start/stall/no electrics nightmare...long

Ok guys. I'm not around here too often, but if I could get any help on this, that would be fantastic and greatly appreciated, seeing as how I have to be at work tomorrow. I posted a few months ago about my dash lights on my 95 XJ 4.0 not working anymore, and it kept blowing fuses, so I went to a map light in the ciggy lighter. Well, since then, it occasionally had a starting hesitation where it wouldn't turn over on the first two or three attempts, but then out of nowhere, the starter would crank it up sounding like it was brand new with a super hot battery. Well, now, I've got a problem where it starts, catches, and immediately stalls out. This has been an intermittant problem for about a week until today. After a couple minutes of cranking and starting over, it finally runs. Here's the twist. Today, I was on my way home from work, and I hear this screaming grinding noise coming from under the hood. Then the a/c and radio both die, and there is no power to anything but the ignition, because the thing is still running. I didn't know what was going on, because I got out and it was still making this noise, coming from the starter area, then it suddenly stopped, and everything went back to working again. I got home, and was able to get it to repeat the noise by turning and holding the key down while it was only catching and not starting. Being that it is catching while turning over, you can practially run the engine while the starter is engaged, but as soon as you let off, it dies. While I had it held down, it made the noise. So, I changed the starter and the relay for good measure, thinking it was the solenoid. since it was under warranty, it was really no loss. However, that didn't fix anything. I thought it would have been the CKS until it started the shorting out of the electrics. My only other two guesses are the starter switch and the alternator. I'm really stumped, and I have to go to work tomorrow morning. Right now, I'm stranded at home. If you guys could lead me in the right direction, that would be wonderful. Thanks for all the help.

Rhett H.
Denton, TX

Very strange, but I think I'd look next at the ignition switch.

thanks, man....will do...changed the alternator today, and that didn't fix anything. I'll go with your idea next.

Are you getting spark, now, when you turn the engine over? Have you checked the distributor? On my '89 the distributor is not all that far from the starter.. Just throwing out ideas.. Good luck. -Rick