Jeep does not turn off...

Well had a problem with it starting. I played for 2 weeks before giving up and taking it to the shop. They told me there was a broken piece in the column that was not completing a connection to make it start. Cool, how do we fix it. They wanted to put a new column in and charge me a lot for it. I suggested a button that would bump the starter since everything else worked. No problem, they put button in and charged me significantly less than a new column would have been.

Go to a week later and it does not shut off. I have been pulling the wire off the distributor cap and then disconnecting the negative on the battery to turn it off. This has gotten old fast. I am tired of getting shocked when pulling the distributor wire. :scared:

Not being one to go the easy route and put a new column in I am leaning toward doing a switch to shut it off.

What color is the wire in the column that goes to the ignition so I can shut it off the same way the key does? Or I will go for a wire under the hood that does the same thing, what ever is easier to get at. If no one knows what wire it is what would be the best way to find it. I do not have an FSM, I do have a Haynes though, not sure if it would be in there.

99 XJ, 4.0

Thanks for the help. :cheers:

PS, I searched and googled with no luck.

Put a switch on the Dark Blue / White wire between the inside fuse box and the automatic shutdown relay. It comes off of fuse #11. (discalimer - info from 2000 FSM)

At least that will give me some place to look if the wires are not the same.

At some point, as things continue to deteriorate for you, how will you shut off power to the fuel pump and other accessories?

Your failing column/key/ignition switch situation is just going to keep getting worse, and you should start checking salvage yards to line up the parts necessary to fix it right.

That was what I was looking at with the switch. I want to be able to wire it so that is shuts the jeep off the same as if the key worked. Is that possible? If not I am not going to waste my time and I will get a new column now.

You can probably wire it up with a switch, make sure it can handle the load.

You will need to take some kind of anti-theft measures, no sense making someone a gift of your XJ.

joe_peters said:

At some point, as things continue to deteriorate for you, how will you shut off power to the fuel pump and other accessories?

Your failing column/key/ignition switch situation is just going to keep getting worse, and you should start checking salvage yards to line up the parts necessary to fix it right.

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I agree quit half-assing it and fix it right. Sounds like a simple replacement of the ignition switch?

doubtful its the column anyway likely the switch as the key only activates a long metal rod that attaches to the switch at the base of the column .try searching for ignition switch or maybe someone with superior search skills will point you to it

well im no expert, but i just did a column job and it really isn't that hard at all.
if its something more than the switch you will be beaten around the bush, like you already said.
but if you wanna try a switch and live anywhere near NYC than i could give you my ignition switch so you could try
i know it works, but so did the one on the column i brought so i just left it that way.
i have been swapping parts from column to column to make things better
seriously hit a junk yard up some columns go for like 40 bucks at a yard
job its simple, and better to be safe than sorry

kennzz05 said:

doubtful its the column anyway likely the switch as the key only activates a long metal rod that attaches to the switch at the base of the column .try searching for ignition switch or maybe someone with superior search skills will point you to it

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The metal rod is what is broken. The shop I took it to told me the only way to "fix" the broken rod was to replace the whole column.

When I have time this week I am going to take the column apart as far as I can and go from there.

SINCITY192 said:

well im no expert, but i just did a column job and it really isn't that hard at all.
if its something more than the switch you will be beaten around the bush, like you already said.
but if you wanna try a switch and live anywhere near NYC than i could give you my ignition switch so you could try
i know it works, but so did the one on the column i brought so i just left it that way.
i have been swapping parts from column to column to make things better
seriously hit a junk yard up some columns go for like 40 bucks at a yard
job its simple, and better to be safe than sorry

Click to expand...

I called a few yards around here and they told me all the XJs they had had the air bag go off. They said it destroyed the column. I have found a few locally though.

lawsoncl said:

I agree quit half-assing it and fix it right. Sounds like a simple replacement of the ignition switch?

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It is not the ignition switch, it is the whole column that I would need to replace.

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the metal rod that is broken in this matter, part of the ignition switch, or a part that can be replaced without replacing the complete column??? But if nothing else, I would def. recommend you replace the whole column with one from a JY, unless you really want to rewire you complete ignition setup to misc. switches, and have it looking like a pro drag car, or ghetto rock crawler!!

Big Kev said:

The metal rod is what is broken. The shop I took it to told me the only way to "fix" the broken rod was to replace the whole column.

When I have time this week I am going to take the column apart as far as I can and go from there.

Click to expand...

Sounds like maybe it's bent? I'd still pull the switch and see if the rod moves freely when the key is turned just to make sure. From a shop's perspective, swapping in a good used column is definitely faster and possible cheaper overall when you consider labor.

My '98 XJ did the same thing. There is a short metal rod that goes from the Key cylinder over to the actual electrical switching system for the ignition on the left bottom side of the column and that little metal rod had broken. It only took removing a few screws to get into it since that area is accessed by removing the plastic cover from underneath the column. IIRC the key switch had to be removed and maybe the ignition switch but nothing very hard. The only way I could get the metal rod was to purchase an entire column from the local yard but the air bag had nothing to do with that area so the column I got had a blown air bag. All the column needed was that little metal piece and everything was back to normal.

If your Jeep is like mine, you might try removing the plastic cover on the bottom of the column. You'll see the metal rod that comes across to the switching system for the ignition system and you can actuall use a screw driver to turn the ignition switch to see if that works.
hth, Doug

Good to know, I will have to see if I can get at it that way. Thanks.