In hopes someone sees this. I have a 98 jeep Cherokee. I suspected the starter was going out due to slow/intermittent starting problems. So I changed it out with a new one. Now, as soon as I put the negative terminal back on. The starter tries to engage. I’ve double checked all connections and double checked it was hooked up correctly. I’m at a loss now that a shop said both starters are good. Any suggestions or ideas?

 

My first thought would be to put the old one back in.
See what happens.
Also despite them saying the second one is good I have my doubts.
And having worked in a Napa would double check that it is the right starter and not boxed wrong.
Cause would not be the first time that has happened.

 

Make sure when you connected the battery + cable you put it on the right post, and when you tightened it, the terminal did not rotate enough to contact either of the other posts. The small one brings power from the starter relay when you turn the key to START. So if you inadvertently shorted the small post to the large one, you'll complete the circuit as soon as you connect the battery and crank the engine.

If you've determine this to not be the case, disconnect the battery, pull the starter relay, then reconnect the battery to see if it cranks. I think your starter has a connector and not a threaded post like in this pic but still has a metal contact on the solenoid.

 

Sorry for the late reply,still trying to figure this website out. First time trying this. My starter actually looks just like that but it has that plastic part that is molded where the “negative” and starter relay wire are. I’ve traced the wires back to make sure they don’t have a short and they are hooked up correctly. I couldnt rotate the bracket(plastic part) if I wanted to switch polarity because the plastic wall on the starter. That keeps the positive and negative from having contact.

 

The really odd thing to me is that the negative starter post was ran directly to the positive terminal on the battery. Before,it would start but sluggish unless you cycled it. That’s why I originally thought it was the starter going out. Then it turned into my first post after putting the new starter on.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "switch polarity". I know '98 has a connector for the ignition wire. Here's a better pic.



The large bare stud at the top is for the battery cable. It's not a "negative". The other post below it has the cable that goes into the starter to power the motor. DO NOT connect anything to this. If you connect your battery cable to it, the motor will spin but not engage.

 

This is my old starter. The new one looks identical and the old one had wires on all three post.

 

Although, the "cat is already out of the bag," in the future, it's a good idea to take picts of something BEFORE you take it apart, and perhaps even put a piece of tape, wrapped around each wire, telling you what it is... even if labelled "1" or "2" or "3"...

Most of the time, your starter wires will ONLY reach a certain location, and are bent, from having been there, to that location. Having to Force, or Stretch wires further than they were should be a clue, as to where they Belong, or DONT Belong...

With your starter mounted, take a picture, share it with us. Take a picture of your battery connections. It'll take 2 mins, and I bet we'll be able to tell u what to do in 5.

Either way, you're hooking the Sylenoid "Hot" connection to the battery directly... which is what is bypassing your Ignition and making the Starter Initiate Manually... rather like "Jumping" a starter with a screwdriver.




Good Luck. God Bless.

 

I will try getting those pics tomorrow since we’ve had a lot of rain last night. Problem was,my buddy tried to surprise me by replacing the starter for me. However,that’s when all this started happening so we just hooked it up according to how the wires were bent. So I’ll try getting some good detailed pics of it today or tomorrow. Thank you all for your help.

 

Also, are you judging if something is "Positive" or "Negative" based on the "Colors" of the wires? Sometimes people, (previous owners) have used a "Red Colored/Cased" wire attached to a negative terminal, because that's all they had left in the barn that evening...

We'll look forward to picts. I'll be anxious to see if someone here can diagnose your issue quickly.


Good Luck... God Bless.....

 

That "Other Wire" as you say (...the big one on the starter), is not a Negative wire. It is the positive wire which feeds current to the starter's brushes. The starter is grounded via the engine (make sure your grounds are good!)

What happens is, when you turn the key the small wire sends voltage to and activates an electromagnetic field in the solenoid, which 'pulls back' a plunger inside the solenoid. A copper disk on the plunger bridges across the two larger terminals and closes the circuit between where your battery cable hooks up, and that other large wire which feeds the starter's brushes (which transmits electricity to your starter's armature). You either have something hooked up wrong or received a starter with a faulty solenoid. Put your old one in and see if the solenoid plunger draws back like it should ...only when you turn the key.

When an engine turns over real slow due to a starter, it's often because either: 1) The copper electrical terminals inside the solenoid are burnt to a nub after years of use, or 2) Your starter's brushes are worn to a nub from years of use. 3) Something internally is failing inside the starter motor itself (bearings, field-armature windings, gears, commutator bar broke, everything saturated with 10yrs of oil). These factors assume your battery and cables are good (and they might not be).

Jeep starter motor brush assembly (below)