85 xj wont start good battery???? help!!!!!!!!!!!!

i put the key in, the battery is good, i tested it, when i put the key in the ignition you hear the door chime so you can tell the battery is good, i even hooked 3 fog lights up to the battery and its freakin bright, but NO ENGINE VROOM VROOM. after you try to start it by turning the key over, nothing, nothing at all wont even try to turn over!!! D**N THING IS STARTING TO BUG ME. need all the help that i can get.. thanks alot

checked the starter put a meter on it

what if its not the starter. im trying to figure out all the possibilities

If its auto trans. Put the shifter in neutral and try.

Could be starter
Could be neutral switch.
could be wiring
could be ing. switch

Good Luck
Nick

i tried that and it didnt do anything, its basically acting as if the battery would be dead, but the thing is is that the battery is not dead, and it actually kicks ass

85cherokoholic said:

i tried that and it didnt do anything, its basically acting as if the battery would be dead, but the thing is is that the battery is not dead, and it actually kicks ass

Click to expand...

My guess is the neutral switch is bad... You can bypass it . Check a service manuel for correct wires to connect.

Nick

SO WOULD A HAYNES MANUAL WORK?

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=930779&highlight=bypass+nss*
Try the above post....The search engine is your friend....I searched bypass nss*
(Remember to use the asterisk after any three or less letter search term)

http://webpages.charter.net/laurajeff44/NSS/nss.htm
This article might help too.

can someone actually point out to me the neutral safety switch thats connected on here. i know you all probably think my jeep looks like a mess, but the truth is i bought half rigged, and now im getting it back in shape.
thanks again for your help

85cherokoholic said:

can someone actually point out to me the neutral safety switch thats connected on here. i know you all probably think my jeep looks like a mess, but the truth is i bought half rigged, and now im getting it back in shape.
thanks again for your help

Click to expand...

Well your in the right area where the trans wiring harness runs up and plugs in.

Your rig looks far from stock.. You may have to start tracing wires.

Good Luck

Nick

I don't know about newer Haynes but my '89 Haynes has a good section on the neutral switch which they call the "neutral start switch". The switch differs between the 3-speed and 4-speed auto trans. You should be able to trace the wires from the switch itself where it is mounted on the transmission to the plug in the engine compartment.

I am sure there are situations where the switch just suddenly fails but my own experience with a friends XJ with a bad switch that I drove for awhile is that you can eventually get the thing to start if you jiggle the shift lever enough between neutral and park while holding the key in the start position.

If your 2.8 is the same as my '85 2.5, the starter solenoid is right beside the battery making it extremely easy to check for both starter and solenoid operation.

I would add that you cannot tell for sure about whether the battery charge/condition is adequate to start the vehicle from operation of door chime and lights. You would usually get at least a click from the solenoid if everything else in the starting circuit except the battery is functioning properly.

i would check into getting a new starter relay mine is an 86' 2.8l and it used to do the same thing until i swapped it out. I was also woundering how it well it runs when its up and running.

do you have any pics of the vacuume lines. i just rebuilt my motor and can't seem to get the vac lines quite right and yours does'nt have the smog crap on it so that is as close as im going to find to whats right.