jeep has good battery voltage,won't crank

92 xj 4.0 manual tranny. battery only about 4 months old. holding 12.6 volts right now. the jeep will not crank the engine over. the fuel pump cycles strong and the head lights are strong. when I go to turn the key to start the engine,it just goes to the start position and does nothing. no clicking,nothing. I did notice when I would drive it for the last couple days,the starter seemed to be dragging and turning over slower than normal. I can't crawl under it today,but i did clean the battery cables even though they weren't dirty,and tried wiggling the wires for the starter from the top of the engine,none appeared loose. would this be the starter gone,or is there something else that could be the problem? just looking for ideas to check out so when I can work on it next,I don't spend a lot of time on deadend stuff that is not related to the problwm. thanks for any ideas,Ben

First thing I'd do would be to crawl under it with a hammer and hit the starter once or twice and then turn the key again. If it starts, then you're more than likely looking at starter.

-Chris

yeah mines doing the same thing my optima if somewhat new and it puts out good voltage. i have a new solenoid that im going to put in but havent had a chance because its been raining and dont really know how to install it. im hoping that will do the trick, if not i guess ill have to get a new starter after i replace all plugs and wires etc... when you buy a new starter does it come with a new solenoid?

Make sure the connections are clean, all the way to the starter. Do the lights dim when you try cranking...like the starter is drawing current but not spinning? Try the hammer trick, but don't rely on it if it works. Replace it and look for symptoms if that is the case. An oil leak seeping into the starter will cause it to draw more and more current until it needs so much juice that even a brand new battery will do nothing. It happened to me on 2 S-10's. Good luck.

-Rich

Yes...the solenoid will already come on the starter. Remove the wires, the 2 bolts and then do it again in reverse order. Very simple and really easy to check. Last year my starter was doing the same. Kinda cranking slower. One night it just did nothing when I turned the key. I had a big ratchet in the vehicle so I crawled under and whacked it (the starter) and it fired right up. Don't forget to disconnect the negatvice battery cable before doing the swap.

Colorado_XJ said:

Make sure the connections are clean, all the way to the starter. Do the lights dim when you try cranking...like the starter is drawing current but not spinning? Try the hammer trick, but don't rely on it if it works. Replace it and look for symptoms if that is the case. An oil leak seeping into the starter will cause it to draw more and more current until it needs so much juice that even a brand new battery will do nothing. It happened to me on 2 S-10's. Good luck.

-Rich

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Rich makes a good point on the oil. Diagnosing stuff online is difficult so I merely threw out my .02. HTH.

Mine wouldn't start two months ago it turned out to be the cable going from the battery to the starter. The cable had no protective plumbing and it had a hudge gash in it exposing the copper. I think the engine was rebuilt by a desert mechanic, anyways might want to check that cable but most likely its you starter.
Good luck

to really test the battery you gotta put it on a designated battery tester. a battery can look good without a load, but i've seen tons having 12+ volts at rest and when you put a load on them they quickly drop to 4-5 volts.

It's also possible to test a battery well if you have room in your freezer...

1) Charge the battery
2) Place in freezer for 30-45 minutes. You don't want to actually "freeze" the battery - just make it good and cold...)
3) Reinstall and hook up voltmeter. Have helper crank the starter within about ten minutes of removing the battery from the freezer.

Note voltage drop - as I recall, you don't want to see less than 9.6VDC from the battery when cranking.

I have found this to be probably THE most accurate way of pointing up dead cells or failing batteries - reminds me of when I was younger and lived somewhere that actually got cold. There were two times of year that showed you you had a bad battery - the first REALLY hot day of summer, and the first overnight frost...

5-90

the battery only drops one volt when I try cranking it over. as far as putting the battery in the freezer,it was colder outside then my freezer is about 2 weeks ago and stayed that way for about a week,battery performed flawlessly. thanks for the help so far,maybe I will have a chance to get under it today and investigate farther!!!

well,here's an update. smacked the starter with a hammer,it started right up,however dragging very bad,but fast enough to start the engine. moved the jeep to the driveway so I could work on it(it was in the street). I shut it off,tried to start it again,same thing,won't start. the only thing it could be is the starter,right? what is a good brand at a good price? thanks for the help!!

cjben said:

well,here's an update. smacked the starter with a hammer,it started right up,however dragging very bad,but fast enough to start the engine.

Click to expand...

Starter is definately the problem in your case. I've replaced mine with a unit from rebuilt unit from AutoZone for $100. I'm very happy with the purchase, as it cranks really well.

well,i got the starter replaced,guess I shouldn't complain about it going bad,it was the factory original after 178,000 miles and 13 years old,I guess it's time was up