Won't crank...

My rig is a 1988 XJ with 4.0 and AW4. I last took it through Fordyce and submerged it to the hood. The engine died, but didn't hydrolock. It started up again and I drove it home the next day (after breaking a number of parts along the way). It has been sitting in the driveway for the past few months while I've been focusing on my other two Jeeps.

Now it won't start. It acts like a NSS, which I replaced with no improvement. I also replaced the starter relay switch up by the battery. I can hear a click at the starter relay, but the starter doesn't turn. The starter will turn if I touch the two connections together, but it just spins without turning the engine.

Prior to going swimming, I had changed the CPS as well as a number of other electrical components.

Anybody have any idea what's going on or a list of what to check?

Thanks!

Kevin

If the starter spins without turning the engine, the bendix clutch in the starter is shot or teeth are missing on the starter and/or flexplate. Turn the motor a little with with the crankshaft bolt to get some other teeth lined up and try it again.

winterbeater said:

If the starter spins without turning the engine, the bendix clutch in the starter is shot or teeth are missing on the starter and/or flexplate. Turn the motor a little with with the crankshaft bolt to get some other teeth lined up and try it again.

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Yep, sounds like starter time.

The starter only turns when I jump it. It doesn't spin when I turn the key. Would this still be a symptom of a bad starter?

Thanks guys!

Kevin

Sounds like more than one issue.

Start from scratch, or damn near it.

Fully charge the battery and then have it load tested.

Remove both battery cables from the vehicle, clean both ends of each cable, and check their resistance with an ohm meter--should be near ZERO.

Put the battery and cables back in if they test good--now, jump the starter. If the starter spins but won't engage, then the starter/solenoid is part of the problem.

Now, key cylinder to remote rod to ignition switch to starter relay to solenoid is the flow. IF the battery is good, and IF the cables are good, and IF the starter will spin AND engage AND crank the engine when jumped, then you just need to follow the flow listed above.

Note: auto trans NSS or clutch safety switch will interrupt the ground to the starter relay, so you need to see if which ever is appropriate is messing with the starter relay.

Thanks Joe. I charged the battery and replaced the cables. Just to make sure, I ran jumper cables to another Jeep just to be safe. I replaced the key cylinder, although I suspect the ignition is going or is bad as it will occasionally not let the key cylinder return to the Off position to remove the key. Prior to installing the NSS, I connected the plug part of the NSS and then turned it with a screwdriver, which is where I can hear the click at the starter relay when turned to the Park position. I will follow the flow as you recommended.

There is also a wire that runs from the positive pole of the battery to a piece on the center of the firewall. There is a fuse on this wire, although there is no fuse in it, so I suspect it hasn't been working all along (even when the XJ was running). There is also a wire on the back of the engine that has a straight, black plastic plug on it. I've never been able to find what it goes to. A friend told me it is some kind of diagnostic port, but it doesn't look like a typical diagnostic port to me.

Electrical is definately not my strong point, but it is time for me to track down all of the electrical gremlins and get them fixed. Thanks again for the help!

Well, after changing the NSS (was dripping water when I pulled it), the ignition and the starter relay and starter (was completely shot), it is running great.

kj139 said:

Well, after changing the NSS (was dripping water when I pulled it), the ignition and the starter relay and starter (was completely shot), it is running great.

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Glad you got it running.

Note: before playing submarine again ( ) buy a large tube of dielectric grease and work over ALL of the harness connectors you can get your hands on, including the insides of the NSS--you won't regret it.

Will do, thanks Joe!

kj139 said:

Will do, thanks Joe!

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You're welcome, just glad you got it. How is the wheeling out your way? I make some business trips down I-5 to Modesto and usually eat in Woodland along the way. Old Santa Cruz boy, but moved to Oregon in 85.

Joe, you're from Santa Cruz? When did you live there? I'm an old Highway 9 sports car terrorist.

Well, we moved to Boulder Creek in the late 50s, over to Scotts Valley in about 63, left for the Marines in 69, back to Santa Cruz 79-85.

joe_peters said:

You're welcome, just glad you got it. How is the wheeling out your way? I make some business trips down I-5 to Modesto and usually eat in Woodland along the way. Old Santa Cruz boy, but moved to Oregon in 85.

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It's hit and miss. Nothing great locally, but then again, we're nice and close to the Rubicon, Fordyce, etc. Let me know if you're coming down this way and we can set up a run.

kj139, can you still go wheeling up off Summit Road and through Loma Prieta? Rattlesnake Gulch?

cruiser54 said:

kj139, can you still go wheeling up off Summit Road and through Loma Prieta? Rattlesnake Gulch?

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Cruiser54, you just took me back 40+ years in a single instant. Me, couple of friends, my first Jeep--1953 Willy's Wagon, couple of dogs and off to Loma Prieta.

I don't know Loma Prieta too well, only spent a few days there. There are some interesting roads above Boulder Creek though- hippies living in school buses and that kind of thing.

JJacobs said:

I don't know Loma Prieta too well, only spent a few days there. There are some interesting roads above Boulder Creek though- hippies living in school buses and that kind of thing.

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Ran a lot of those roads a long time back. By the late 70s early 80s you had to be real careful getting off road--too many pot farmers. Same crap going on here in So. Oregon now, along with the Meth operations.

Done the Boulder Creek thing along with Ben Lomond years ago in my Nissan Patrol. Loma Prieta is fun and hopefully you can still go there. See if you can find Rattlesnake Gulch Road on a map. Great fun. There was a real tough spot on that road which I could navigate well but the noobies always got stuck on. We would park the Patrol above that spot, winch facing the tough spot, and make margaritas with a blender powered by a DC to aC converter off my alternator. Pulled people out for free and sometimes gave them a margarita to calm their nerves. Keep in mind that I left that area 30 years ago. I found way worse things than hippies living in buses when I went exploring up there. Like areas where animal sacrifices were performed. Never went back.