Had to tow the jeep home last night, parked it downtown and then the starter would not engage. Turning the key to the start position only illuminated the parking brake light on the dash and nothing else. Not sure, but I really could not hear the fuel pump turn on either. Switched out the relays under the hood and no change.

Pulled off the starter motor. Had a problem with the red locking tab on the pull-off connector. Could not coax it to slide out. Tried using a mini-screwdriver to help in the task but of course, that just broke off the tiny bit of red tab that was visible and able to barely grab with a fingernail. Using a pair of pliers to depress the black tab (and a lot of force), finally pulled off the connector.

Then I noticed the wire to the solenoid from the ignition switch had lost all of its insulation. I guess that's what happens after 25 years on the road. The copper wire is bare (see photo). Don't know what step to take next. Not even sure if the no-start problem is due to the bare wire, starter, solenoid, neutral/park lock-out, ignition switch, or ignition lock cylinder. I will update as time permits. Thank you.

 

Update: I put black tape around the bare solenoid wire and replaced the starter with a new unit from Autozone. I was able to push the solenoid connector back onto the starter. After the above, the engine starts again just fine (recently odometer passed the 200,000 mile mark).