No power, no click, battery connections good. All fuses that I could find under dash and under hood are good. No lights no anything

 

Update. If I disconnect the battery and take both positive and negative cables and touch them together to reset I can get the lights back but the minute I try to start it it clicks once and I loose the lights and all until I reset it again.

 

I hope that by this time you are not still "on the side of the road".

I've recently found out about the neutral safety switch - needs to in park or neutrql to start. Try jiggling shifter or putting into neutral to start.

I don't suppose you have a voltmeter with you to check battey?

D

 

The single click is probably the starter solenoid firing. At that point the starter motor is connected to the battery and tries to draw enough amperage to turn the engine over. Some of the possible problems: the cable between the starter and battery is damaged and not allowing enough current, the battery terminals are corroded and not allowing enough current, the starter motor is seizing up (rap it with a hammer or screwdriver to unstick it), the battery is dead

 

I by passed the NSS about 10 years ago. I wish I had a colt meter.

 

Doing it now

 

I had that issue about a year ago and it was that the terminal connectors on my battery cables were literally cracked in half. If you don't have a really good connection, you'll see what you're seeing.

 

Thanks guys. There was only so much I could do on the side of the road. Had to get a tow truck. I'll keep working on it and see what I can find. I changed the battery and cables about a year ago but that doesn't mean they could have crapped out again.

 

Sorry about that, brother. I know it's an awful feeling to not be somewhere you can really troubleshoot.

 

The problem is almost certainly between the battery and the starter. Most likely due to a bad connection or bad cable. Could be positive or ground side. In my case the clamp was not getting tight enough, and when the amperage would hit it, it was popping it off the post (just a tiny amount). When the computer detects this strange situation, it shuts everything down. Including the lights....everything. As you know, the NSS you disabled won't cause that symptom.

Don't take the external condition of the clamps, posts, or cables for granted. I recently started getting starter failures again, and it was corrosion where the battery cable connects to the battery post clamp. It was inside the connection, and looked find on the outside. I had one of those clamps that comes apart and tightens down on the battery cable, so I took it apart, and sure enough inside where the cables come into contact with the clamp was a mess. I cleaned it up and problem solved.

By the way the power being completely shut down can happen with an old battery or a brand new battery (it did on mine). It has more to do with a disruption in power when the big amperage draw comes from the starter. That's why you hear the first click, but as soon as that click happens that amps start flowing, and bam!. No power.

 

Makes sense ! Thanks !

 

what caused you to have to pull over to the side of the road in the first place? Did it just cut off?

 

[QUOTE="93XJeeper;3255520"] what caused you to have to pull over to the side of the road in the first place? Did it just cut off?[/brake light was giving me issues and I pulled into a parking lot to check and then no restart

 

Did u try jumping the terminals of the starter with a screwdriver?

 

I just bought a service manual for my 94 ZJ. Anyone think this could be related to the started relay?
D