Bessie1997

I sure hope I'm posting this in the right place and if I'm not I apologize. I'm merely looking for someone to help me. I drive a 1997 two wheel drive Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 6 cylinder engine. And as I know little about cars, I think it would be best to start off giving a brief history of my recent Jeep woes.

This past summer, I discovered my Jeep wouldn't start. It was clearly a sort of electrical problem as the lights would dim and no electric would turn on. The engine would try to start but couldn't. At first, I got my battery tested (which was fairly new) and it proved to be bad so I thought, "must have just been a bad battery" and bought a new one. But then, a few days later, the problem resurfaced and I knew it was something else. I figured it was alternator as seeing how the Jeep couldn't keep a good battery charged. So I got it fixed. Then, out of the blue one day it wouldn't start AGAIN. It just wouldn't turn over despite that I had just drove it and everything sounded fine. There was no click or anything. All the lights and gauges came on fine though, as if I hadn't tried to turn the engine but just turn the power on. So I thought, "Damn, must be the starter". So I get a new starter put in in June/July. And now, I just had to walk over a mile in 20 degree weather to my apartment at midnight because my car won't start AGAIN!

Just like before, the car won't turn over or click or anything. You turn it and nothing happens save for the lights come on. Naturally, I'm pissed. I've never had so many problems pertaining to starting this or any car before now. Could something have gone wrong with the installation of the alternator that caused this or perhaps the first starter I got roughly 6 months ago was bad and this is just a fluke?

I'd appreciate if someone could just name all of the potential problems this could be, anything from a loose screw to a quantum time gap in lunar rainbow nebula. I just want to get this problem fixed once and for all and not be given the run around by whatever mechanic I go to and perhaps if I know the potential causes, I won't get jerked around.

kjc

Possible NSS issue.. (neutral safety switch) Try placing the shifter in neutral and start. The safety switch is a common issue with the symptoms you describe. The switch has grease in it from the factory that gets old and can prevent proper operation. It can be removed, disassembled and cleaned fairly easily. If it won't start in neutral or after wiggling the shifter a bit in park, it could be a different problem. This could be a good place to start tho. Good luck! Here's a good "how to" for you to look at:

http://www.bc4x4.com/tech/2010/jeep-...ty-switch-nss/

dave1123

Try replacing the battery cable terminals or the cables themselves. They may look good but be stretched and not making good contact with the battery posts. This is a common problem with lead cable clamps.

Welcome to CF and the world of jeepin'.