I have a 96 xj that has been running fine, I recently replaced the battery a couple of months ago. Tonight on the way home from work, I stopped at the store and when I came out the jeep would not start. Everything powered up but the starter would not engage. After trying everything I could think of I drug the jeep to the house. When I got home I tested my battery and it showed full, but I went ahead and put my charger on it. As soon as I hit it with the charger the jeep fired. I took it to the parts store and both the battery and the alternator tests out fine. It has been starting fine since then but I need to trust it. Any ideas what I could look at it next?

 

The next time it won't start you might want to check starter to see if it's working or if it's sucking too much juice.

 

If a starter is about to completely fail on you in the near future it will sometimes do this, have a one-off no-crank no-start episode like that. One where you have full power throughout even with the headlights high beams on, but still no crank... If you have what they refer to as slow-crank starts it is another symptom of the same. It could be next week, a month, or another year when the starter all out fails, if it is the starter?

 

1. Next time this happens, try starting while wiggling the shift lever or try starting with the transmission in neutral. If either of these techniques allow the engine to turn over, your problem is within your neutral safety switch (NSS).

2. Thoroughly clean all of your battery connections until they are shiny and all freshen all engine grounds. You can't tell anything by looking at ground connections; disassemble them, clean them and reassemble.

3. If you have a meter (everybody should!), when this happens again, with the key in the ON position, check for voltage at the starter itself. You should have approximately the same voltage there as at your battery.

Good luck and keep us updated!

 

I did number 1 with no difference and number 2 most are good but I will go over the grounds again. I will do number 3 tonight.

It has full power just no start at all.

 

Try shifting to Neutral next time and see if it starts.

 

That was what happened with mine. I had full power throughout. The only thing is it would not start. It would not crank over the starter motor. No click or noises at all happened edited - (actually, I cannot remember now wether it did 'click' making a noise or not?). Just no cranking or starting. It was warning me throughout the weeks and months prior to this with what I call 'slow starting', where the starter just does not sound healthy. It was like it had to pause and think if it wanted to work or not, kind of...

It started right up with a jump no problem though. I thought maybe it was the battery? It was old, so I replaced it. That did not change anything. It started right up strong as soon as I replaced the starter the second time it died on me the following week. It has worked fine ever since.

Mine died like yours did. It worked fine for another week no problems. Then, it was dead in the water until I replaced the starter unit. I replaced it in a muddy tow yard at night in the rain... That is a whole other story though.

 

Good to hear and it seems a starter replacement is on my list this weekend.

 

They are not too expensive either to replace. They are definitely also very simple and easy to replace on our Jeeps. I got a remanufactured one as a replacement. It came with a lifetime warranty.

If it is an old starter? The old Mopar starters are great starters though! If I had the time for it back then, and if I knew of someone or a place that could do the work.. I would of rather had the Mopar starters armature, brushes, and bearing fixed cleaned and made new again. Probably would get another 20 years from it...

 

Just wanted to update, I took my started to a guy for rebuild and he told me it made his top 10 most wore out starters. After a rebuild the jeep is cranking fine. Thanks to everyone that helped figure this out.

 

Very cool!

I am about to do the same. Except, it is going to be rebuilding my alternator with new brushes and bearings...

 

@dave1123 and anyone else who fancies pitching in.

This is a video of her starting this morning.
Hard to hear her struggling on the first attempt but it's a very slow, quite, turning over of the starter motor.

I think I flooded her which is why she struggled the second time. I then have to keep my foot on the throttle which I'm guessing is the idle air sensor you mentioned dave.

 

Yeah, polish the commutator and put in a new set of brushes and she's good to go! Right after it cranks like that, get out and feel the battery cables. If they are smoking hot, the starter is toast! A good way to clear a flooded fuel injected engine is to hold the throttle wide open and crank it. Cranking with the throttle wide open, the computer won't supply fuel from the injectors.

Want another story? My mother had a 49 Ford that had a bad starter. She carried a hammer with her and when it wouldn't start she'd give it a couple raps with the hammer and it would start right up! That worked for a couple months until it quit completely. This works when all you get is a click and it doesn't turn at all.

 

Sorry I thought I'd replied, then seems I replied in the wrong thread, then resent it in my thread. As you can tell I'm new to forums.

What's the commutator? and when you say new brushes where do I put this? Sorry for the stupid questions, my landrovers have all been very simple. I'm not a mechanic just a man with glue, tape and something to hit stuff with.

In regards to the landy, I two carried a large pole and a club hammer to give the starter motor a good whack every now and then.... worked a treat.

 

Inside the starter there are carbon brushes that ride in a copper commutator or slotted section of the rotor where all the core wires attach. The brushes wear down until the spring pressure doesn't hold them tightly in contact with the commutator and there's a voltage drop and arcing starts, burning the copper sections. In severe cases the commutator needs to be lathe turned to smooth it up and the burrs cleaned out of the slots between the sections. As long as it didn't get hot enough to melt the solder connections or burn out a winding, all a starter needs to be rebuilt is bearings, brushes, and a cleaned up commutator. Years ago mechanics used to do this instead of buy a new one, but today time is money and rebuilding starters and alternators is done by electrical shops. Still, if you can find the parts, rebuilding them is not all that difficult. Guys with classic cars like to keep everything original.