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quality starter suggestions?

M

misskito

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Philly Burbs
hey folks-- been a while since I've posted on here but I need some advice. i have an '01 cherokee sport with a 6.5" lift and a lot of other upgrades. over the last ~week, my heep has been wonky on the start-up here and there. we've pretty much ruled out the crank shaft position sensor, neutral safety switch and battery, and we now believe it's the starter. to get on the local auto parts store website they have about 4 varieties of starters available, of varying price & I'm not sure what comes highly recommended by all you jeep enthusiasts. if I'm going to replace it I might as well put in something decent to awesome. thoughts, suggestions, opinions?
 
Have you had the starter "bench tested" yet just to be sure? Would be worth a try as every parts store can bench test a starter. Not 100% conclusive, but a good data point.

Also good idea to get a meter and measure available voltage directly at the starter with the key in the ON position. Should be approximately the same voltage at the starter as the battery. If you do have that voltage there, then replace the starter. However, if you do NOT have full voltage, you still have a "control electronics" problem.

It may very well be the starter, but the above two tests would confirm it.
 
birchlakeXJ said:
Have you had the starter "bench tested" yet just to be sure? Would be worth a try as every parts store can bench test a starter. Not 100% conclusive, but a good data point.

Also good idea to get a meter and measure available voltage directly at the starter with the key in the ON position. Should be approximately the same voltage at the starter as the battery. If you do have that voltage there, then replace the starter. However, if you do NOT have full voltage, you still have a "control electronics" problem.

It may very well be the starter, but the above two tests would confirm it.
Click to expand...
What he said....and to make a suggestion as to replacing it...I have found it better to have your own rebuilt at a local starter and generator shop instead of buying one from a parts store.
My personal experience has been that you get a better starter and in many cases the cost is lower.
Just to give you a thought.......
 
I have had problems with a few Reman starters especially Cardone. A brand new one over a Reman is your best option, but it will cost you a lot more.
 
Mean green if you have the coin.
But also, you can use the lower priced pre-96 starter, all you have to do is cut the connector off and splice a little bit of wire/o-ring connector.
 
x2 on Mean Green. Installed one in mine a few months ago. The 4:1 ratio makes it sound like you're starting a race car.
 
B.RAIDER said:
I have found it better to have your own rebuilt at a local starter and generator shop instead of buying one from a parts store.
Click to expand...

This is what I did. OEM starters are tough to beat and I trust the local Mom & Pop store over the prison industries rebuilt stuff at Autozone..lol
 
Advance Auto sells a line called Remy (remember Delco Remy?). I put one in my '96 last fall, and so far, so good. I have the dreaded leaky check valve in the fuel pump, meaning I lose the fuel rail pressure, causing a lazy/slow start in the morning. With this starter, the engine springs to life, totally masking the problem. Yes, they are made in China, but seem to be quality items. IIRC, it was about a hundred bucks. I don't know if you'll get yours fixed for that.
 
totally awesome, thanks for all the tips & suggestions... whenever I can finally find the time to get under there and figure out my problem I'll post what happened & what solution was finally implemented. thanks guys!
 
well, if i can get my rig to sound like a racecar, i'd happily post that video! ;) gettin' under there tonight-- damn the rain! more to come, my fellow jeep nerds.
 
Here's a tip if you've never replaced the starter before: make sure you keep track of which of the 2 mounting bolts went where. At a glance they look like the same thread size, but one is actually metric and one is a standard thread. They are close enough that you can get one started in the wrong hole. IIRC they are different lengths and it should be easy enough to tell apart, but its something to keep an eye on, or in case you wanted to replace the bolts.

Also, the starter housing is aluminum, so for the bolt that threads into it I would make sure the threads are clean and don't torque it excessively.

At least that's how it is for a '92.
 
so here's an update... I replaced the starter over the wknd w/ a reman Remy (it's all the parts store had "in stock") & replaced my plugs and ignition coil. the engine stopped drowning me in misfire codes but is still kicking a couple codes back to me: P0204 Injector circuit open cylinder 4, & P0304pd cylinder 4 misfire. I get that there's probably a bad injector causing this, and was wondering, given the expense, is it common for people to just change out one injector instead of replacing the whole set? My local mechanic who's becoming a fast friend said it shouldn't be a big deal & that he does see people do that w/o issue, or said that I can remove it and get it cleaned by sonication at my local machine shop, but I thought I'd check here w/ all you jeepn' fanatics before proceeding.

you can bet my mem.day wknd's going to be spent getting drunk in my driveway w/ my rig in pieces... but i guess i shouldn't complain since it's bikini weather... changing out my radiator a few months back in the cold was far worse than this is going to be... i hope.
 
If I was going to pull the injector, I'd replace it instead of just having it cleaned. Besides flow, there is electrical to think about here too (coil). One injector isn't too expensive.

And don't forget about the connector/wiring for that injector. That can give you the same code as when the injector itself is bad.

But you do need to dig into that #4 injector circuit to figure this out.
 
misskito said:
so here's an update... I replaced the starter over the wknd w/ a reman Remy (it's all the parts store had "in stock") & replaced my plugs and ignition coil. the engine stopped drowning me in misfire codes but is still kicking a couple codes back to me: P0204 Injector circuit open cylinder 4, & P0304pd cylinder 4 misfire. I get that there's probably a bad injector causing this, and was wondering, given the expense, is it common for people to just change out one injector instead of replacing the whole set? My local mechanic who's becoming a fast friend said it shouldn't be a big deal & that he does see people do that w/o issue, or said that I can remove it and get it cleaned by sonication at my local machine shop, but I thought I'd check here w/ all you jeepn' fanatics before proceeding.

you can bet my mem.day wknd's going to be spent getting drunk in my driveway w/ my rig in pieces... but i guess i shouldn't complain since it's bikini weather... changing out my radiator a few months back in the cold was far worse than this is going to be... i hope.
Click to expand...

Yeah--my bikini maybe. Your Jeep is done and it runs great now--6 shiny new injectors, no fuel leaks, and no more codes being thrown. And it's still early in the day!

Does anyone know if the injector wiring connector locking tabs, several of which disintegrated as I removed them, are replaceable items? All the wiring harness connectors click into place--they didn't break--but the little red tabs generally did.

--wp11
 
i went searching for those fuel rail connectors, but couldnt find them for less than about $15/each.... sorry, dont care that much!

ill pick some up at the junkyard for admission price.
 
xcm said:
i went searching for those fuel rail connectors, but couldnt find them for less than about $15/each.... sorry, dont care that much!

ill pick some up at the junkyard for admission price.
Click to expand...

I kind of thought it would have to be that way. I'm glad the harness connectors still lock, anyway.
 
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