'96 Cherokee here and right now I'm dealing with a no start after a few weeks of suspicious symptoms. She's been driven a lot less over the past year and about a month ago she began starting a little slow. I've got an oversized battery in there so usually she cranks right up no problem. I started monitoring batt voltage and saw around 12.04 V with engine off and 14.10 V or so running. Right before I get the new battery I head to Advance and they run a battery/alternator test. Kid tells me my batt is bad but alternator is still good.

So I lay out the $ and install the same size 34N EverStart Maxx 800 cca from Wally's and the slow start persists. Measuring the new battery with engine off yields consistent readings of just under 12.7 V, so for the past few weeks I began charging the batt at 2A which seemed to help. A few days ago I venture out for an errand and the engine doesn't restart to get me back home. I get no clicks or cranking at all with a key turn. Batt measures 12.67 V at the terminals. Dash gauges seem to react with the key on, voltmeter reading ~11.5 V, although I'm not sure how accurate that is. Fuel pump pressurizes.

Something that happened right after battery change out, which may or may not help in diagnosing the problem, is that my pass side headlight only illuminated half way while the driver side stayed full bright. I have an LMC Truck aftermarket headlight wiring harness giving 55/100w low high beam. It's the kind where you run the lights straight off the battery through additional relays. Had to tinker with the light harness a bit to get the new batt in and may have compromised a connection? Maybe a ground? Either way the pass headlight started showing full bright after only 1 or 2 occurrences and has been right ever since. With my alternator testing good and a new battery I wondered if maybe a loose connection was draining my voltage. I was in the middle of testing batt V connected vs. disconnected over time but this no start happened before I could get it done.

Last thing to mention is that recently I've been removing both my fuel pump and starter relays for security reasons. The way it's acting now is exactly like when trying to start with both relays removed. Being that the fuel pump is pressurizing should I consider testing the starter relay? Other than that could I have caused some kind of part failure by removing and reinstalling the relays maybe around 5-6 times over the last month?

All ears

 

Guessing your battery cables need to be replaced. You can put a 1-bazillion CCA battery in the thing but with bad cables the amperage needed to turn the starter may not get through. Keep in mind the usual suspect is the ground cable as electricity conducts negative to positive. It could also be the starter itself needs to be removed and the metal-to-metal faces of the starter and starter mount boss cleaned up (aka ground contact surfaces).

 

sorry I cant work out exactly what you are saying your issue is ?

If the engine cranks slow it has to be either cables, earths, battery or starter motor

you appear to have a good battery..it must be one of the other 3..how old is the starter?..make sure all earth/ground cables are secure and good connections

If the engine cranks slow, that can cause failure to start (because all the needed power is being sucked up by a fault in one of the above)

 

Thanks for the advice and sorry for the novel up there guys. It's not the first time I've over explained something. Main problem is that I've got a no start no crank. Most advice I've gotten so far is to check all connections between pos battery terminal and starter, and batt to engine ground wire.

If these seem good then I'll test the starter going directly from pos batt terminal to starter to see if I can get it turning.

Not really sure how old the starter is or if I've had to change it out in my 14 years of owning her. I'll have to review my maintenance notes to see how old the starter is.

 

Corrosion can wick up cables and do a lot of damage inside the insulation. When you check them, don't just use your eyeballs. Push, shove, yank. Get rough. If it's marginal, you want it BROKEN. That way you know what to fix.

As for connections, take them apart. Don't just look. at them. Clean to shiny bare metal and give it a thin coat of dielectric grease.

Don't overlook your grounds. You have a main one which goes from the battery to the block, and a second one which goes from the battery to the fender well.

 

be more specific...does it click ? ie relay or solenoid is working or not

you need a thick cable to run to starter postive..be careful, dont run yrself over

a test light on the solenoid wire is a good indication if its working up to that point

 

Thanks Mark. I've gotten advice about the ground to block but haven't seen the ground to fender well mentioned yet. I'll make sure to check that one too.

awg...when I turn the key I get no sounds at all. No crank and no clicking. My face thanks you for that advice...If it gets to bridging to the starter I'll have someone on the inside mashing down on the brakes.

 

That one's not likely to be your main culprit, but it's often flaky. I replaced mine with a 5/16" stainless steel bolt fed through from the back (inside) of the fender. I drilled a hole, stripped the paint around it about the size of a nickel, and then applied dielectric grease. I put a star washer on the bolt, fed it through the new hole from the back, then a flat washer and a nut, cinched down tightly. All hardware in stainless steel. That gave me a nice 5/16" stud as my attachment point. A new 8 gauge cable with a 5/16" eye, sealed with clear heat shrink, and then a final nut, and it's solid. I don't expect to ever have to think about it again. Oh, and don't forget the new military terminals. Order your new cable with 5/16" eyes on both ends and you are good to go.

 

I roughed up both terminal connections and the block ground and got another no crank/start. Banged on the starter a couple times and it started right up. So at least I'm not chasing an electrical problem but it wound up being the most expensive fix possible. Any suggestions for a decent starter from the car stores? Should I just look for something like a reman Ultima w/ a lifetime warranty from Oreileys or should I aim for something better? I've got $70 credit at Napa so I'm thinking maybe a reman Bosch in the $120 or so range.

Thanks for mentioning military terminals. I hadn't seen them before but they look a lot more functional than what's in there now, so they'll be a nice upgrade. Where's a good place to order my new specific length cables? Gonna need 2 power cables 18 and 36" long and a ground around 20in. Doesn't seem like any of the local car stores have anything like that listed online.

 

It's probably not the starter but the starter solenoid attached to it. Look it up. I replaced the solenoid on my 98 because the contacts were so worn out. Banging on the starter tells me your solenoid has suffered the same fate.

https://www.quadratec.com/products/55110_0007.htm

 

Thanks for the advice on the solenoid although I'm left wondering why it's that instead of the starter. I've been told before the reason knocking on a starter gets it going again is that it's contacts landed on a flat spot of a worn starter and knocking helps make contact again. Could you explain more on why knocking helps the solenoid?

 

The starter does not have any contacts in it. It's just a motor. The solenoid houses the contacts. The motor is wired to it. Look at the two heavy lugs atop the solenoid. One comes from the positive battery cable. The other goes to the starter. Beneath those two heavy lugs inside the solenoid housing is a shorting bar that connects the two lugs internally when the solenoid is energized by the ignition switch "crank" position. When those internal contacts wear down, or burn down to be more precise through countless cycles of arcing the lugs together, eventually they burn down (like a candle wick) to the point where the solenoid shorting bar just barely contacts them and this causes insufficient current to flow. Banging on the starter jolts the contacts into adequate contact with the shorting bar and the motor engages.

 

This is why I ask so many questions is that every now and then someone comes along and explains things this well. I'll use this info in the future with newer starters but for now it seems like I should go ahead and change out the entire starter since it's potentially 24 years old. Great money saving knowledge.

 

It's a DC motor. It has an armature. The armature has contacts.

That said, it's probably the solenoid.

 

probably is a good idea, as the starter itself has 4 spring-loaded brushes, which are a pita to check/assemble/replace

If you arc the starter/solenoid terminals with a ring spanner, and it always starts, then its definitely the solenoid