replace the part that is at issue, would this be the starter motor, or the starter solenoid? Thanks

(Eckks-Jay)

You dont need a jack to change a starter on the jeep.

The starter is very prone to failure because of its location on the motor. They get soaked by oil and dirt very easy.

you will have to replace the whole starter, runs about 75 at oreillys i believe.

sean882

Okay, thanks. I didn't really take a good look at how it fit in there, as it was raining today. Will the solenoid come with the starter? The people at the Advance Auto Parts out here didn't seem to know, and said they would have to order the starter (69.99).

jimlask

They come with one.

To take out a starter all you need is a 15MM and 14MM wrench, and then some tiny wrenches for the 2 wires.

They only take about 5-10 minutes to get out.

They weigh alot more then they look, make sure ya dont drop it on your face.

I could never understand why they put the starter right below the oil filter.. no matter how you remove the oil filter, its going to spray oil all over the Starter.

(Eckks-Jay)

I know exactly what you mean, and the fact that the oil filter housing is a very common leak spot in the 4.0.... I actually found a starter cover, ran about 39.99 at ABC, but it sure beats replacing the starter all the time.

92muddycherokee

[quote=jimlask;276205]They come with one.

They weigh alot more then they look, make sure ya dont drop it on your face.
quote]
X2. Yeah, it hurts. As soon as you think everything is going way too easy taking out the old starter...clunk!

Izvinyawenol

Thank you*informed me.

Troth

[QUOTE=92muddycherokee;276387]

HAHAHA ya! Disconnect battery first!!! on my 2000, its a 1/2" nut on the battery cable, and a small nut on the relay wire. Leave the solenoid --> starter wires attached. Knocking the solenoid with a rock is only to be used as a last ditch effort ( as in I just climbed Mt. Jefferson and my jeep wont start in the middle of nowhere kind of a save)
Then I think its just 3 more 1/2" or 9/16" that connect it to the motor. If you lay under your jeep head first on the passenger side, you have to scoot back past the front axle, and it will be rite above you.

Troth

just did mine, 2 bolts to remove from the block. The lower bolt is longer and is a 9/16. the upper short bolt is a 5/8 on my 2000

kdxmonster

I'm frustrated, definitely electrical issue. I'm a female, I don't know a whole lot about how engines work, I know enough to be dangerous..lol

RocketMouse

This is an old thread... are you experiencing a starter related issue as well?
More details would assist in helping you to resolve it.
Don't worry about "only knowing enough to be dangerous".... even those like myself that have wrenched for many moons had to start somewhere... so dive in. and we'll help.

PatHenry

To add to what Rocket said - don't get frustrated and don't be afraid to ask anything.
What I would recommend is starting a new thread - describe the issue you're having with as much detail as possible. Include anything that may be relevant.
Make sure you specify the year and engine (if not usually it's assumed you have the 4.0 6 cyl)
Lots of really helpful folks that are happy to help as best we can.

wchil1961

Here's one for ya. I have a one-year old starter in my jeep (4.0L I-6, automatic) and when I turn the key only the starter motor spins. WHen I cross the two connections on the solenoid with a screwdriver, it cranks the engine. What does everyone think of THIS problem? I would think that if the starter motor spins, then power is getting through the solenoid - but it is not causing the solenoid to throw the starter gear into the ring gear. Why would it work correctly if the two solenoid connections are crossed with a screwdriver then? Thanks!

PatHenry

Power is getting to the starter motor, allowing it to spin. Power is NOT getting through the solenoid to trigger the "throw out" of the starter gear. It's a classic case of the starter motor being completely functional, but the solenoid is bad. Since the solenoid is on the XJ starter (and almost every other starter used), the unit part as a whole needs to be replaced. Old Fords had a separate solenoid and it was possible to just replace the solenoid.

If you have a warranty on the starter you can take it back for a replacement. If not, you'll have to buy a new starter unit or you can always attempt to "rebuild" the unit, but I don't know how easy it is to get just the solenoid part of the starter.

This is a problem that happens far more often than it should with aftermarket starters. Many years ago when I worked as a parts jockey at Autozone we saw this quite a lot.

I once had a starter out of a Subaru (my now ex-girlfriend's car) that I pulled out, it bench tested fine, but upon re-installation, still wouldn't work (wires/connections were clean etc.), but I fired the parts cannon and replaced it anyway and it started right up and never had a problem afterward. I still would love to know what the heck the deal was with that, but nobody has ever offered a plausible explanation.

PatHenry

I do stand corrected. It seems that it's definitely possible to buy JUST the starter solenoid. I randomly came across this and it appears that Crown or Omix-Ada lists the part. How easy it would be to get the part and do the actual swap out, well, that I couldn't tell you.