bradleyheathhays
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Lexington, KY
So here's the history...
96' XJ has a 3 year history of intermittently not starting. But then after you leave it alone a couple hours it starts. So 1 1/2 yr ago after noticing my reverse lights weren't coming on I zeroed in on the NSS. Cleaned it out, filled with di-electric grease and reinstalled. Reverse lights started to work again and the no start problem disappeared for 1 1/2 yr, until last month. So a month ago the XJ started doing the exact same thing again. Studied up on how to jump bypass the NSS and next time it wouldn't start lo and behold the jump trick worked. So I'm figuring ok it's the NSS. Next time (last week) it wouldn't start I tried the NSS jump trick again but no luck. WT...! So this morn it starts fine and I go out for some breakfast. Afterwards get back in 30 min later and no start. Tried the NSS bypass trick still no start. By no start I mean I turn the key to the pre-start position and I hear the fuel pump pressurize and all dash lights look normal...but then turn the key all the way forward to start and nothing happens at all. Great.
So I grab a fist sized rock laying around and knock on the starter a bit and voila! it started. Was it the starter? dunno. Was it the NSS that felt the vibration from the knocks and corrected itself? dunno. But since the NSS jump bypass didn't work I'm guessing not. So what the craps been going on these last 3 years?
One big observation when it's not gonna start (and I can almost always tell this before I turn the key all the way) is that when the key's half way turned forward the fuel pump engages and whines at a slightly lower pitch and takes just slightly longer to reach pressurization. Then when I turn the key full forward nothing happens. But when it does decide to start, the fuel pump whines at a slightly higher pitch during pressurization and does it slightly faster. Not sure how this can be used to diagnose what's going on but the slower fuel pump whine is in direct correlation with it not starting.
Recent cleaning of the batter terminals and leads have had no effect.
Tested the reverse lights earlier today and they responded quickly something like 10 times in a row when shifting in and out of reverse.
Last clue is that this no starting behavior began again about a month ago the day after it got a full tuneup from the coil to the plugs all mopar parts.
So, any ideas on what I'm looking at here? I'm all ears.
96' XJ has a 3 year history of intermittently not starting. But then after you leave it alone a couple hours it starts. So 1 1/2 yr ago after noticing my reverse lights weren't coming on I zeroed in on the NSS. Cleaned it out, filled with di-electric grease and reinstalled. Reverse lights started to work again and the no start problem disappeared for 1 1/2 yr, until last month. So a month ago the XJ started doing the exact same thing again. Studied up on how to jump bypass the NSS and next time it wouldn't start lo and behold the jump trick worked. So I'm figuring ok it's the NSS. Next time (last week) it wouldn't start I tried the NSS jump trick again but no luck. WT...! So this morn it starts fine and I go out for some breakfast. Afterwards get back in 30 min later and no start. Tried the NSS bypass trick still no start. By no start I mean I turn the key to the pre-start position and I hear the fuel pump pressurize and all dash lights look normal...but then turn the key all the way forward to start and nothing happens at all. Great.
So I grab a fist sized rock laying around and knock on the starter a bit and voila! it started. Was it the starter? dunno. Was it the NSS that felt the vibration from the knocks and corrected itself? dunno. But since the NSS jump bypass didn't work I'm guessing not. So what the craps been going on these last 3 years?
One big observation when it's not gonna start (and I can almost always tell this before I turn the key all the way) is that when the key's half way turned forward the fuel pump engages and whines at a slightly lower pitch and takes just slightly longer to reach pressurization. Then when I turn the key full forward nothing happens. But when it does decide to start, the fuel pump whines at a slightly higher pitch during pressurization and does it slightly faster. Not sure how this can be used to diagnose what's going on but the slower fuel pump whine is in direct correlation with it not starting.
Recent cleaning of the batter terminals and leads have had no effect.
Tested the reverse lights earlier today and they responded quickly something like 10 times in a row when shifting in and out of reverse.
Last clue is that this no starting behavior began again about a month ago the day after it got a full tuneup from the coil to the plugs all mopar parts.
So, any ideas on what I'm looking at here? I'm all ears.
