if you pull the starter autozone can test for free same with the battery id try those first also if you want to test the starter your self next time it happens if you have a friend around that could help tap a few times on the larger cylender portion of the starter with a hammer/wrench what ever WHILE the other person turns the key hast to be at the same time if it catches and works that way most likly its your starter

the battery can still read good on a meter at 12volts but still not have any cranking amps probably a good idear to pull it and have tested also

 

Grab a starter at your local pick a part, they only run around 30 bucks. I found that when they test our jeep starters at autozone or kragen that their machine skips the selinoid test.

I had a similar problem with a jeep that I was fixing too. Have you checked your battery cables? If it's starting and getting to places alright that rules out the starter to me, you might also want to check your alternator and check all your grounds.

 

If you turn the key and get absolutely nothing. No click, no sound, nothing. It is your starting circuit that has a fault.

Do this. Get a short piece of 10-12 gauge wire. Remove the engine starter relay. Look at the relay pins for the pin number. Find the socket for pins 30 and 87 in the distribution panel. The socket for pin 30 is always hot with 12 volts. The socket for pin 87 is the solenoid circuit.

Now, connect one end of the wire to the socket for pin 87 and quickly touch the socket for pin 30. If the starter/solenoid is good, the starter will engage and the engine will turn over. With the key to ON the engine will start. With the key OFF the engine will just turn over. If this works, the problem is in the starting circuit. My guess it is a starting circuit problem.

This procedure can serve as an emergency start procedure.

Oh, and remove the wire if the engine starts. The wire is the ignition key.

If the above works, we can test the start circuit.

Find the socket for pins 86 and 85. Get a volt meter and a helper. Have the helper turn the key to start. Now connect the black meter lead to ground and with the red lead touch the sockets and check for voltage. You should get voltage at the socket for 86 and no voltge on the other.

It could be the reverse on the pin numbers. We just want to verify voltage at one of the pins. If no voltage you have a problem with the ignition switch side of the circuit or the wiring.

If you have voltage on one of the pin socket, ok. Now on the other dead socket you do a continuity test. Connect one lead to the socket and the other to a good ground. You should see continuity. If no continuity, you have a problem with the NSS or the wiring.

Since this is intermittent. I guess the NSS.

Start with a charged battery and good clean and tight battery cables. At the battery and at the starter.

 

you said you tried shifting it into neutral and no luck starting.

i recently had the same problem on my 2000 xj automatic.

when i pressed on the gas, and tried turning the key repeatedly while minutely moving the gear selector through the gears, about halfway into reverse, it would turn over and start...then again halfway into drive, but not when completely in any gear. This said to me that the neutral safety switch was acting up.
It's located on the passenger side of the transmission(auto only) and held in place by two bolts. loosen the two bolts a little, then slightly spin the switch then retighten. When the transmission is in neutral, there is a neutral standard line on the switch that should be aligned with the vertical groove in the manual valve shaft sticking through the switch.

 

the porclein piece on the fender is the ballast resitor it controls the volts to you fuel pump

 

My son in law had this exact problem and we finally figured it had to do with a wire going bad in the steering column so we ran a wire across the solenoid to +12 and put a heavy duty momentary switch in. Now when it does act up he just turns on the key and hits the "Start" button...Tj

 

get under there with a soft rubber mallet and give it a mild additude adjustment...if your volt guage is dropping maybe its gettin electricty and it might be a little siezed...
happened to mine but i beat a dent into it and had to buy a new one

 

I'm going through the same issues currently. Refer to my thread here if you want (http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthrea...1014790&page=3)

The renix engines have a little bit different of a method. But as I tried again last night I got it to start 1 out of maybe 30 tries total. I'm going to double check my grounds then try to manually jump my starter. If that does not go then I will pull it and clean it and try again.

 

Ran jumper cables from the battery to the starter. It spun. So now I'm just stumped.

 

When you say it spun. Do you mean the starter motor turned but did not turn the engine over or that yes the engine turned over with the starter?

 

Correct. What I ended up doing was bypassing the starter relay. I'm going to put a hidden push button under my dash to start the engine. The starter is fine the battery is fine and all the problem is an ignition problem.

It would spin but not turn over but then again I dont think I applied the correct power to both poles (even with the key on, oops)

 

Ok, when you jump the starter you have to do it thru the solenoid. If you just jump the starter terminals, large terminals, the starter motor will turn but the starter will not engage the engine.

Run a wire from battery positive to the small terminal on the solenoid. If the starter is good, the starter should engage and turn the engine.

If this test checks good, your problem is with either the main power feed to the solenoid or the starting circuit thru the ignition switch and NSS.

See my post #18 this thread for checking the engine starter relay. Look at the relay for the pin numbers. Hopefully it is the same pin numbers as listed. Some relays are numbered differently.

 

May I ask question about my jeep?

 

My jeep, out of the blue start run ruff, but It then backfires. I got home somehow. Then I tried to start again, It run ruff then dies before get into drive. Not sure what's going on. I check the startplugs, & wires. any suggestion would help thanksyou.

 

I had a similar problem. I found that gently tapping the starter motor with a pair of pliers would loosen up whatever corrosion is in there, and let it start right up. I saw somewhere on here that it can be cause because of oil spilling on it from the filter during an oil change. Whenever it refuses to start, i just give it a tap, and it fires right up.