sound like starter?

so never had any probs ever with starting today no start, absolutely no sound from starter check batt w/ meter check for ground at batt with meter (continuity) to block tried "jumping" starter w/ screwdriver only got a spark but no sound so im thinking starter or solenoid more specifically but I'm 200 miles from home at 91 yr old moms house who just had surgery.
so before i go borrow tools to pull the starter and bench test it i thought id post here just n case someone has experienced something similar also thought id post it b4 i did anything to allow time for response instead of sitting here saying, anyone? bump! etc thanks in advance ...ken
oh sorry 98 4.0 aw4

too bad it's not an manual trans :-( Could be the battery.. mine wouldn't start a few days ago, battery showed 12 volts.. but it wouldn't even power the headlights.

Just experienced the same thing on my '87 4.0. It was a bad starter solenoid AND a malfunctioning starter relay. Don't know if the '98 has a similar starter relay, but mine is under the hood just behind the battery. One thing you can try with the starter is giving it a few bangs with a hammer. Sometimes when they get old and crusty a good whack is enough to get it unstuck long enough to kick her over. If you think it's the relay, at least it's easier to pull it and replace. Mine was only about $8 at Autozone.

timing belt

I should have mentioned, even after I had replaced the bad starter, still had issue of turning ignition and getting power at the dash, but starter would not crank. The culprit was the bad starter relay.
schematic for older XJ here. Hope it still applies. http://autorepair.about.com/library/images/bl347lib.htm

thanks for the replys guys i did try switching the relays around but what leads me to belive its the starter is no sound even when bypassing the ign. switch thinking the solenoid is fried ill let yall know ok so its not the starter,both solenoid and str mtr operate does the ing switch go without warning?? ill try and diagnose the relay next

Your starter motor relay should be in the PDC, and I believe it's a standard DIN/ISO relay (which you can get pretty much anywhere by asking for a "Hella" or a "Bosch" relay. You should keep one or two in your spares box anyhow. They're usually less than ten bucks for a good one.)

Possible culprits:
Starter motor solenoid (the small "can" on the starter motor)
Starter motor contacts (inside the starter motor - either the solenoid contacts or the brushes on the comm ring)
Starter motor relay (in the PDC, for you. Your PDC lid should tell you where. It's either a DIN/ISO or a "mini-DIN" relay, but probably the regular DIN - about 1" on a side)
Ignition switch (up to 1996, it was on top of the column, down by the firewall. I'm not sure about 1997-up. However, trouble with this switch will usually manifest as all of the switch positions starting to "float" - where you have to wiggle the key to get ACC or ON to work without starting)

A quick check for both the starter motor relay and the ignition switch is to check for voltage at the small post on the starter motor solenoid (that's the one that trips the solenoid.) You should have zero volts with the key in any position other than START, and you should see battery voltage there while cranking. Be careful - the larger post is always HOT, as it is wired directly to the battery. If you have +12VDC at the small post with the key in START, then the ignition switch and starter motor relay are good, and you should replace the starter.

If you do not have +12VDC at that terminal, use a "bump switch" to provide it from the large screwpost - if the engine cranks, look at the starter motor relay (fairly likely) or the ignition switch (less likely.)

If you do have the 12v there(you should measure and have someone else turn the key), don't be afraid to whack the starter, as shane stated above.

prob is im by myself so far i know starter and solenoid are good, relay is good, i hear it pull in and ive checked for 12v at the relay terminals when key is turned which i have but now bymyself cant fig how to read for voltage down by starter without help oh well ill think of something thanks guys nothing more fun than pulling the starter for nothing prob just a dirty conn at the starter in the first place

shanesaw said:

Just experienced the same thing on my '87 4.0. It was a bad starter solenoid AND a malfunctioning starter relay. Don't know if the '98 has a similar starter relay, but mine is under the hood just behind the battery. One thing you can try with the starter is giving it a few bangs with a hammer. Sometimes when they get old and crusty a good whack is enough to get it unstuck long enough to kick her over. If you think it's the relay, at least it's easier to pull it and replace. Mine was only about $8 at Autozone.

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Is this the small box that the accessory wire off the battery goes to? And has a bunch of other connections going to it? My Haynes manual calls it a motorcraft solenoid or something.

kennzz05 said:

prob is im by myself so far i know starter and solenoid are good, relay is good, i hear it pull in and ive checked for 12v at the relay terminals when key is turned which i have but now bymyself cant fig how to read for voltage down by starter without help oh well ill think of something thanks guys nothing more fun than pulling the starter for nothing prob just a dirty conn at the starter in the first place

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If you can hear the starter solenoid pull in (it should be a nice solid "chunk" sound) then the switch and relay are also good. That means the starter motor.

If you whack the starter motor with a mallet and it works, that means the brushes are sticking - replace it when you can, as they'll continue to do so until "percussive adjustment" won't free them up.

hey 5-90 thanks ive got 28 yrs hvac background so im hip to the way most of the starter componants function but i figured (incorrectly)since i was getting no sound at all, solenoid or anything and not knowing the history of the truck beyond knowing it got regular oil changes (it was used by a salesman at a former hvac co.) and it has 306,400 miles on it that "it must be the starter" so long story not so short it seems as though it was just a bad connection as its ok now after diagnoseing each part seperatly and reinstalling it all now it works so thanks again to all that replied hope i can be helpful to someone else someday yall rock........ken