Symptoms of starter going out?
01-21-2019, 12:34 PM
#1
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
Symptoms of starter going out?
Obligatory Jeep picture
Hi guys,
Recently with the cold weather, my Jeep has been a little slow to crank. It usually fires up right away, but now it may take 5-10 seconds on the first crank in the morning, often accompanied by a grinding noise that goes away within 30 seconds. After I let it warm up, it cranks over just fine when I start it up. I have replaced the alternator, battery, and battery clamps within the last 5 months due to unrelated issues, so I have not touched the stater, and I don’t have any previous history from the previous owner. It appears to be a Bosh starter though. Would these be typical symptoms of a starter going bad? It is a 2000 XJ sport, no current check engine lights, with 145,000 miles on it. If it is the starter, is there a recommended replacement or should I go with one from the parts store (Autozone or O’rileys) or one off of rock auto? Thank you!
01-21-2019, 02:42 PM
#2
Senior Member
Your starter can pull too many amps when cranking and cause a slow crank . Any time you hear grinding with your starter you need to immediately replace it and inspect the teeth on the flywheel . I hope for your sake you haven’t ruined teeth on the flywheel .
01-21-2019, 03:02 PM
#3
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Year: 96
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
I went thru a starter saga with my vehicles.
The starter was an OEM, gummed up inside with old oil dripping from the o-rings, and with brushes worn right down
The symptom was it would turn the motor slowly, sometimes barely at all, like a battery on its last legs..eventually not at all, luckily in my driveway, on the day I was set to investigate!
It worked again when dismantled & cleaned, but I swapped it out into my spare, and obtained a new one since
The starter was an OEM, gummed up inside with old oil dripping from the o-rings, and with brushes worn right down
The symptom was it would turn the motor slowly, sometimes barely at all, like a battery on its last legs..eventually not at all, luckily in my driveway, on the day I was set to investigate!
It worked again when dismantled & cleaned, but I swapped it out into my spare, and obtained a new one since
01-21-2019, 03:03 PM
#4
Senior Member
Yep, slow cranking, spinning out (bad bendix), not engaging.....
Ensure all your battery cable connections are good. You'd hate to replace a starter only to find out you had a bad ground or battery connection. Good luck!!
Ensure all your battery cable connections are good. You'd hate to replace a starter only to find out you had a bad ground or battery connection. Good luck!!
01-21-2019, 03:46 PM
#5
Old fart with a wrench
Okay, here's 2 examples of starter symptoms. My 2000 WJ 4.0 cranks a little slow when it's extremely cold. It's got 248K miles on the original starter and a brand new battery. My 2000 XJ 4.0 has 126K miles on it and a brand new battery. This sat for a week and a half without being started in close to zero temps and it started up like it was summertime! It ran a little ragged until the cylinders cleaned out, but was fine after that. As soon as it gets a little warmer, the WJ will get a new starter. She deserves one! Both of these jeeps have Rotella T6 in them.
01-21-2019, 04:01 PM
#6
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
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Thanks fellas I appreciate it! I just ordered a new one off rockauto I believe it is made by pure energy, has a year warranty. I imagine this will solve my issues, as the battery cables and grounds were cleaned when I swapped the alternator and battery out. From the looks of it and research it looks to be 4 bolts, a 14mm and a 15mm, and then the two grounding bolts.
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