Jeep starting trouble please help

Well I've posted various questions before but here is the whole story. Bought an 88 wagoneer limited MPI 4.0 and when I bought it it would only start on starting fluid. It would run but it poured white smoke so I checked the oil and found coolant thought it was a head gasket. So I put in a complete engine gasket kit, changed the oil and coolant, replaced the CPS, MAP, Coolant Temp sensor, coil, distributor cap, spark plugs and wires, bypassed the ballast resistor, fuel filter, new injectors, injector O-rings, all brand new parts. So after all that it wouldn't even start on starting fluid so I checked compression (Cylinder 1: 116, Cylinder 2: 129, Cylinder 3: 120, Cylinder 4: 125, Cylinder 5: 129, Cylinder 6: 120) seemed like good compression, checked fuel pressure (39 @ rail) good pressure so its not the pump, got good spark at the coil and plugs, still no go. So I buy a new right side wiring harness (one for injectors and sensors) and install that along with another computer ( I have three at this point) still nothing. So I let is sit for about a month then I go out and try to start it and absolutely nothing happens no power when I turn the key so I thought it was the battery...............new battery still nothing no power when I turn the key and no turn over. So I touch the two poles with a screwdriver on the starter to bypass the ignition and it just winds the starter motor and doesn't actually turn the engine over. So I get another starter and put it in and it does the same thing. I can't think of anything else it can be and I'm about to loose my mind over this thing I've searched and searched for the solution but have nothing. Can anyone help me with this at all?

You may have numerous things going on at the same time.
The starter relay (when the key is turned to start), supplies current to the starter solenoid, that throws the front drive spocket of the starter into the flywheel/flexplate teeth, at the same time, it moves a large set of contacts together to deliver battery voltage (through the big cables) to the starter motor. If the starters turning, chances are the large contacts in the solenoid are making contact (or in your case, you jumped them). Which turns the starter motor, but doesn´t actuate the solenoid.
Now that seriously confussed you and me.
We can get back to the starter relay, which also bypasses the fuel pump relay and balast resistor at startup to supply a little more voltage to the fuel pump during starting. The starter relay supplies voltage to the fuel pump when the key is in the start possition, the fuel pump relay, through the ballast, resistor when the key is in the run posisiton.
Starter trouble and fuel delivery at start up, could both be affected by a starter relay, full of rust, mud, oil coolant and moisture.
The two poles you touched could have been the poles for the starter motor (two big poles), which is seperate from the solenoid (coil) that actuates the piston that pushes the front drive gear into the fleyplate teeth. You have to jump the solenoid connection (the small one, small wire) to the postive, big red cable connector/pole/lug. Be carefull not to fry the threads, replacing the starter next time can be a giant pain, if you do.
Basic starter tech. the starter motor (spins) and starter solenoid (drives a piston electromagnetically) are two seperate pieces. The solenoid has two functions, it actuates a piston (small screw/small wire at the solenoid) and moves a fork that helps throw the front drive gear of the starter into the flex plate/flywheel teeth. And (at the same time) makes an electrical connection between the two large poles (big red wire), which delivers high amperage current to the starter motor.
The drive gear is thrown into the teeth of the flex plate (or flywheel) by a fork dirvin by the solenoid and at the same time the gears inside the starter that rotate the drive gear, are cut at an angle, so the rotation of the motor also helps throw the drive gear into the flex plate teeth. There is also a clutch inside the starter, so the motor doesn´t turn the starter when it starts up, kind of a one way clutch, that lets everything slip when the motor starts up. Things that keep the starter drive gear from engauging the flex plate, no power to the solenoid coil, stuck piston, broken fork, bad overrunning clutch, junk in the gears (bendix), low voltage/amperage, bad ground. Things that keep the starter motor from spinning, no current/low current, no current through the solenoid, bad/dirty brushes, broken(fryed) wire inside of the starter, bad/poor ground.

So based on the info given what would you do? I need to get a new starter relay and see what that does but is there anything else? I greatly appreciate the help, I guess I'll just have to check european jeep forums first cause you have proven to be extremely helpful.

TBLimited said:

So based on the info given what would you do? I need to get a new starter relay and see what that does but is there anything else? I greatly appreciate the help, I guess I'll just have to check european jeep forums first cause you have proven to be extremely helpful.

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I usually attack one problem at a time and troubleshoot (test) and make sure the part I´m about to buy is the problem. Parts are about double the cost here, than they are in the states, I´m semi retired, so my time is cheap.
Hope my explanations help some, much of what I´ve learned has been right here at , when I get something wrong or my assumptions are flawed, they pipe right in and get me on track again.
Your issues as I understand them, was it started only with starting fluid, but would run, although badly. Now the starter doesn´t work even with a fresh battery.
You said no power when you turn the key, is this all power when it´s in the run position or starting power when the key is in the start position?
A bad starter relay or no power to the relay, will not give fuel during start and the starter relay won´t supply current to the solenoid. Possible.
You´ve spent a lot of money on parts, spend a few bucks extra for All Data. They break down the electrical systems into sub systems and make troubleshooting easier. The FSM wiring diagrams are more complete, but harder to read.
See if you have power at the large lug on the starter relay. Turn the key to start and see if you have power to the "I" (ignition) spade connector (on the starter relay, green wire). If with the key in the start position, you have power to "I" see if you have power to "S"/solenoid ( or sometimes marked "SOL"/ solenoid, dark green wire). AND "BAL"/for balast resistor ( sometimes marked "B" sometimes "F"/for fuel, orange wire) power to the fuel pump. The "SOL" and the "BAL" are actually bridged inside the relay and are the same contact. The "G"/ground spade connector (black wire with a strip), goes through the NSS, to ground. If the relay isn´t working it can be a power issue, a bad relay or a faulty (gorund) NSS switch. Good a place to start as any.
Some of the starter relays are marked, some partly, some differently and some not at all (think they got them from different vendors). Thats why I gave you the wire colors.

I gotcha do you think the Neutral Safety Switch would have anything to do with the not starting.........just an idea?

TBLimited said:

I gotcha do you think the Neutral Safety Switch would have anything to do with the not starting.........just an idea?

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I AGREE WITH 8MUD, GET A 12 VOLT TEST LIGHT AND CHECK USE TO TEST YOUR SYSTEM OUT. DID YOU TRY TO SEE IF YOU WIGGLE THE SHIFTER LEVER TO SEE IF IT STARTS THAT WILL RULE UOT YOUR NNS SWITCH. CHECK YOU BATTERY CABLES TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE CLEAN AND YOU ARE GETTING A GROUND. YOU CAN CHECK THE STARTER RELAY BY BATTERY WITH TEST LIGHT. PUT JEEP IN NEUTRAL LISTEN FOR CLICK OF STARTER RELAY. IF CLICK IS HEARD RELAY IS WORKING. IF NOT CONNECTA JUNPER WIRE FROM THE G PIN ON RELAY TO GROUND, TURN KEY TO START, LISTEN FOR CLICK. IF IT CLICKS REPAIR SHORT TO GROUND. WITH STARTER SOLENIOD TERMINAL ( S)DISCONNECTED AND KEPT FRON MAKING ANY CONTACT WITH ANY METAL, TEST FOR VOLTAGE IF VOLTAGE IS FOUND REPLACE RELAY. TEST AS MUCH OF ELECTRICAL SYSTEM BEFORE REPLACING BADGE714 DALE
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Well here is a new one....as I posted above when I got it it would at least turn over and now it doesn't even click soooo I thought the NSS might have gone out so I crawled under to check it and guess what...............there was no Neutral saftey switch!!! How the heck did the stupid thing turn over in the first place with no NSS?????? I am thoroughly confused with this.....

Anyone have a clue?