92 XJ won't crank, new starter, new battery, clicking

Hello, I have a 92 Briarwood that has a new starter and a new battery, and just wont crank! It sounds like a clicking, like the battery is dead! But it has a new battery! It also has a new starter! Any help is appreicated!

I would start by checking the battery cables first. A lot of times they are corroded in areas you can't readily see.

How old are the cables?

Do you have a meter, and can check the battery voltage to see if it just needs charged? If the battery and starter are new and the battery is charged, I would suspect dirty battery connections or cables. Head over to cruiser54.com and checkout his tips for cleaning all the wiring ground points too.

Also, given the poor quality of aftermarket parts, don't assume any new parts are good.

New or rebuilt starters and alternators should be tested before leaving the parts store. Defective rebuilds are common.



Clicking and not starting is usually a low voltage issue from:

• dirty, corroded, damaged, or loose battery terminal or wire connections
• internally corroded battery wires
• a short circuit or parasitic drain
• a discharged or failing battery
• a failing alternator
• leaving the lights on

Perform routine maintenance of the start and charge systems. Remove, clean, and firmly reconnect all the wires and cables to the battery, starter, and alternator. Look for corroded or damaged cables or connectors and replace as needed. Copper wires should be copper color, not black or green. Battery terminals and battery wire connectors should bright silver, not dull gray/black and corroded. Do the same for the grounding wires from the starter to engine block, the ground wires at the coil, and the ground wires from the battery and engine to the Jeep's frame/body. You must remove, wire brush, and clean until shiny the cable/wire ends and whatever they bolt onto.

Jeeps do not tolerate low voltage, bad wire connections, or poor grounds.


Place your DVOM (Digital Volt Ohm Multi-Meter) on the 20 volt scale. First check battery voltage by placing your multi-meter's positive lead on the battery's positive post ( the actual post, not the clamp ) and the negative lead on the negative post. You need a minimum of 12 volts to continue testing. Next, leave your meter connected and take a reading while the engine is cranking. Record this voltage reading. Now connect your positive lead to the battery terminal stud on the starter and the negative lead to the starter housing. Again, crank the engine and record the voltage reading. If the voltage reading at the starter is not within 1 volt of battery voltage then you have excessive voltage drop in the starter circuit.

Typical voltage drop maximums:
• starter circuit (including starter solenoid) = 0.60 volt
• battery post to battery terminal end = zero volts
• battery main cable (measured end to end) 0.20 volt
• starter solenoid = 0.20 volt
• battery negative post to alternator metal frame = 0.20 volt
• negative main cable to engine block = 0.20 volt
• negative battery post to starter metal frame = 0.30
• battery positive post to alternator b+stud = 0.5 volt with maximum charging load applied (all accessories turned on)

A quick check to confirm you have a bad ground at starter;
1. Connect a battery cable to the starter mounting bolt(i.e. starter ground).
2. Connect the other end of this cable to the NEGATIVE/BATTERY TERMINAL (i.e. ground).
3. Try to start engine. If it starts normally, you have a "ground-fault", i.e. a break or poor ground continuity at the starter somewhere and need to find it. Check Cruiser54 write-up to refresh all the grounds. Likewise,it helps to run a permanent separate GROUND cable(i.e.weld cable) to the NEGATIVE BATTERY TERMINAL.

Best regards,

CJR

Heres a link to the wiring mess
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1vrYx5qf5cdzehaMIkQpvHxOS3uir_BuO?fd=true

I tried cleaning the battery terminals, with no luck
I just added a video of the noise it makes

I also tried jumping it, also didn’t work!

I got it running!!! Thanks so much everyone!

92XJBriarwood said:

I got it running!!! Thanks so much everyone!

Click to expand...

So what was wrong with it?

I had to tape up a couple wires

Now it won’t start!!

Look for corroded or damaged cables or connectors and replace as needed.

Perform routine maintenance of the start and charge systems. Remove, clean, and firmly reconnect all the wires and cables to the battery, starter, and alternator. Copper wires should be copper color, not black or green. Battery terminals and battery wire connectors should bright silver, not dull gray/black and corroded. Do the same for the grounding wires from the starter to engine block, the ground wires at the coil, and the ground wires from the battery and engine to the Jeep's frame/body. You must remove, wire brush, and clean until shiny the cable/wire ends and whatever they bolt onto.

Nevermind! Got it running! Just cleaned the battery!

I just realized there is no break fluid!

Which probably explains the no breaks!

I wanna sell it!