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Starter? Solenoid?

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drunkbynoon

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Boulder, CO
After a lovely 10 day stay in the hospital for double pneumonia. I came home to find that my wife had moved my jeep into the garage and left the headlights on.

So the battery was dead, it is a new orbital. I had AAA come and charge it, it takes a charge. I try to start the jeep and I dont get the usual solenoid clunk. Nothin. No crank no anything.

Could the Starter and Solenoid have gotten fried?

Also where is the starter/solenoid? I know most of my auto stuff from bmw repair and not jeep.

Thanks!
Dan:attom:
 
on my 89, the solinoid is on the starter.

test the voltage of the battery, you may not have charged it enough.

when i drained my redtop, it took along time to completely recharge.
 
The solenoid is mounted atop the starter. Think of the starter as a largish soup can - the solenoid is the small can (about the size of a small can of tomato paste.)

It could also be the starter motor relay, or the ignition switch (electrical.) On 1987-1990 rigs, the starter motor relay is the metal box in front of the four plastic relays. On 1991-up rigs, I believe it's in the PDC proper.

The ignition switch (electrical) is atop the steering column, down by the firewall.
 
just try y passing everything to single it out. just get a long screw driver like 6 inches, long and crawl under your jeep and just touch the screw driver on the negitive and positive on the starter and if it turns over then you know your battery is good, and your starter....then go from there eleiminating stuff

oh yea and make sure your key is turned forward to activate the fuel pump

jeff
 
If you aren't getting anything out of the starter then it could be any number of things, such as NSS or ignition. I would try to eliminate the NSS first (try to start in Neutral, see if the backup lights come on in Reverse, etc), then swapping in a known good battery, then move on to measuring voltage at the small starter terminal while your wife turns the key to see if you are getting any power to the solenoid.
 
Yeah it could have only gotten a surface charge and not actually charged, similar thing happened to me this winter when I was TAD. you should check it with a load tester if you can. Do you have a known good battery that you could put into the jeep to try that? The solinoid will not work below 12V. However if you bypass it and your voltage is still high enough to crank the engine but not fast enough to start it than I would say it is the battery. If it does not crank at all I would start with the battery then check to make sure that the starter relay is working correctly, then onto the starter.
 
drunkbynoon said:
I charged the battery and nothing, so I'll just replace the starter and see what shakes out, thanks for all the advice!
Click to expand...

tap the starter with a hammer while someone tries to start it.

also jiggle the shifter a little than try to start, could be a bad NSS.

after that, test the curcuit with a meter.

although it could be the starter, it doesnt seem like your testing the problem, only making a guess.
 
Will try tapping on the starter........so I am not hitting the wrong thing, where is it located? Is it easy to take out? I know the location from bmw's but not jeep.

Thanks
 
The 1999 starter should fit your 1993, but the later starter is physically smaller and you will need to reterminate the small solenoid lead to make it work. The earlier version uses a small ring lug, and I think the later uses a quick-connect.

The starter is down on the passenger side of the engine, under the firewall. You can follow the heavy-gage lead from the battery to the thing to make sure you find it easily. There are two screws that hold it in place - one threads in from the front, and the other from the rear. It's probably in about the same place as it is on BMW, if I remember my BMWs correctly.
 
Had this happen to my 89 in the first 24 hours i had it. take the starter off and take it to schucks or napa, they should have a machine that will test it. Ended up they told me it was the solenoid. however, problems like thatusually come in pairs, replaced the solenoid and a day later the starter went bad... since its an electrical part you cant take it back after you instal... get a new starter, they come with a solenoid on it if this is the issue. dont do half, its 60 for the solenoid and 140 for both, dont be like me and spend 60 and then another 140 =)
 
I tried eveything that posters have told me to do and I ended up pulling the starter. I'll take it to the local shop and get it tested.

Thansk for all the help. I got the jeep as payment for installation of a computer network, never broke down. So I did not know where the starter was.

Thanks for all the help!
 
even though you charged the battery it still may not be charged enough. those orbital batteries (similar to optima) are dry cells, you cant fast charge them. they need to sit on a low amp charge overnight. fast charging will just flash them with power, they wont hold it.
 
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