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Replaced starter - now won't start

29K views 54 replies 12 participants last post by  jpdocdave 
#1 ·
Long story short: I was pretty sure my starter was going bad (wouldn't start in a parking lot), so I replaced it (this is one of the few replacements I've done on my jeep before, so I'm pretty sure I did it right). In the week between my deciding it was going bad, and my replacing it, it started a couple times.

After I replaced the starter and hooked the neg batt terminal back up, it started up once. Started beautifully that time. I drove five blocks, parked it for an hour or two, and now it won't start at all. Battery meter reads around 12 V, lights and stereo come on, and I get the same dead hum that I got when the old starter first failed me.

Any ideas?
 
#8 ·
there is a starter relay on the passenger side firewall by the battery. give it a look see. corroded terminal or may it just needs a swift kick. where in washington are you located?:punk:
 
#14 ·
I had the same problem on my 95. It turns out the small wire coming from the ignition went bad or the ignition itself went bad. I could not get the ignition switch out so I put a push button in the dash. It works like a champ. I also put an extra ground from the battery to the transmission. It drove me crazy trying to figure it out. Hope this helps. Its worth checking anyway.
 
#15 ·
Should I be able to start with a charge of just under 12 v? Drops to about 11 when I turn the key.

Found a blown and frayed wire at a fusible link coming off the relay (green on relay side of fuse, red on other side). Replaced link, now getting power through new link and at starter.

So I'm hoping maybe I ran the battery down when trying to start all those times, before diagnosing bad wire.

Battery should be good. Interstate, new last year.
 
#20 ·
i've been turning wrenches for a little over 30 years, im new to the Jeep thing but i never stop learning, this is the first place i look when i have issues..i've had the starter problem too and i thought it was the little firewall relay too...i hope you find it soon and tell us what the problem was
 
#24 ·
yes, you need a friend and a test light, if power is there while cranking, and starter isn't working its bad. if no power is there, then its not the starter.

idiot zone is a waste of time. they give false positive results on those parts more than they're accurate. then you go back, put the part back in cuz they said its fine, and after a few more days of banging your head, you replace the part they said was good, and now you're fixed.

but like i said, you gotta know if power is going to the starter motor, when the key is in the crank positoin, bottom line. everything else is just guessing.
 
#25 ·
I whacked my ex alabama wife with a hammer and it actually slowed her down. oh, i'm sorry should have used a bigger hammer.:banghead: p.s. her neck was red.
 
#27 ·
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Right before I read that I was thinking about the last time I changed the starter in my Jeep, and my then girlfriend (who later became wife and ex-wife) thought it would be funny to sit on the bumper and bounce up and down. If I hadn't loved the girl so much, that would have been the definition of hammertime.
 
#30 ·
sounds like you're on the right track. i can't picture a useless wire though, there's a positive, a ground, and a signal wire to the solenoid.

but you are right, constant 12 volts at solenoid, and when the key is cranked, that power needs to go to the motor. if power goes to the motor, and no cranky cranky, then the starter is bad. if there's no power going to the starte motor, then obviously the starter can't turn and something else is going on.
 
#34 ·
Well I have been wrenching for 30+ years myself.
I had rebuilt, & even brand new starters & alternators that were bad.

Advance auto & auto zone can bench test your starter for free. Cant beat free!

While the guy testing it may not have a clue, it's worth a try.

Now that is my advice, if the original problem actually was the starter.

It could still have been the battery. A "Headlights on, while trying to start" test
would be the first thing I'd try. Then a jumpstart.

Failing these, I'd take a look at the starter switch located on top of the steering column, under the dash.
 
#39 ·
Well I have been wrenching for 30+ years myself.
I had rebuilt, & even brand new starters & alternators that were bad.

Advance auto & auto zone can bench test your starter for free. Cant beat free!

While the guy testing it may not have a clue, it's worth a try.

Now that is my advice, if the original problem actually was the starter.

It could still have been the battery. A "Headlights on, while trying to start" test
would be the first thing I'd try. Then a jumpstart.

Failing these, I'd take a look at the ignition switch located on top of the steering column, under the dash.
Sorry 'bout that, not the starer switch, but the ignition switch!
Beer is clouding my memory!!!
 
#35 ·
i gotta keep saying it, i've seen more wrong answers from those idiots testing parts. and they usually take your part thats bad, and tell you its good.

i'd just replace it before going by their test. and again, tons of bad rebuild electrical parts out of the boxes, especially at the discount parts stores.
 
#37 ·
you can try giving your starter direct power by boosting your own jeep, you get jumper cables and on one side of the cables you put the red postive on the postive terminal on the battery ,the black negative on the negative terminal of the battery ,then on the other end of the cables you hook up the ground black negative wire to apart of your jeep thats metal, most likey frame parts then the red postive apply it to your starter theres like three bolts on the starter do not put it on the negative this will burn your wire out!, just switch between the two bolts ,when applying it all you want to do is put the red wire on the bolt for one good crank then you take it off and hit the other bolt ,so the starter stops spinning then repeat the process till it turns on.IMPORTANT YOU MUST HAVE YOUR JEEP ON ,PUT THE KEY TO THE ON POSTION ALL THE WAY TO THE END JUST BEFORE THE POINT WHERE YOU ACTUALLY START.if your jeep cranks most likey its not your starter this is how ive been turning my jeep on, anyone knows the how can i fix this problem to make it start regular from the key cylinder lol:wavey:
 
#43 ·
yup iam pretty sure its properly connected the only thing it does when i try to start is a clicking sound.and when i use the direct connect method with the starter stated above it works can it be the solenoid some one told me to check the voltage regulator ?
 
#44 · (Edited)
I seriously doubt it's the voltage regulator, it doesn't have anything to do with starting.

I don't think the starter solenoid on the firewall is very expensive, if you can find one. While I'm not in favor of replacing any parts before they are known to be bad, if they are cheap it may save time & aggravation.

I would still manually test the ignition switch first though.
 
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