Hi guys,

I've used this forum for info plenty of times in the past, but I've never posted before. I've run into an issue with my '98 this morning where it won't crank/start. When I turn the ignition, I only hear a click coming from the fuse box in the passenger footwell, and the Parking Brake Light flashes. My first thought was to check the wiring to the battery, but all the connectors are secure, and the battery is only a few months old. Gauges show i'm getting 12V, too, and the cabin lights, windshield wipers, radio, etc. all turn on when I put the key in the ignition. From the looks of things, none of the wiring in the engine bay is disconnected, and none of the starter fuses are blown in either relay. I swapped around a few of the fuses, just to be sure - still nothing.

On the way home last night, I noticed that the Airbag Light was coming on and off. This has happened in the past, where the Airbag light would occasionally come on and my gauges would go dead for a few minutes while driving, usually after going over a bump. However, this was rare, and would always go back to normal, so I didn't worry about it too much. Last night, though, it was flashing on and off repeatedly, every few minutes, for seemingly no reason, which I think is related to the Jeep not starting. All of these symptoms make me suspect it could be some kind of loose connector, since the fuses look good.

I've never had starter issues before - it's always started right up with no issue, so I'd be shocked if it was the starter going out with no warning. Not sure if it's relevant, but we've also had a lot of rain where I live lately, although I wasn't able to see any signs of moisture near any of the electricals... I have 105k miles on the clock, and would really appreciate any advice you guys could give.

 

When it didn't start did you try moving the shifter to see if it could be the neutral switch ?

 

No, but it is an automatic, so the NSS is on the list of things I'm going to try next. I also found another thread where someone mentioned a loose ABCM connector in relation to the Airbag light. I'll take a look at it, too - but I don't see why that would be giving my ignition problems, especially given that the entire gauge panel acts up, not just the light...

 

Yep! It was the NSS. Put it into neutral and it started right up. Starts in park now, too. Thanks for the heads up! Makes me wonder if the Airbag light is related to the NSS, or something else entirely... Bet I'll be chasing that one around for a bit.