moneypit_K5

Well, not quite.

It cranks when I jump the starter relay under the hood, so I know wiring is good between that relay and the starter. until I figure it out, It has a sweet switch mounted under dash that bypasses the relay.

What gear it is in has no effect on it cranking, so im pretty confident it is not my neutral safety switch.

When I hold the key to the "start" position, the volt gauge pegs and it doesnt crank. everything is normal with the ignition except that.

I'm betting there have been others with this same issue? Any ideas?

EDIT:
Also, I picked this jeep up at auction very recently. I believe it has a different steering column in it because it requires a different key than the doors. Im pretty sure the 1994's have one common key.

Common sense would say that whoever put the new column in didnt hook something up. But Ive been under there for a few hours and I cant see anything out of place.

JEEPprojectXJ

dont you hate it when people dont understand relays.... a source of power changes the way electricity flows if you hook up a + to a and a - b then c connects to d and e isnt touching anything however if you break the connection with the positive or negative c is connected to e until power and ground is reapplied.... well think this thru if you can jump the starter relay.... your just connecting c to d without applying power if the relays not working, your not gettin a positive or ground, check if you turn the key to where it should be cranking most likely you still have a positive to a... if you dont have a ground check the neutral position sensor try readjusting it.... if you dont wanna mess with the sensor just wiggle the shifter thru the gears with ya foot on the brake till ya get it to turn over.... but trust me that gets old...

moneypit_K5

thanks for the input. I forgot to mention that Ive replaced the relay, as well as checking to see if power was hitting there when the key is in start. Im very familiar with relay workings.