Starting Issues 90XJ

I am sure it's been covered before, but while working on it in 40* weather is not the time to be randomly searching, lol

1990 XJ
New Optima Yellow Top
New 170A Alternator
New Cables w/ Brass terminals

Ok, random event time
one time will start normally
next time I will get 2 clicks and all the lights go out, just flat nothing.
sit for a while and will start normally or maybe not.

When it does this it is always 2 clicks and all the power dies.

Wondering about the NSS, rebuilt it last summer but the reverse lights are out again, Starter is less than a year old but has a few puddles under it's belt now.

Any ideas? I haven't seen one yet that would lose all electrical power after 2 clicks every time, but only do it randomly.

Also, the battery checks out at 12.5V at the store (pulled it out last time it did the 2 clicks and lost power,tested it, put it bck in and it started, got to work and got 2 clicks/zilch lol )
Thanks Much!

You probably named it when you said the NSS, especially since the reverse lights are out. Try moving the shift selector and wiggling it pretty good when trying to start. Mine would start for a long time doing this, but after awhile, that quit working too and I just had to replace the NSS.
hth, dn

Yeah, forgot to mention that wiggling the shifter doesn't brng the lights back. It's almost like a switch making intermittent contact though, yes.

Sounds to me like something isn't making good contact. Battery terminals have to be cleaned when they are new, wiped down with a solvent to remove the oil they put on there to keep them shiny. Same with cable lug clamps just to be sure. I always scrub everything shiny with a 3M pad and use spray brake cleaner to make sure all the oil is off.
You can sometimes see scortch marks on the battery terminal, when things are still coated with oil or corroded. Instead of making contact over the whole battery pole, it makes point contact and causes black spots.
Sometimes when the brushes in the starter are dirty you can actually hear a frying bacon sound coming from inside starter. It takes a lot of amps to get things working properly.
It often takes the solenoid and a little spin from the motor to get the drive gear to seat all the way forward (and the solenoid to seat completely). If the motor doesn't spin from the brushes being worn or dirty (or bad cable connections), you may or may not get a solid click from solenoid. Depends on how sticky (old,sloppy, dirty and gummed up) the drive gear and Bendix is.
You said something about all the lights going out? This sounds like a bad cable or battery connection. Or a very low battery. Oily battery lug connections can also mess with your charging. I usually always start with the battery connections, the ground at the dipstick and the starter connecions. They likely need service anyway and it's something easy to eliminate at the beginning, when troubleshooting. I usually start with the obvious and easy.

I would check the igniton switch (starter / run / acc) on the steering column and the wiring harness connector attached to it. If that is OK then I would suspect the NSS, but as I recall there is also a small starter relay between the battery and the HV spark coil on the passenger side that causes the same problem. I have had to replace all three at different times for the same symptoms you are having.

By the way, make sure you have the shifter in Park, :laugh2:, I recall a few times that I was too close to the problem, in a big hurry, and missed the obvious, so I :banghead:, until I noticed I had it in drive, :doh:, LOL.

The "OTHER" starter relay* is a small motorcraft* relay according to Haynes. See the illustration on page 5-14, illustration 22.7 of the Haynes manual. Its the "small starter relay* between the battery and the HV spark coil on the passenger side" I mentioned previously.

Seems there are two solenoid starter relays on these jeeps. The second one is on the starter itself.

Mike McGinness
South Houston, TX

If you are using them, wonderful battery cable "repair clamps"........I will bet your problem is right there.

I don't think the starter solenoid or NSS Is the problem cause all the power, in the hole car gos out..............? right?

Flash said:

I don't think the starter solenoid or NSS Is the problem cause all the power, in the hole car gos out..............? right?

Click to expand...

In that case I would really look at the ignition switch and wiring harness connector attached too it. Mine was fried, burnt and melted by the time it died. Had the same symptoms.

Mike McGinness
South Houston, TX

There is an easy way to rule out the battery cables and grounds. When you get the clicks, hold the key in the crank position and hit the horn. If the horn works, it's not the cables. The horn pulls a significant number of amps and if the contacts are bad, it won't honk correctly. This does not however rule out the cable from the starter to the relay or the relay.