My 1998 cherokee wont start. Daughter borrowed jeep and when came home said none of guages worked. I started jeep and sure enough they didnt. I turned off the jeep and it would not restart. I cleaned battery connections, bought new battery and put in a starter. Have noticed that when i get in jeep the courtesy lights work. As soon as i turn the key the lights go off. No clicking noise or anything. I have to rehook up battery for the courtesy lights to work again. Not sure if it is the ignition switch, a short or what!!

 

"Short", the all-purpose, explains everything, magical word used by people who don't understand electricity, when they run into an electrical problem.

No, you don't have a short. A short circuit will cause blown fuses and/or burned wiring. Sometimes a fire.

By the way, for future reference, many of the bigger auto parts chains (Autozone, Advance Auto) will test a starter, alternator, or battery for FREE. Just drag your carcass over there and they can do the alternator and battery in the parking lot. You'll have to pull the starter for that to be tested.

So, that said, now that you've thrown away money on a starter and battery you didin't need, let's try some actual troubleshooting.

Check your battery cables and terminals, both ends. You are looking for anything that's loose, or corroded. And don't be gentle - this isn't an eyeball inspection. Get your hands on those cables and push, shove, yank and twist. If there's a weak point, you want to break it, so you can fix it properly. Yeah, get rough.

Also, look carefully at the battery cables. Corrosion can wick up the strands under the insulating jacket. Look for any sign of corrosion, any swelling.

Check all FOUR cables. "Four? I thought I only had TWO!?!?!"

Four.

From the battery + terminal, there is a small cable that goes to the PDC (Power Distribution Center, a black box near your battery) and a larger cable that goes down to the starter. Tha'ts two.

From the battery - terminal, there is a small cable that goes to the inner fender, and a larger cable that goes to the engine block near the ignition coil.

Check BOTH ENDS of all four cables. That fender ground is notorious for getting bad.

Take the connections apart and CLEAN them with a wire brush. Shiny metal! Apply a thin coat of dielectric grease and then reassemble.

All that to say, you have the classic symptoms of a loose or corroded connection. It might be more complicated than that, but it's the best place to start. Try that and let us know.

 

I had a similar problem and it turned out to be a bad neutral safety switch. I have a Hayes book with schematics and with a multi meter I was able to find the trouble rather quickly.
When I replaced mine, I got a rebuilt for about $230.00 Certainly wasn't cheep. That was 15 years ago. They might be cheaper now