When I try to start my jeep, it often will not. It will usually crank for like a second, and then just sound like it is free spinning. Like a whirring noise. Sometimes it does not crank at all, and just whirrs. After a few minutes of repeated key turns, it will hold the crank long enough to turn over and start up. My first thought is that the starter is not being kicked into to flywheel by the little solenoid. However, It does crank sometimes, before going to whirring, and my understanding was that once it was pushed out into the flywheel teeth, it would stay there until I let off. Any ideas?

It is a 86 cherokee and it was the victim of my first tranny swap last winter, so missing electrical connection or failure to reassemble should not be thrown out as a possibility.

 

Oddly enough, wiggling the shifter does help some times, but it is a manual, and thus does not have the NSS that would be remedied by this action. Maybe it is all in my head.

 

You might have some stripped teeth either on the gear or the flywheel.

 

Hmmm that is a possibility. It sounds like what I would imagine that to be. The flywheel appeared fine when I swapped the transmission. Another possibility I was considering is that it could be my CPS. But again, my understanding of that is that when it fails, It will continually crank, just not turn over.

 

i would pull the starter and have it tested...

 

I would bet starter..

 

Thanks guys, I was leaning towards that myself. I have never really done any work with starters before so I was a little hesitant to jump to it. I think I will take it off next time I have a day off school and work and see what I can't do to rebuild it.

 

Disconnect the positive lead on the battery.
Remove the wires from the solenoid then the bolts securing the starter.
Take the starter to NAPA buy a new one give them the old one for the core exchange. Bolt starter back up to the engine and wire up the solenoid. Reconnect the positive battery cable to the battery. Drive on...