90 xj nightmare please help

[Fred]

Yeah, and change your screen name. The whole reason I'm in this thing is because my 90 XJ has been the most reliable vehicle I've owned. :laugh3:

Fred

 

[Dirt]

hey pos i'll sell you my 88 or we could trade its got 252k but it runs like a champ. dont try another fuel pump. are the injectors leaking? thats some crazy shit when the engine noise happened was it backfiring? Do you think the converter is clogged up unbolt your exaust and see if it starts better. but that doesnt explain the fuel pump running constantly. ghost boo

 

[aardvark4x4]

The pump should run for a couple of seconds with the ignition on and then stop. When cranking or running the pump runs all the time. You could perhaps have a faulty fuel pressure regulator or a leaking injector causing the over fuelling. Also a bad coolant temp sensor could fool the system into thinking the engine is ice cold, causing over fuelling.

 

[90xjpos]

ok well talk about strange after i fixed everything yesterday. it all ran fine. just like new. now thismorning. i go to start her up and . nothing happens. i can hear the starter relay click like it is supposed to . the battery has a good charge. the fuel pump primes like it should then stops like it sholuld the headlights radio everything else works. when i go to tunr the key the oil pressure guage goes up. and thats it. not even the slightest hint that it wants to turn over. the starter and solenoid are bran new. so i know thats not it. the only thing i can find that looks out of place is a white wire under the dash it just hangs there. it comes out of a harness by the gas petal and has aoubt 3 inches of slack on it. thats the only thing i can think of. does anyone know where that wire goes or what it does. or have any suggestions.

 

[wilcharl]

thats wire on the dash is normal they all have it... i am thinking that its your fusie links going off the starter relay mine burned out and would cause the same situation... check for contiinuity on them like go from the tip of them back a good 6 5 inches and needle probe it... it will be most likely the green one

 

[90xjpos]

ok just a question if anyone knows. when i changed the ignition switch. there was an extra rod. one that was not in the manual. it has some kind of switch on the end of it there were three total. one for the ignition switch. one for the headlights and then the third one that mounted right there too. what is it for and what does it do. and would clicking that switch kill the ignition?

 

[90xjpos]

wilcharl i checked all the fuseable links. there all fine. still havent found the problem. everything else works. except it wont start

 

[xDUMPTRUCKx]

i think its time to wire up your own ignition, piece of wire from starter to a toggle switch on the dash and a wire to the battery, you know just so you can always keep a fresh coat of mud on her until you figure this crap out.

 

[90xjpos]

well xXJj that sounds tempting. but i am not one much for rigging stuff like that. i have learned from experiance. that if you have an automotive problem. and just rig it to work. that it usualy causes something else to go wrong. unless this problem is extreamly costly. i probably wont do that. like the nss. i think that might be the problem. its $300. so if that is the case your darn tootin i am going to bypass it.

 

[wilcharl]

Thank goodness you dont wnat to by-pass it i did a lot of rigging on mine hwen i first got it and thats what later taugt me about its electrical system.. i later had to redo my rigging only it was worse.. i broke out the old wiring diagram its acutally titled "electrical troubleshooting"

Reading from the book of REnault
Chapter 25 verse one

THe postive battery cable bolts directly to the starter solinod cotnact 30 when the ignition swithc energizes the starter relay battery power will pass through the relay contats to the terminal 50 of the starter solonoid . Momentary high current thoruh the starter solonoid will connect terminal 30 to the starter motor windings. The sterter relay will nto engergize to the voltage at terminal I and the ground at terminal G conditons are met

sooo
You gotta have signal on teerminal I
and terminal G has to be grounded
the relay should be marked on it as to which terminal is which....


now...

we got a two step trouble shoot here

1st are we getting power to termianl I????

Terminal I comes from the computer

Disconect terminal I

turn your ignition swithc to on
and
jumper terminal I to the postive side of the battery


Does she turn over...


if yes.. you got a break between terminal I and the computer...

run a new wire to your computer and presto..


If she doesnt...

then are we getting power at the solonoid at termianl 50 (the green wire agian i think)


if we arent getting power there our short is in the wire that goes from the big post on the relay to the solonoid on the starter...

presto...

and terminal I just if you cant se ethe label is





the lower left hand coner if you are looking at Mr. Relay head on and is on an angle ... see my diagram


Bolt--> O

SOL-->|
our frined terminal I ->/ |-<--GROUND



this is an approved test procedure even shows it in the book... in fact if u are gonna hook a remote start r switch up what u do is you put a switch from the postive batery terminal to terminal I


YOUR JEEP WILL START WEHN YOU APPLY POWER TO TERMIANL I if not... its either the wire going to hte starter or the starter its self... or bad connections on the wires going to the starter

with reman parts just becuase its new doesnt mean its worknig properly

 

[90xjpos]

so then what your saying in short then is i need to run a wire from the positive on the battery to the post labled I on the relay. then it should start? and if so then i need to run that wire new? just want to make sure i follow you before i start frying crap

 

[wilcharl]

yeah thats it.... if it cranks then the problem is in that wire.. so run a new one form the computer.. to be safe i would meter it b4 you replace it
see if its getitng power while a buddy turns the key... its job is to send a signal to the relay to light the fire

 

[90xjpos]

well it clicks when i turn the key. i know that much. wouldnt that be the relay making that noise thats where my buddy says it comes from. i will try what you said first thing in the morning. but i thought that if it clicked then the switch was working

 

[badge714]

just a thought, if you have a automatic trans. there is a wire from starter relay that goes from ground on start relay to the neutral saftey switch. have you checked the NSS badge714
[email protected] just a thought

 

[wilcharl]

Sgt. Friday might boe on to something... i was thinking of the same thing afterwards the NSS could be a problem... but again if it is, the jumpering will crank it...

 

[90xjpos]

thank you soooooooooooo much wilcharl. i jumped that wire and it turned. all the auto parts places are closed for the day and i dont have the connectors or enough wire to run a new wire yet. but i got the old one out and fishing line in place to pull the new one threw. so now if this dosnt work. how do i bypass the NSS. for $300 they can keep the darn thing i am the only one who drives it cuz i just bought the wife an '05 xj so she has her own toy. and i am not stupid enough to try and start it in gear. so just so i am prepared can someone give me directions on how to bypass that silly thing, just in case. i would greatly appreciate it. thank you all so much. i would be stranded without you all.

 

[90xjpos]

ok well a buddy of mine had all the stuff i needed to run the new wire. and i got it done. now i still have the same problem. i stick the key in and try and start it. and.......................... nothing happens. the coolant temp guage goes up and thats it. so i guess then the next option would be to bypass the NSS temperaraly to see if that fixes it. i dont think it will though because the relay is grounded to it. so if that was the problem then wouldnt it not turn over? to be honest i have had about enough of this. anyone ever seen the push button ignition on a SRT-10 ram. i am about to copy that idea if this dosnt work. from the best i can figure out all i need to do is run a wire from the positive on the battery. to a push button switch in the cab. then the return to the I post on the starter relay. anyone has any warnings lets here them now because the auto parts stores open tomorrow at 8 and i will be the first one through the door if nobody has any other suggestions as to what can be wrong.

 

[cykaaro]

thank you soooooooooooo much wilcharl. i jumped that wire and it turned. all the auto parts places are closed for the day and i dont have the connectors or enough wire to run a new wire yet. but i got the old one out and fishing line in place to pull the new one threw. so now if this dosnt work. how do i bypass the NSS. for $300 they can keep the darn thing i am the only one who drives it cuz i just bought the wife an '05 xj so she has her own toy. and i am not stupid enough to try and start it in gear. so just so i am prepared can someone give me directions on how to bypass that silly thing, just in case. i would greatly appreciate it. thank you all so much. i would be stranded without you all.

Been a bit since we did mine, but if I remember correctly, we put a new wire in for the starter relay to the starter, and then simply put a wire from the starter relay to the battery, in effect, directly wiring it so it would start. I eventually lost my backup lights, so with searching I found out about the NSS and researching, I ended up taking it off [carefully!] and cleaning it then putting it back on. I've since been able to undo the wire to the battery, but have left it in place for future use if [and probably eventually] needed. I as well not about to pay $300 for a new one! Usually as the write up I used said it just needs a good cleaning. I found that caution is needed though because although the outerpart of the casing is metal, the actual switch part is plastic, so if you pry the switch itself to get it off, you'll definitely break it. For the sake of maybe an hour, I'd say clean your NSS and see if that helps you. WIll also give you your backup lights if they're not working as well.

 

[cykaaro]

ok well a buddy of mine had all the stuff i needed to run the new wire. and i got it done. now i still have the same problem. i stick the key in and try and start it. and.......................... nothing happens. the coolant temp guage goes up and thats it. so i guess then the next option would be to bypass the NSS temperaraly to see if that fixes it. i dont think it will though because the relay is grounded to it. so if that was the problem then wouldnt it not turn over? to be honest i have had about enough of this. anyone ever seen the push button ignition on a SRT-10 ram. i am about to copy that idea if this dosnt work. from the best i can figure out all i need to do is run a wire from the positive on the battery. to a push button switch in the cab. then the return to the I post on the starter relay. anyone has any warnings lets here them now because the auto parts stores open tomorrow at 8 and i will be the first one through the door if nobody has any other suggestions as to what can be wrong.

No need for a push button. As long as you connect the battery to the starter relay, it'll only start when the key is turned. We spent a couple days trying to get mine going and trying to figure out what the problem was. Wasn't until reading months later on this forum that I figured it out LOL. Ended up replacing the starter relay and starter switch in the process of trying to find what the problem was. [if you have the key in the on position, and attach a wire to the battery, and touch the starter relay, it should start up actually, but when attached, it'll just work starting as normal. Just will be able to start in any gear, and you may not have backup lights]

 

[MoFo]

90XJpos...
Do you have a voltmeter? I read here 2 days ago about this systematic troubleshooting going on. I don't see how that could be happening without data. The data you need to fix this is captured with a voltmeter. Otherwise, it could take you another week of pulling wires and replacing stuff until you get lucky.