No start - Replaced rotor button, distributor cap, plugs, and wires

[ECUDove]

I searched here, on Google, and in the Hayes manual but didn't find what I was looking for.

Prior to installing these new parts, my '93 started up fine, this was just a little routine maintenance and to get my hands dirty with the Jeep as I am a newbie to all this.

So, as the subject line states, I replaced all plugs and wires (parts from dealership) and the rotor button and distributor cap (AutoZone).

I made sure to write down the placement of the wires on the distributor cap and the position of the rotor button and replace with the new parts in the same order I found everything...

Now the jeep will not crank at all... doesn't even sound like it is trying to turn.

Anyone have any ideas on where I can begin trouble shooting?

Was my method (replace old working parts with new parts in the same manner as they were removed) flawed?

And what the heck is the little black plastic "button" on the top of the distributor cap? Looking on the underside of the cap, it looks like it serves no purpose?!?!

Thank you very much for helping out this fool.

 

[Hommersimpson]

pull cap off, make sure rotor is not spining around on shaft.. if its not that.. make sure the coil wire is hooked up to the center of dist cap...
P/S that little black cap is vent...let air in side as lota funky static ele stuf goes on inside that when its going...

 

[ECUDove]

I will check the rotor spinning theory and re-check the wires tomorrow when the light is better (not my DD so no immediate rush). Thanks for the suggestions and the answer to the mysterious black thing!

 

[joe_peters]

There is crank, no start, and there is no crank. From your original post I'm not quite sure what the problem is.

Does the engine crank, i.e., does the starter engage and make the engine turn?

 

[ParadiseXJ]

Battery connections clean and tight??

 

[birchlakeXJ]

Need a symptoms clarification as mentioned.

Does the engine turn over but NOT start? Or does the engine not even turn over?

Turn over and crank are interchangeable terms.

The parts you replaced are not involved with the circuit involved with cranking the engine.

Gotta look at cause and effect so doublecheck your work paying special attention to coil wire seating.

 

[ECUDove]

Sorry about that, I'll try to clarify a bit better.

Battery connections clean and tight??

Battery connection is good, there are lights and dings from the dashboard.

Does the engine crank, i.e., does the starter engage and make the engine turn?

The engine does not turn over at all.

Gotta look at cause and effect so doublecheck your work paying special attention to coil wire seating.

I will double check the work tonight when I get home from work and let you know if there is any change.

Thanks for the support thus far.

 

[joe_peters]

Ok. The parts you replaced are NOT related to a NO CRANK condition.

That said, you might have knocked something and caused the NO CRANK issue.

So, how to deal with a NO CRANK condition:

(feel free to jump around a bit, but you may "jump" past the answer)

1. If an auto trans, it could be the NSS--neutral safety switch (it actually has more functions, but that is what it is named). This switch prevents the starter from operating unless the auto trans is in PARK or NEUTRAL. It is mounted on the auto transmission, passenger's side, and will eventually need to be removed, cleaned, lubricated, reinstalled, and adjusted. On some manual trans vehicles there is a simpler but same function switch on the clutch pedal. For the auto, quick and dirty, try starting in NEUTRAL, then shift back to PARK and try again. Try "jiggling" the shifter in both PARK and NEUTRAL. If still no joy try this--WARNING--be careful doing this: put the trans in PARK, set the parking brake. On the battery the POSITIVE main cable attaches, and there is another smaller wire to the solenoid. You can "jump" across those two connections--what this does is provide the 12 volt energizing power to the solenoid, and the starter should engage and turn the engine over. WARNING TWO: the key should be OFF. If the key is ON the engine may start. If the engine WON'T crank when jumped, then the problem is BATTERY/CABLES/STARTER/SOLENOID.

2. As the battery is the living heart of your vehicle, it is the "normal" starting point for testing. Batteries can have different problems--too little voltage or too little amps, so that must be considered when diagnosing problems. Best procedure to follow: remove both cables from the battery's terminals, then charge the battery overnight (Ok), or for 24 hours (Best). While the battery is charging, completely remove both of the battery cables from the vehicle--the positive cable attached to the starter, and the negative cable attached to the engine block. Clean both ends of each cable, then use an ohm meter to measure each cables resistance--they should both read near ZERO. If not, replace. This is a good time to renew the head-to-firewall ground. The braided straps used OEM are problematic and should be replaced with a 4 gauge cable. Clean both surfaces down to bare metal, treat with an anti-corrosion product--any hardware/paint store--and make sure the mounting is tight. Ok, by now the battery should be fully charged, and you should have it load tested--note: this is where someone always says "but it is only X months old". Fine, but if you skip this test, and you STILL can't find the problem, don't blame us. Ok, fully charged and load tested battery, Clean/new cables, renewed grounds, it is time to see if it will crank.

3. If after the preceding it still won't crank, then the usual suspects are: ignition switch (not the key and cylinder, but the electrical switch at the foot of the steering column); the starter relay (in the PDC); the starter and solenoid; the wiring between the ignition switch and PDC; the wire between the PDC and the starter solenoid.

So, post back and let us know what you find.

Good luck.

 

[ECUDove]

Okay, so I removed all plug wires to the distributor cap and removed the cap to check the install of the rotor button. That checked out good. While the cap was off I took the opportunity to ensure the connection to the ignition coil (at least I think that's what we'll call it) was good. I replaced the distributor cap, then wires, hooked up the battery and tried 'er again. Same result... nothing. No engine turning over, but clearly the battery was connected well as again, lights and dings from the dashboard and interior of the jeep were present.

Tomorrow or this weekend I will try out your 3 troubleshooting tips Joe, and let you know how things go.

Side note: My jeep has a parasidic drain somewhere, and until I locate that, that is a pre-existing condition that I am aware of but doesn't seem likely to be related to the problem I am currently having... I have since purchased a new battery and simply leave the negative terminal off the battery until I need to run the jeep. So to clarify, the jeeps battery is new (say 5 months) and the jeep, as of 2 days ago, would crank/start/run with no issues... my troubles started after replacing old parts with new (as mentioned in my original post)... and while I don't think I knocked anything loose while installing new parts, I won't put it past me.

Again, thank you everyone to this point. Next status update in a day or 2.

 

[joe_peters]

Nice trick for parasitic draws: put a 12 volt test light in series between the negative battery terminal and the negative battery cable. A parasitic draw large enough to drain your battery will light up the test light real bright. You can then start pulling fuses or disconnecting sections of harness until the light goes out or severely dims--then trouble shoot just the circuit that is bad.

Note: radio memory and PCM memory are always present so a very dim test light in series can be expected and normal.

 

[ECUDove]

V-I-C-T-O-O-O-O-R-Y !!!!!! Thanks joe_peters, suggestion #1 equaled vroom-vroom! Moving forward, knowing that the shift-to-neutral-then-try-to-start method worked, is there some preventative maintenance I need to look at to ensure this doesn't happen again? Thanks again everyone.

 

[joe_peters]

V-I-C-T-O-O-O-O-R-Y !!!!!! Thanks joe_peters, suggestion #1 equaled vroom-vroom! Moving forward, knowing that the shift-to-neutral-then-try-to-start method worked, is there some preventative maintenance I need to look at to ensure this doesn't happen again? Thanks again everyone.

arty:

Ok, a normal service requirement on the automatic trans XJs is removing, cleaning, lubricating, reinstalling, and correctly adjusting the NSS.

Here is a link to JP Magazine's article, with pictures, for a DIY NSS service: http://www.jpmagazine.com/techartic...eep_cherokee_neutral_safety_switch/index.html

There are lots of threads on this, and some have pictures. However, you can't do a search for "NSS" and find anything-- search engine can't handle 3-character or less searches. There is a sticky on searching when you first enter OEM Tech forum, there is a workaround using Google and filtering for forum threads.

The NSS is an expensive item--thinking about $125, but it is so easy to service there shouldn't be any reason to buy one. They can, however, sometimes be a bear to get off the shaft. PB blaster, take your time, it will come off, usually.

Good luck.

 

[ECUDove]

Again, you da man! Thanks much for the link and previous words of wisdom. On that note, this thread is hereby abondoned. Bye