.:.

Hello everyone.

This post is going to show my inexperience, but please bear with me. I just bought a '99 XJ to be able to goto school and back and do some camping on the side. I need some outside minds on this to suggest things I haven't thought of or don't have the experience to think of.

So I got in my XJ the other day and it wouldn't start. I can hear some clicking which I think is the fuel pump. Lights and radio came on though. I had just changed my dad's F250 starter and I thought for sure it was the starter in my XJ because as far as I know it hadn't ever been replaced. I went to the store and bought a new starter. It started right up. The next day I went to the Post Office. When I was leaving the Post Office I tried starting it. Same thing was happening. Radio, lights, all of that were working, but it wouldn't even try to turn over. I unplugged my phone charger and it started right back up immediately. I brought it to Advance Auto Parts for them to test the battery since it started when I unplugged my phone charger. They told me the battery was on it's way out. I thought I could maybe get a few more days out of it, but then later the same night I tried started it up again and it was "dead" again. Same thing the lights would come up, radio, hearing the same clicking, etc, but it wouldn't do anything else. I got someone to give me a ride back to Advance Auto and I bought the battery. I put the new battery in and nothing changed. Still wouldn't turn over. I had no idea what else it could be so I went to sleep. When I woke up this morning it started up fine. I drove back to Advanced Auto Parts and got them to check the battery, the starter, parasitic battery drains, and the alternator. All were good. So I went back home thinking it was a "fluke". When I went to started up my XJ again later it was dead again in the same way. The lights will come on, the gauges will move, the radio will come on, but you don't hear the engine trying to do anything aside from a clicking. I also checked the Starter Relay by swapping the relay with fuel pump one.

Possible additional relevant information might be that I have a Viper alarm system with remote start. Neither the remote start nor the key start work.

My next plan is to try to find the control box for the alarm and look up any type of technical information regarding it. Does anyone else have any other ideas?

I just need some direction on where I should be looking to diagnose the problem. My classes start tomorrow night at 6pm so any ideas or information would be a major help.

Thank you.

jordan96xj

Given the security system is in the mix my first test would be to see if I could start the vehicle by having the ignition in the run position while providing positive and ground to the control side of the starter relay. If it started (or at least attempted to crank by engaging the starter motor), I would know that the relationship between the battery and the starter was good, and that it was a control problem. Basically, I'd be testing if the problem was downstream or upstream from the starter relay. If it was upstream, I would next try to test which side of the starter relay control (the coil side of the relay) was missing, positive, or ground. The positive is supplied by the ignition switch (start position). The negative is supplied by the Park/Neutral switch (NSS).

If one of those was missing I would start to follow it. I'm not certain how the security system ties into your vehicle or whether it is implicated in this problem.

awg

I dont think your post identifies the part that is clicking?, once that has been identified, fault finding can commence

the relays should be named on the inside relay cover

I do so much hate vehicle security systems

Dave51

Does it start in neutral or if you jiggle the shift lever?

gat

Often a single click means that the starter is not able to turn over because of lack of power. Carry a multimeter with you when experiencing these problems. They are very affordable. Clean the posts on the battery and the terminals on the positive and negative cables. While you are doing that measure the resistance between the ends of the cables on the battery. Post those resistances. One click is often a result of insufficiently tight clamping on the battery's posts or corrosion in the cables/terminals.

If the engine isn't turning over, then we are just concerned with the electric system from the starter to the battery. That does branch a bit with the ignition and relays.

.:.

Wow! Yes, it starts in Neutral. I feel like an idiot for not trying that. I have to admit I'm not sure what that means though. Lol

Edit: I'm looking up information about the transmission now.

.:.

Yes, I'm 100% buying a multimeter after this. I'm trying to borrow a friends when he is off work.

I think it is the fuel pump, but I need to 100% verify that with the relays.

I tried doing this, but the wires are inside of a coupling that plugs into the starter and were difficult to get to. Strip the ends of some wire and insert it into the coupling maybe is what I was thinking.

Thanks so much for the help everyone! I was kind of thinking that I'd get ragged, but all the replies were solid and very useful.

Dave51

It means your neutral safety switch is on the fritz. You can either take it apart and clean it (sometimes works), drive it around a lot so the electrical contacts clean themselves (that's what I do because I'm lazy) or change it out (read tips on forum cause very easy job if everything goes right but huge PIA if things go wrong. Best tip is to use a couple of wood wedges driven in on either side to pry it off (after you take of the nut and bolt).

Dave51

I'm sure what you heard were the normal activation of the relays in the fuse box on the right fender. If you're curious have someone try to start the car in anything except park or neutral while you pop the cover and listen/feel.

Of course, at this point why bother.

Red1992XJ

Honestly, the NSS can be a pain in the *** on these. On mine, when the outside air temp is cold, the NSS acts up and it won't start unless i jiggle the shifter. However, once the outside air temp is above 55, she starts no problem. Also, another symptom of a bad NSS is the reverse lights not functioning when you shift into reverse.

Next time you try to start it in park, try jiggling the shifter side to side.

The NSS can be rebuilt, but its kind of advanced work.

.:.

When I get some free time and feel like tinkering I might do it anyway. The more I understand the better prepared I will be in the future. This week I've had to do a lot of little things and diagnosing and fixing them has been fun... so far. I was starting to get a little frustrated last night, but then I came here and the replies alleviated all of that.

Do you know of any good videos showing a rebuild of the NSS? I've been looking and so far I've only found installations (and removals). I will keep looking for a decent rebuild video though. My friend said he doesn't even have the NSS on his XJ so I was thinking about taking mine off and trying to rebuild it. The part is pretty expensive new aftermarket and the OEM one is even more expensive.

Do you think taking it off and driving with it off would be dangerous? It just allows the vehicle to only be started in park or neutral right? I'm thinking about maybe trying to rebuild it or hitting up Pull-A-Part this weekend. Some friends are pulling a transmission and I'm going to see how it's done and "help" so I figure I can probably get one then.

Dave51

No. How? It would just start in any gear. You need to put a jumper in the harness tho.

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/how...-96-xj-191405/

awg

imo, if you hear a click, probably it wont be the NSS, as you would hear nothing

however, if the vehicle wont start, then if you hold the key and cycle trans thru P to N and it does, that will be the NSS..it may be passing only a tiny current to click a relay
No reverse lights also = bad NSS

remove, dismantle & cleaning the NSS is needed on most older XJ

Stickers_XJ

These viper remote systems can be problematic. When I bought my XJ, t had a viper remote start/keyless entry system. It was cool until the Jeep would just start on its own. I decided to just remove the whole thing.