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Jeep will not start, very weird

HeavyMetal

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Fairfield, CT
so ive never had a problem starting my jeep before ever

my battery isnt dead cuz the power stuff works without issue right away, i have a red top battery.

when i turn the key i get a really weird sound of it struggling to start and it cranks extremly slow and then just stops, almost like its a dead battery but not. and then right after if i turn it nothing happens cept power stuff goes on. then i wait a few seconds, turn it again and i get the same extremly slow crank and then nothing.

its a 97 cherokee with the 4.0 and aw4 and so on.

could really use some guidance as i have a first day on my new job tomorrow and cant miss it
 
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and i just went out to try it again and i got a really slow crank again but this time it managed to start itself with some work....what the hell is going on here?

it had done this a few times earlier today too with the really slow struggling cranks but it had at least started then each time
 
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CLEAN all your grounds, especially the one from the battery to the block, in front of the distributor. Check to see if you are getting any codes on the puter!! Report back...
 
slow crank means weak battery..... i bet you have a draw somewhere.

next time it does it, thorw a batt charger on it, i bet it fires right up
 
Bad Ground
Bad Ignition Switch (on top of the steering column)
Bad Alternator
BAD Battery Cables
Bad Battery
Bad Starter
 
Like Rocketman and Churky89 says. Check your grounds, check your battery cables (both of them, peel back some insulation and check the conductors), check your starter.

My '88 had similar symptoms, after changing both cables (they were bad) and ruling everything else out, I pulled the starter. Took it to AutoZone for a test, it failed. Replaced with a Bosch, all is happy happy again.
 
My 95 is doing the same thing. It doesn't stop cranking, but sometimes it cranks painfully slowly. Whack your starter with a hammer a few times and you'll know if that's your issue. I hit mine a few times and it's good to go every time (knock on wood).
 
sorry i didnt update at all guys, the jeep kept starting up for a few days so i left it. but today i was not so lucky. will not even crank now at all. i whacked at the starter a bunch of times and did nothing. can i assume this isnt a starter issue now? or could it have just totally bit the dust? (starter)

when i turn the key i get 1 click and nothing. all power works (lights, radio, so on)
 
when you got nothing but a click, did you have anyone around w/ jumper cables or a battery charger to try?
 
im gonna have to try that, but i had just driven the jeep for 30 mins, stopped turned it off, and tried to start it again aftewr running in the store for 3 minutes. so i assumed it wouldnt be a dead battery, that and cuz the battery is basically brand spankin new. about a month old
 
maybe you need a new soleniod in your starter.
mine was doin that a little and i replaced the solenoid and it has no trouble cranking.
 
HeavyMetal said:
im gonna have to try that, but i had just driven the jeep for 30 mins, stopped turned it off, and tried to start it again aftewr running in the store for 3 minutes. so i assumed it wouldnt be a dead battery, that and cuz the battery is basically brand spankin new. about a month old

Does yours have a voltmeter? Did you happen to check it out when you were on that last drive? Do you have a voltmeter that you could give us the voltage across the battery terminals and the resistance across the cables (with the battery disconnected)?
 
hmm....then there's no way it can be a bad battery considering it was only sitting for a few minutes....how about a bad alternator not keeping the battery charged?
 
good suggestions so far guys, i appreciate it. the jeep doesnt have the volt gauge, just lights, pretty crappy i know, i dont have one handy myself to use

alternator could be it too, just gonna have to check everything i suppose
 
JeepXJ93 said:
hmm....then there's no way it can be a bad battery considering it was only sitting for a few minutes
While it may not be the problem here, I wouldn't rule out the battery without trying to start it with a fresh battery or a good set of jumper cables. Batteries can die in all sorts of ways. My last battery died stone dead - and the battery load tester at pep boys still tested it out ok. Only reason I caught on was I noticed acid leaking from the terminals and decided to replace it with a red top, load tester be damned. Sure enough the red top fired it right up.
 
Visually check the starter - if there's a leak from the back of the valve cover, or from the oil filter mounting, it will coat the starter with oil. This will royally screw up the ground path for the starter (trust me, it does. Oil gets between the bolt/casting threads, and gets between the starter nose and the engine block) and I've seen that cause trouble before. Simply cleaning your starter (use a quality electrica cleaner - Berryman's or CRC works well) might solve the trouble. However, it will come back if you don't also correct the leak.

Anything electrical, the first thing you should check is your grounds. Then, check the mains cables. Then, start going for a "component-level diagnosis." I've traced fully half of the automotive electrical trouble I've been involved in (hobby and pay!) to shonky grounds. Half of what's left goes to faulty mains, and the rest were various components.

Part of checking your grounds and mains is to take a wrench and make sure they're tight - which you should be doing if you're doing the job properly (taking them apart, clean with a wire brush, 180-grit, or even cheap toothpaste, and putting them back together.)

5-90
 
one more major thing i left out from before, on the final drive before she finally died, it brought up a check engine light. would this rule out all the ground scenarios? and maybe pinpoint the starter?
 
No. A CEL indicates a "hard" malfunction detected by OBD, and could be a sensor, fuel injector trouble, or any of a number of things.

Definitely pull the codes - they'll give you ideas where to look - but OBD does not usually check starter function, and a failing ground could cause a hard sensor fault that would illuminate a CEL.

You're on the right track - just going the wrong way... Once you get the codes (1997 is OBD-II,) you'll be able to look them up on my site in the Tech Arcive section...

5-90
 
I had a similiar problem. It got to a stage where the starter would not turn at all.
I first thought it was the neutral start switch, which I took apart and cleaned. Good thing I didn't replace it, about $250 new. I replaced the starter and now it spins like a top. Good as new.
 
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