Been dealing with this for the past month and a half, but randomly my Cherokee refuses to start. All accessories still come on, lights, radio and blower motor. I can even hear the fuel pump priming, but when I turn the key I get nothing. Not even a click from the starter. I’ve had it tested at Autozone and the starter passed with no problems. It has a brand new battery put in and it still has the same problem.

One of my coworkers experienced something similar when he owned a XJ, and he told me it was probably the neutral safety switch. So I replaced that and while it worked fine for a while, now it’s doing it again.

I’m pretty much at a loss right now. I’m thinking it might be the starter relay, that’s just a guess. Also, when I turn the key over and over again, sometimes that’ll work and it’ll finally crank, but it’s not always a guarantee.

Any help is appreciated. I’m hoping it’s not a short in the harness, but I’m prepared for it to be anything at this point. Thanks in advance!
-LostInTheWoods

 

Next time it acts up, throw it in neutral and see if it starts. That would point towards the NSS again.

 

Tried that and still no luck. Even tried the jiggle trick and still nothing

 

Id start by maybe checking the major wiring from the battery to starter and making sure its not loose or corroded. It could be a failing ignition switch in the column too.

 

Welp, now it’s starting like there’s no problems. It’s cranking consistently, and I didn’t even tighten any connections down. None of the contacts looked corroded, so I’m stumped. It might be an ignition switch that’s on its way out, but I have no idea.

 

Im not sure if that switch is at the key cylinder or if its further down the steering column and uses a long push rod on those older ones.

 

Update: I bought a new ignition switch and starter relay. Chucked the relay in and now it’s actually cranking consistently. It’s not a consistent crank for a few times like before, so I got a feeling that was the problem. I’m still gonna hold on to the switch though, just in case. I wouldn’t be surprised if my XJ is throwing a curveball at this point.

But so far, it seems fixed. Preparing for anything though. Thanks for the suggestions, guys!
-LostInTheWoods