NSS / Starter issues

BobbyD433 · May 16, 2016

Hey y'all thank you in advance for all Yur help.
This last Friday I was preparing to work on the OJ (Ol' Jeep) so I sprayed Purple Power degreaser all over the motor compartment and on the motor.

My plan was to change the Oil Pan Gasket, Starter and CPS. Here's the issue! After changing the starter in the 89 XJ, the OJ wouldn't crank or start.
I don't know if washer fluid got into the new Neutral Safety Switch connection or what happened but I'm not educated on this vehicle enough to know what the fix is.
Any help would be great.
Thanks again.

BobbyD

Tim_MN · May 16, 2016

Carefully disconnect all the related wire connectors and spray them with WD-40. Shake out the excess and plug them back in. Confirm the battery/starter/alternator wires and the ground wires are correctly installed and snug. Assuming an auto trans, wiggle the gear shifter in Park and in Neutral as you try to start. Consider by temporarily bypassing the NSS. Consider the possibility the starter is a dud.

old_man · May 20, 2016

It is pretty easy to isolate this down. Put the vehicle in Park or Neutral. Double check this, otherwise you might run through the back of your garage. :nono: Block the tires so it doesn't roll. Short the little terminal on the starter to the big terminal. If it cranks, it isn't the starter.

If it doesn't, take a cheap voltmeter and verify the voltage on the big terminal of the starter to ground (the negative terminal on the battery). If there is no voltage, you have isolated the problem down a ton. Measure the voltage from the positive battery terminal to the negative terminal. It should read somewhere around 12v. If it does, have someone try to start the vehicle while you are still measuring across the battery terminals. They should stay around 12v. If not, you most likely have a bad battery.

To isolate if it is a bad ground connection or a bad power connection, you use the voltmeter again. This time go from the positive terminal on the battery to the big terminal on the starter. It should read pretty much 0 volts. While measuring it, have someone try and crank the engine. If it jumps up to around 12v, somewhere in your cable from the positive terminal on the battery down to the big terminal on the starter is a bad section.

If it stays at 0, do the same but this time from the negative terminal on the battery to the actual case of the starter. It should read 0v. If it jumps up when you are trying to crank, once again you have a bad cable or connection in the grounding.

Ecomike · May 22, 2016

Good detailed advise. He should start there. I am wondering why he replaced the starter to begin with? Miss diagnosed the starter??? when it might be a bad battery, bad ground, bad ignition switch, bad so called starter relay near the battery (it is Renix), bad battery connections wet NSS...???? And I assume he used water to wash down the engine compartment which is a huge mistake on Renix, as the TPS is now probably dead and will be the next "it cranks but won't start" issue. Also may have water under the Distributor cap that needs drying out as well as a wet NSS switch adding to his grief.

Time for a hair dryer and fast dry electrical safe solvent.

old_man said:
It is pretty easy to isolate this down. Put the vehicle in Park or Neutral. Double check this, otherwise you might run through the back of your garage. :nono: Block the tires so it doesn't roll. Short the little terminal on the starter to the big terminal. If it cranks, it isn't the starter.

If it doesn't, take a cheap voltmeter and verify the voltage on the big terminal of the starter to ground (the negative terminal on the battery). If there is no voltage, you have isolated the problem down a ton. Measure the voltage from the positive battery terminal to the negative terminal. It should read somewhere around 12v. If it does, have someone try to start the vehicle while you are still measuring across the battery terminals. They should stay around 12v. If not, you most likely have a bad battery.

To isolate if it is a bad ground connection or a bad power connection, you use the voltmeter again. This time go from the positive terminal on the battery to the big terminal on the starter. It should read pretty much 0 volts. While measuring it, have someone try and crank the engine. If it jumps up to around 12v, somewhere in your cable from the positive terminal on the battery down to the big terminal on the starter is a bad section.

If it stays at 0, do the same but this time from the negative terminal on the battery to the actual case of the starter. It should read 0v. If it jumps up when you are trying to crank, once again you have a bad cable or connection in the grounding.

NSS / Starter issues

BobbyD433

NAXJA Forum User

Tim_MN

Freakish Hand Strength

old_man

NAXJA Forum User

Ecomike

NAXJA# 2091

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