nujeepguy

an hour ago i took a ride for a burger. in store for 5 minutes. no crank lights go out.almost seemed like stuck starter. this happened 2 weeks ago and i twisted a batt term. it started so i figured it was corroded. cleaned and tightened the next day. seemed ok,BUT a few times it "hinted" that it didnt want to crank, kinda slow but started.
did that earlier today. tonite i did the same,no help,waited a few min. one more try, it started! at home i shut down, restarted right now.!??

volts go to 14.5 and stay at 14 driving so alt seems good.
i have a load box for batt testing and will do that in the morning or go to autozone.
actually hope its batt, not in the mood to do a greasy starter!!
comments welcome...

emx72

I had the same issues a few weeks ago until I was finally left stranded, it was the starter in my case.

LACK

Remove and clean your neutral safety switch. Its free, easy and can cause random no start conditions as you're describing.

http://bc4x4.com/tech/2010/jeep-neut...ty-switch-nss/

Otherwise the starter may be the culprit.

nujeepguy

not the switch, it tries to crank and the starter load pulls the volts to very low. the interior lights go out. could be batt.
if its the starter,just what goes bad? does it drag? years ago i had one with a worn sleeve bearing and the armature would drag on the field..
ill do a check on the batt and if it looks ok ill do a starter. i dont like the feeling of being stuck. a batt can be jumped, starter,? you're stuck!!

thanks for comments.

neutral sw fix, beautiful work.

LACK

Have you cleaned and checked all your grounds? Intermittent faults are a pain.

nujeepguy

ill do a lot of checking, but the fact that the volts drop so much tells me i have good connections, the starter load pulls down volts, ASSUMING the batt is good. oops batt needs to be load tested, do it soon! im late today!
when it fails, not any starter crank, not even slow.

nujeepguy

all check good! batt is 12.6v with headlites not running. i add 20-60 amp load and batt holds at 11.5 solid. it starts up fine??
when driving it is at 14 v always so it should stay charged but last nite i drove 6 miles for the burger and it would not restart.
now im afraid to go anywhere?
what is normal drain just sitting overnite off? anybody?
ill check it today but id like to know from others.

machinisttx

12.6 volts with the engine running or not? If with the engine running then you have other issues. Remove the starter, take it apart and clean it with electric motor cleaner. It might be full of oil and road grime, or the brushes may be worn out. The battery/starter cables may have good connections at the terminal ends, but that matters little if the wire under the insulation is corroded and broken.

Voltage loss just from sitting overnight..in a vehicle with a good battery/wiring and no accessories added on...should be so low as to be almost immeasurable without lab grade equipment and a temperature controlled test environment.

extrashaky

How old is that battery, and what brand?

nujeepguy

that from my previous post.

i added 20 -60 amp load and it held at 11.6 so im ok with batt.
idk how old but it looks clean, duralast.terminals are nice, stock lead so it hasnt been butchered with clamp on stuff.


im not asking about voltage loss, im asking about drain from normal stuff,computer etc. i had one car that took 110 milliamp,not much but over time without driving it took some charge out. i test with one batt term off and a milliamp meter in series. ill do it here i just forgot,working on the water leak mess.

it starts fine now, but? ill get at starter conn tomorrow.

Fsher21

When it fails to turn over, do you hear the starter solenoid click once when you turn the key? If the starter is the issue, it can be tapped with a hammer/board while someone turns it over and there is a good chance it will start. If there is no one to help, some people will jump the solenoid terminals with an insulated tool while hitting the starter. Electricity scares me too much to try it myself haha.

Waynerd

When you said "lights went out". Did you mean all dash lights? I've had mine run and start fine for days then suddenly it will click and lose power. I then tap on the pos terminal and it's fine. Also I've had the terminal tight and it will do it and I can turn it a little and retighten and its fine.

diskman

Since your XJ is probably 32 years old, I would replace the starter..

nujeepguy

funny, thats almost exactly what happened i REtightened it and its been ok since!


a 2000 is 16 but i think you are right i will prob just get a new one b4 winter and be done with it, what should i buy??

thanks again guys

97grand4.0

Normal current drain with the vehicle off is around 14mA in my experience. I can also tell you that if your lights dim to nothing while trying to crank that is the hallmark symptom of a dead battery OR bad connections. If you sure that's not it, which I think it is, but if you think you ruled that out just take it in to Advance for the free starting and charging system test. It will test starter alt and batt.