salinity

Hi all - looking for some insight here - the details:

95 Cherokee (2.5L) - started fine this morning. Stopped for gas, went to turn ignition, nothing - no click, no crank, nothing. However, fan and radio still operating.

Disconnected / reconnected (+) battery terminal and alarm sounded (alarm lives in valet mode, as I have no key fob - valet mode is entered via a toggle switch and turning ignition to "on"). Could not turn off alarm via ignition or by putting in valet mode.

Eventually, I got the battery connected with alarm not sounding (nothing done differently). Still no ignition. I then checked some fuses under the dash and all available fuses under the hood (ignition and otherwise) and all looked ok. I removed and re-seated them all. After re-seating the 60a ignition fuse (under the hood) alarm began sounding again - could not disarm alarm via valet or key in ignition - still no ignition - disconnected (+) terminal.

I then checked all available fuses under the dash (ignition and otherwise) and all looked ok. I removed and re-seated them all and connected battery w/ key in ignition - no alarm. Tried ignition, STARTED!

The AAA guy was pulling in as I got it started. He thought my (-) terminal connection was a bit loose so we tightened it (I dont think it was really loose).

However, my trust in the Jeep starting up when asked has been shattered. I am inclined to replace any ignition fuses (7.5 or 15a under the dash and 60a under the hood), but if anyone has any other insight given the above description, I'd welcome any other info. What may have caused the initial no-start condition? Could re-seating fuses make this sort of difference? Can a fuse be "bad" even if the internal connection still looks ok? Or could it be an ignition switch starting to go bad (would there be other "symptoms")? Thanks for any insight.

salinity

A bit more info: checked battery voltage: 12.7V with jeep not started. I started it up a couple times and it started / ran fine. I then turned on the lights with the Jeep started, turned off and tried starting again - now she once again won't start. I can hear the fuel pump engage, but no clicks, no crank. Oh, it's a 5 speed.

salinity

Update 2: An hour or so after the 2nd instance of not starting it started up again. I decided to drive it home (55mi) and did so without incident.

It doesn't appear to be an issue of not starting when engine is warm / hot, because I started it up after driving for a while after the first instance of not starting. Also of note: I do not have to step on the clutch to start it up - I spoke to a mechanic who indicated that this indicates some sort of bypass may be employed. Anyone have any thoughts on where to start here? I've owned the Jeep for 10 years or so and haven't run into ignition issues before, save for a CPS I replaced about 3 years ago.

TwoXJS

My '93 doesn't need the clutch in to start it, just be sure its out of gear before cranking. Personally, it sounds like possibly bad cables going to the starter, bad grounds somewhere or just the starter giving out.

salinity

Thanks for the response. If the starter was indeed going bad, would it not "click"? I haven't tried banging on the starter yet (started up fine this morning), but is there another way to test the starter (or determine starter vs. solenoid), such as with a volt meter, etc? When I get back from vacation, I'll try cleaning all the connections, as this seems like a good recommendation in any event. Is there anything I should look for as a possible culprit when cleaning connections?

Thanks again.