Won't start - single click
 

Just put a new starter on the Jeep, when trying to start it I get one click and that's it.

- Cleaned all battery terminals
- Check engine ground strap
- Drilled a new ground on the positive cable next to the battery
- Cleaned the connection for the positive cable on alternator
- The crank moves freely when wrenched on

When I turn the key forward, everything inside the truck has power (radio, lights). I tired putting it in Neutral and Park numerous times without having any luck. What do you guys think - bad NSS?

Thanks for any helpful input.

Update: Just check it out and it is not the NSS. In Neutral and Park it clicks, when in Drive it does nothing. The NSS is doing it's job.

Could it be the Starter Switch?

is the battery any good?

Yes, the battery is good.

We tried jumping it from another battery and it yielded the same results. We even took out the current battery and hooked the cables directly to the other battery and, again, the same results.

I bridged the starter posts (the orange lines below) and yielded the same clicks, no engine turnover.

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/attach...-starter-1.jpg

I am thinking it has to be a bad ground somewhere before the starter. I am going to cut open the wire covers for them and see if there is any connection issues.

i would give that new starter a love tap with a hammer..

not my professional advice but new pupies are born dead too.

Why was the starter replaced? Have you checked the fuses and starter relay?

The car wouldn't start the other day, thought the battery was shot but it wouldn't start with a jump either. Pulled the starter, took it to get tested, and it actually checked out fine but then started to smoke from the electrical connections so I ordered a new one.

Switched all relays and still getting the same results. Leaning towards a bad ground. The negative battery cable ground, engine ground strap, and all positive connections have been cleaned. Cleaning the negative battery cable to engine block connection now since it was really mucked up.

Cleaned the connection and still have the same issue. My next guess is the Ignition Switch.

If the ignition switch was bad, wouldn't the starter not click at all when trying to start the truck?

Have you actually load tested the "good" battery?

The battery is fine. Like I said previously, we ran a direct connection from my Dad's 2013 FJ and yielded the same results.

Could be the starter you got is bad. Wouldn't be the first time something new/rebuilt was defective right out of the box.

That's what I am thinking. I am done working on it for the day. I'm going to take the new starter to get tested tomorrow morning.

We have tested just about every connection possible that could contribute to an issue like this. The battery is fine, the connections are fine, yet, when we put the battery cables onto the posts we hardly get a spark. We have voltage, just no amps. I am thinking it may be the new starter relay causing the loss of amps. I will post up tomorrow with progress but in the mean time any additional advice is greatly appreciated.

It's not the ignition switch. If that was bad you wouldn't even get a click. Sounds like a bad solenoid on the starter

How are you measuring the "amps".

Load test the battery. Just because it shows 12 volts and the lights come on does not mean the battery is good. How old is the battery?