Ignition switch, starter, or NSS help me!

My 90 xj recently sat for about 4 months. Now im driving it again. So I go get in it tonight turn the key and nothing happened no lights, radio, starter, dont recall if the fuel pump came on or not. Tried starting it in neutral and it didnt start right away. It rolled back a bit then I turned the key again and it started right up! Once it started it ran fine. Any ideas of what could be going on.

Ok, define "no lights"?

No headlights? No interior lights?

The NSS--neutral safety switch--simply interrupts the ground at the starter relay unless you are in PARK or NEUTRAL. The only lights it effects are your backup lights.

Sounds to me like you need to clean your positive and negative battery cables and terminals, probably wouldn't hurt to renew the unibody ground--the braided POS strap that runs from the rear of the head to the firewall. Strip the surfaces to bare metal, treat with an anti-corrosion agent, make the connections tight. Replacing that strap with a 4 or 2 gauge cable would be best.

Your ignition switch would not effect the un-switched lights, like the headlights and interior lights, but your battery terminals and cables and the unibody ground would. The ignition switch would effect power to the starter relay, but so would the terminals and cables.

Joe all the cables were done last fall with 2 gauge welding cable and lugs. including that whimpy ground strap on the firewall. And upon further review this morning it is the NSS. It starts everytime in neutral but not in park. So Im gonna see if i can clean up the contacts or check the junkyard

Ok.

Figured out what the no lights/no radio was about? The NSS wouldn't effect those.

JP Magazine on NSS service: http://www.jpmagazine.com/techartic...eep_cherokee_neutral_safety_switch/index.html

Good luck.