99XJ 4.0 new starter motor

I am still in the process of troubleshooting, but it's looking like my starter motor is going out. Car was running fine then over the course of 3 days it had a harder and harder time starting. Finally it just quit trying.

Now, when I turn key to ON everything lights up. I turn to ignition and I hear a loud clunk and nothing else. Battery is fully charged and only about 6 months old, I've cleaned terminals and battery nodes twice, new sparkplugs, distributor and cap/wires. Car was firing up on first try for weeks, then in the course of 3 days goes south on me.

Dealer wants like $300 for a new starter motor (or 190 for reman), so I'm looking to pick up off RockAuto.

http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/jeep,1999,cherokee,4.0l+l6,1431776,electrical,starter+motor,4152

Any recommendations on brand? Based on my research, a reman'ed ACDelco or Remy are the way to go.

The Remy unit shows a starter power of 1.6kW and the ACDelco unit shows 1.2kW but my FSM says my 4.0 should be 1.4kW - is this because they are different drive methods (direct vs gear-driven)? The Remy is a good $50 cheaper so I'm planning to go with the Remy unless I am missing something.

Any input on which to go for? Should I bite the bullet and get a Mopar unit?

Thanks!

I'd pick the new ACDelco. just my preference.

actually just found the new ACDelco on Amazon for $180 shipped and arriving tomorrow. Gonna do that, thanks

By the way, the biggest killer of an XJ starter is a leaky oil filter adapter. If your's leaks it would be a good time to replace it.

Intersting, I will look into that. Thanks for the tip.

I did replace my distributor recently, and I am pretty confident that it was seated flush with the gasket in between. Is it also possible my distributor leaked oil at the mounting gasket?

I will do my best to clean and take a look but the Jeep isn't running and sitting in the garage so not exactly where I want to drop 25 years worth of gunk off

EDIT: I also know that I do not have a clogged CCV as I replaced all of that along with a felpro VC gasket a few months ago and have had no leaks.

Rebuild it, it's just too easy not to. There's some screws in the end cap which hold the brush retainer, then a couple of long bolts which hold the motor to the drive. Two screws hold the solenoid to the drive.

I've seen incorrect brushes installed in cheap remans. I mean go ahead, but at least keep your old starter and rebuild it for next time. You can easily build one from two with $20 worth of brushes.

http://www.aspwholesale.com/brush-holder-assy-mi-p3063.html



Okay, so it's ten for the holder and a few more for the other pair of brushes, not included. I think ebay has the whole set as an assembly for $20 You can replace these three or four times on on the same armature, bushings, drive, solenoid, etc. They are the principal wear item.

Unless you already have a cheap reman worn out, I've seen incorrect brushes eat half of the commutator off, which requires removing a lot of material to level out. The less you remove with each service, the better.

Brushes, a can of brake cleaner, and some grease. You'll be better off for much less.

If you can remove and replace it, you should have no problem rebuilding it.

Good info, thanks! I will definitely keep my starter for a rebuild in case this new one fails. I took a look at the starter motor yesterday and there is so much grime on it you can't even make out the shape of the motor. I'm amazed it lasted so long.

I would keep an extra set of brushes on the shelf, but I have other starters on other Jeeps. For what it's worth, brush, commutator, shaft, and motor are all shorter on the four cylinder starter, but the entire motor assembly will interchange between the 2.5 and the 4.0. The drive is different for each engine, but the motors will bolt to either. I have a 4.0 motor on my 2.5, it just clears the pan and should last a lot longer.

I'm sure there's a write up on how to test commutator segments, leveling, etc. It's all very easy. You need a meter, a file, some emery cloth, and other basic hand tools. Nice knowing what's in there, who put it there, and when.

Check the yellow pages, or local people, and see if there is a rebuild shop in your vicinity. There still exist some starter and alternator rebuilders, and they are often very good, and relatively cheap. You can be sure that the person doing it actually looked at what was needed, fixed it, and used decent parts. I had my XJ starter rebuilt by one, and the result was good and much less than a reman.