I have a 95' Xj that was running just fine 3 months ago when parked after the last trip to Superlift ORV park. I went yesterday to put it on the trailer to prep it for the Windrock trip this weekend and when I turned the key I got nothing. Thought it was a dead battery so i took it out and brought it to work to charge but it was fully charged. I charged it for a couple hours on trickle just for safe measure and went back and tried again. Nothing, no power from any of the "key on" sources. All lights, electric fans, winch etc work fine but nothing that gets power from the key. I have checked all fuses under the hood and they are good and replaced all relays in the fuse block under hood also. The fuse panel in the truck has power going to the ones that are hot from the battery at all times but nothing to the keu on fuses. Do you think the ignition switch went bad out of the blue ro is there possibly a fusable link on this truck I cant find or something? I am stumpped, any help is greatly appreciated.

 

I'm no expert, but since it won't crank, I'd think its the ignition coil maybe?

 

If your Jeep is an automatic, the neutral safety switch, maybee?

 

This is not a "cranking" issue...I am not getting any power (from the battery) to anything that is normally controlled by the ignition switch being turned on. Its like a fusable link is blown or ignition switch is bad. I was wondering of anyone knew of anything else that could cause this besides those two things.
When you turn the key on it does nothing...no dash lights or accesories like radio come on.

 

No, not a sensor if your not even get the starter to crank. Check your connections on the connector on the right hand side of the steering column. Check all you power and ground cables under the hood. Clean them. Jump the battery negative side to the engine block and the positive wire to the +wire on the solenoid. If it starts than disconnect it, and if it dies when disconnected there is your problem.

 

Starter relay not engaging? Possible bad ignition switch and/or ignition switch adapter. This is what mine looked like. When I went to get a new adapter from the JY I went through 3 XJ's before I found a switch and adapter that weren't in the same condition.

 

Funkman, when yours did that when you turn the key on would it not do anything. Mine does absolutely nothing. Its like you aren't even turning the key on. No lights in dash, no radio, nothing...no power is coming through the switch to anything. I figure it has to be the switch or what powers the switch.

 

Ok, you said you do have power though, right? So I guess the dome light is on?

When you turn the key, does the dome light go off, or stay on? If it's going off, chances are your battery has a dead cell and a 'surface charge'. It'll report 12v but it's lying and will not ever charge again.

If the dome light is staying on and you still get nothing, then it's possible the ignition switch itself is bad. Do you have a multimeter to test for voltage at the switch?

 

It would go in and out, sometimes nothing sometimes normal but it progressively got worse.

 

NO no no no! STOP REPLACING IGNITION COILS PEOPLE!!! THEY DO NOT FAIL VERY OFTEN AND THEY WILL NEVER CAUSE A NO CRANK ISSUE! Now, check the battery cables near the battery, they tend to get all buggered up around there. I bet the insulation is split and there is the "blue dust of death" on them.

 

Nothing changes when you turn the key on. The truck doesnt have a dome light, it's a trail rig, no doors etc. When you turn the key on absolutely nothing happens, its like there is no power going to the switch at all. I am going to take the switch out tonight and check connections and see if there is actually power going to the plug to the switch itself. Seeing that picture above makes me think i may have the same issue, I had a chevy truck burn the switch up like that one time but when you turn the key on the accessories would still come on llike the radio, dome light, dash lights etc. it just wouldn't engage the starter. This XJ wont do a single thing when the key is on or off.

 

Yea I cleaned the terminals and where the actual wire goes into the terminal yesterday but they looked fine.

The winch, lights, electric fan etc that are ran off the battery all work fine. I have 12.5 volts going to all the fuses under the hood and the ones inside that are a constant power source from the battery.

It's just very weird for it to be perfectly fine a couple months ago and now nothing. I got in touch with a buddy that works at a local Jeep dealer and he said since it sits outside without doors the moisture may have corroded the plug on the switch and that's the problem. i will know more tonight when I take the switch out. Thanks for the ideas so far...keep any new ones coming.

 

Ah, OK, do the headlights come on? Those are independant of the ignition. Same question otherwise.

 

Check for voltage at the small terminal on the starter while cranking. If you have power, then it is the starter, no power means you have either a relay problem, ignition switch problem, NSS problem , or a wiring problem between the switch and starter. Was this Jeep parked where there are rodents running around? If so, check for chewed up wiring at the starter and NSS.

 

Yes, everything comes on and works that isn't controled by the ignition switch. Everything that is doesn't have any power at all. I will check voltage at the switch tonight and get back to you.