I recently bought and fixed up a 1998 ZJ with the 5.2 in it for my little sister about 2 weeks ago. I got a call from her 2 days ago saying that it wouldn't start. It was a new battery so I was wondering if the alternator was bad and maybe drained it. I told her to jump it and it worked. I decided to load test the battery and it was fine and the car started fine after that so I thought nothing of it. Today she had the same problem. She tried to jump it and it didn't work. It didn't even turn over or make a click. I went ahead and replaced the starter, starter relay, cable ends, and fuel pump relay, it still won't turn on, it won't even turn over. When I turn the key all the light on the dash work as well as the gauges. I hooked up my own yellowtop optima battery just to be postive it wasn't the battery and it didn't work. All the accessories work and the headlights work as well. Anyone know where I should go from here? Any suggestions would be helpful and if possible, please suggest a way for me to test what you think may be wrong. It could be the fuel pump but I'm not sure how to test that and other than that I'm not sure what it could be. Thank you.

 

Is it possible the starter is burned out now? Or the solenoid? Hot-wire the starter terminal with a jumper cable and see if it will spin. If it doesn't even click when trying to start it with the key, I'm betting on the solenoid.

 

I replaced the starter last night. I jumped it early this morning and it was spinning.

 

How about the neutral safety switch? Try starting it in neutral.

 

It fired up right away when I put it in neutral. So this means the neutral safety switch is bad? If so do you know where it's located? And thank you so much for the help.

 

It doesn't mean it's bad, it just wasn't being tripped in park. It's a plunger switch that's screwed into the transmission case near the trans shift cable. It also controls the reverse lights.

Try pushing the shift lever hard towards park and see if it starts then.

 

Thank you for the help. I'm not to familiar with the NSS and it's starting just fine it park now. I thought it was gonna be a hell of a time figuring out what was wrong. Thanks again.

 

Like all things Jeep, it's a very well designed thing, built for the long haul. Then again, it isn't. Both our grand and cherokee, 97 and 98, will every once in a while not start in P. Simply move to N and there she goes and then gets over it. I keep thinking 'one of these days' I will service them, but, ..then again why...

 

I have to start my 04 GCL in neutral all the time. Somebody prior to me rebuilt the tranny and didn't asdjust the shifter cable so I got no park. I was gonna fix it but I just decided it was a pretty good anti theft system and left it alone....

 

I had an old S10 that kept killing starter motors. Finally gave up on fixing it, so you had to give it just the slightest push and you could bump start it. Same reasoning haha. Just remember to park facing downhill if on a slope...

I've had the neutral switch stick on my ZJ. Sometimes jostling the shift level a little works. Otherwise, shifting to neutral and back has done it.

 

My buddy that owns the junkyard is trying to sell me an old S10 four wheel drive with a v-6 motor for 800 bucks. He said it runs good and the driveline all works, but it looks like hell. I may go drive it this weekend and if it seems like it will run for a couple of years I may buy it for a spare hunting buggy/farm truck.

 

Oh, tell me! You've never bump-started in reverse? Shame on you!

 

Can't say I have haha. I take it that it works? I will keep that in mind!

 

I had one of these. Don't buy it. Despite being an over fair vehicle you will have nightmares with the single spider injection that is miserable at best., there is a reason it's in the junkyard. These babies will leave you on the side of the road time and rusted gas tank time again. Inline 4.0 Jeep solved all that for me.

 

Thanks for the heads up, it's now off my list, LOL. My first mud buggy was a 76 K-5 blazer with a four inch lift and 33 mudders running a 350 horse 350 I built from a vette engine. I still got a soft spot for chevy's as puddle hoppers but I don't need another hanger queen,