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?

Also thoroughly check your ground wires. Sometimes they can become corroded on the inside of the insulation and cause it not to ground properly and since you said it was mucked up, that could be a possibility.

single click is most definitely a bad starter.

multiple clicks is battery or cable problem.

That's what I was thinking. Thanks for reinforcing my theory.

By the fact that I am getting spark but hardly any power out of it.

The battery is an older Optima yellow top but, like I said before, I jumped it directly from a brand new FJ's battery and yielded the same results.

If the starter checks out then this may be the issue. Thanks for the input.

That is what I have been thinking. Thanks for the input.


Taking the starter off now to get it tested. Will post progress later on. Thanks guys.

Update:

Just ran an ohm tester throughout every wire positive and negative connection on the Jeep and everything tested out as a solid connection. Took a screwdriver and bridged the starter again, clicked each time until it finally turned the flywheel/crank. Tried it again and it clicked each time thereafter.

Tried it off of another battery once again and it yielded the same results as it did trying to start off the original battery. It seems like something is limiting the power being sent to the starter. I've checked every fuse and they have all checked out fine. I have switched the starter relay with another relay and it still has the same results. If it was the starter switch, it wouldn't even click.

Could it be something in the relay box under the hood is losing power causing a lack thereof to the starter and causing a disruption in the circuit?

If you are jumping the starter and its not working then the starter is bad

I second that......I believe it's time for you to get a new starter from a new source.

Update: It looks like it might be the Ignition Lock Cylinder or the Ignition Switch Actuator Pin. My Dad jiggled the key when pushing it forward to start the Jeep and it started to kick on. It must be one of the two, possibly an Ignition Starting Switch.

Well the Jeep has been starting perfectly ever since jiggling the key when starting it. I am waiting for it to act up again (if it does) to try to diagnose which part needs to be replaced. I will post up when I find out. Thanks again for everyone's help.

2007 GC wouldn't crank and trans over temp light would come on. Starter tested good but would still pull this stunt occasionally. Turned out that there is a wire attached to the solenoid with a spade clip not a post and bolt. Crawl under and reach up right ahead of the front pumpkin and you can feel the starter, up a little higher the solenoid. grab the wire that is attached with the clip (has a plastic cover around it) and slide it back and forth a few times to make clean contact, then push it back or pull it forward all the way and see if the starter cranks. I removed the plastic and carefully soldered this connection (be carefull to use minimum heat I don't know if you can melt connections in the solenoid or not) Covered the result with liquid electrical tape and no problems. Has nothing to do with trans over temp.

Did this ever act up again? I have a 96 XJ and first turn no crank but power and slight click second turn starts up. But my check engine light will come on with a code of 25 which they say is the IAC sensor. So I cleaned that because it was dirty. But they say that code will come up for this

Code 25 is thrown when the Automatic Idle Speed (AIS) motor circuit is shorted, or the target idle speed is not achieved.

So maybe its just throwing that code cause it tried to start but didn't reach idle speed cause it obviously cant when it didn't start. I might just replace the starter since it use to be soaked in oil until I changed the oil filter house o-ring but was wonder if you changed the ignition stuff and it solved your problem.

It's a 8 year old thread. If you want help on your issue, you'd be better off starting your own thread in the appropriate technical section.

I'm moving this to the tech forum.