YJ wont turn over.....again

Subject: YJ wont turn over.....again Tue Mar 20, 2007 8:24 pm

I lent my YJ to a friend over the weekend and it stalled on him as he was exiting the beltway and he couldn't get it to turn back over. There is no sound when you turn the key. He ended up having AAA tow it to his house in Towson. I went over to visit him -my Jeep, not my friend - the last 2 nights to try to get it running.... no luck

The usual suspects are:
- Battery - the cables have come loose before and lost connection with the terminals. I removed both cables and tightened them back down. The lights and radio work at the moment
- Starter - I tried connecting a wire between the 2 terminals on the starter short it out and it wouldn't crank. It would spark, but the engine didnt make a sound with the key in the "on" position. I had him pull me with the TJ to pop the clutch but to no avail. It made the same shrieking sound that a car makes when you try to start it when its already started.
- Gas - the gauge is broken, so I go by mileage...... mathematically there should be plenty of gas, but we added a few gallons to be sure...
- Alarm - I never set it, but it has a mind of its own. When it starts acting up I disconnect the battery and let it reset. I tried that and hit the manufacturer's reset switch
- Fuses - none under the hood were blown. All under the dash seemed ok...

scratch

Any ideas on how to at least get this thing to crank????

I'm beginning to think that the Jeep just likes living in the nicer neighborhood and doesn't want to come home to Baltimore city
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'01 TJ 4.5" RE, 35" MTs, Aussie up front
'91 YJ - has to be towed everywhere rig

Subject: Re: YJ wont turn over.....again Tue Mar 20, 2007 9:45 pm

The alternator would be a good guess and your relay switch.
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Subject: Re: YJ wont turn over.....again Tue Mar 20, 2007 10:45 pm

danny call me and i'll stop over to take a look at it since its right in towson. I got a few ideas to try out on it.
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Subject: Re: YJ wont turn over.....again Wed Mar 21, 2007 8:21 am

Danny I would check on the ground wires. Something could have come loose not allowing the jeep to run.
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Subject: Re: YJ wont turn over.....again Wed Mar 21, 2007 8:22 am

Thanks Joe...I'll call you later on in the day. Its up by the Bel-Loc diner on Joppa and Loch Raven.
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'01 TJ 4.5" RE, 35" MTs, Aussie up front
'91 YJ - has to be towed everywhere rig

Subject: Re: YJ wont turn over.....again Wed Mar 21, 2007 8:23 am

I asked a fellow YJ owner for some suggestions. Here is what he said:

First things first.

Did the motor turn over when the Jeep was pulled by the other Jeep and the transmission engaged? If when the clutch was let out and it sounded like the starter was being engaged to a running motor...It could well be a case of the bendix on the starter being partially engaged with the flywheel.

It needs to be determined if the motor will turn over or if something in it is locked up. Could be something as simple as the Bendix in the starter to a thrown rod.

Does the starter have 12v coming to it? or is there less voltage, this will tell you if the wiring to the starter is good. Check this with a DVM on the big lugs of the starter with the key in the Start position.

If there is NO sound at all from the starter when key is in the Start position it could be the starter Selenoid (on the side of the starter). With a helper turning the key to the Start position, crawl under the Jeep and tap on the selenoid with a hammer HANDLE. The selenoid can get stuck and not engage the starter.

Fuel would not be the issue if there is no sound from the starter...the motor would turn over just not run if there was no fuel.

Battery, you need to determine if the battery is fully charged. A battery can have enough juice to run the radio and lights but not start the Jeep. If this is the case, there should be a audible "Click" from the starter selenoid.

Start there.

Hopefully, this will give you some additional ideas. Let me know if any of this helps or works. If not, I'll find out more.
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LET THE WILD RUMPUS START!

The Fair Maiden, Bob, says EW!

99 TJ Sahara, 5.5" R E, Dana 44s front and rear, Locked, Superior Chromo Shafts, CTMs, Rock Crusher Diff Covers, 35" Swampers, 9K WARN winch, 456 gears, TerraLow, ORO Steering, Banks Headers, Borla Exhaust

Subject: Re: YJ wont turn over.....again Wed Mar 21, 2007 9:44 am

Thanks for that info Bobbi! jeepchic

I'm going to try tapping the solenoid tonight.

When I was getting pulled the shrieking noise happened when I had the key in the "on" position and I let the clutch out. The engine never turned over....

I don't know what a Bendix is, but it sounds a lot better than a thrown rod! scratch

That starter has given me trouble in the past. I tried putting a piece of wire between the two terminals and got lots of sparks...I don't know if it was 12v though.

I'll check the ground wires as well
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'01 TJ 4.5" RE, 35" MTs, Aussie up front
'91 YJ - has to be towed everywhere rig

Subject: Re: YJ wont turn over.....again Wed Mar 21, 2007 11:39 am

OK, here is some more:

The bendix is the gear that pops foward (out) of the starter and engages with the flywheel. It is the gear that will actually turn the motor via the flywheel. When you let the key off the "Start" position it pops back into the starter and off the flywheel. The screaching noise you hear when trying to start a running car or Jeep is the Bendix tying to engage (at high speed) to the flywheel...

If your battery is good and all your connections good, and you push the key to the start position. If you hear a click from the starter it's NOT the selenoid. If you do NOT hear a click, it is likely your selenoid. This can be replaced with the starter in the Jeep...just not real easy to do.

Did you try pulling the Jeep without doing the key thing...leaving the key in the run position?

If your battery is real low it will shut down the computer. So "kick" starting it may not work as the computer doesn't have enough smarts to run the Jeep.

A DVM on the batter will tell you a lot. If you are showing 12.5 or more on the battery (Jeep not running) it is good.12.0-12.5 and it is getting weak. Less than 12 and it's to low to run the Jeep.

Hope this helps.
_________________
LET THE WILD RUMPUS START!

The Fair Maiden, Bob, says EW!

99 TJ Sahara, 5.5" R E, Dana 44s front and rear, Locked, Superior Chromo Shafts, CTMs, Rock Crusher Diff Covers, 35" Swampers, 9K WARN winch, 456 gears, TerraLow, ORO Steering, Banks Headers, Borla Exhaust

Subject: Re: YJ wont turn over.....again Thu Mar 22, 2007 8:47 am

Hey Danny,

Did you get the YJ started?
_________________
LET THE WILD RUMPUS START!

The Fair Maiden, Bob, says EW!

99 TJ Sahara, 5.5" R E, Dana 44s front and rear, Locked, Superior Chromo Shafts, CTMs, Rock Crusher Diff Covers, 35" Swampers, 9K WARN winch, 456 gears, TerraLow, ORO Steering, Banks Headers, Borla Exhaust

Subject: Re: YJ wont turn over.....again Thu Mar 22, 2007 9:41 am

I went all the way out to my buddy's house where the Jeep is sitting and realized I had left the keys at home..... I won't be able to get to it until Friday night now.
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'01 TJ 4.5" RE, 35" MTs, Aussie up front
'91 YJ - has to be towed everywhere rig

Subject: Re: YJ wont turn over.....again Thu Mar 22, 2007 2:59 pm

UGH! That Sucks!
_________________
LET THE WILD RUMPUS START!

The Fair Maiden, Bob, says EW!

99 TJ Sahara, 5.5" R E, Dana 44s front and rear, Locked, Superior Chromo Shafts, CTMs, Rock Crusher Diff Covers, 35" Swampers, 9K WARN winch, 456 gears, TerraLow, ORO Steering, Banks Headers, Borla Exhaust

Subject: Re: YJ wont turn over.....again Fri Mar 23, 2007 8:45 pm

Beat the hell out of the solenoid w/ a hammer and it didn't help things.

I tried pulling the starter and rounded off the head of one of the 2 bolts holding it in. I'll try to hammer the socket back on and use a universal adapter to try and get a decent grip on it.
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'01 TJ 4.5" RE, 35" MTs, Aussie up front
'91 YJ - has to be towed everywhere rig

Subject: Re: YJ wont turn over.....again Wed Mar 28, 2007 10:30 pm

#&^%$ Starter Bolt!

shdjfhdjghkdbfjxcdb

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'01 TJ 4.5" RE, 35" MTs, Aussie up front
'91 YJ - has to be towed everywhere rig

Subject: Re: YJ wont turn over.....again Thu Mar 29, 2007 12:27 am

NICE

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Subject: Re: YJ wont turn over.....again Thu Mar 29, 2007 7:04 am

I'm Bobbi's friend that she's been quoting above.

What was the issue with the " edffwfas

#&^%$ starter bolt jjjjjjjjjjj

"? Loose? Missing?

Which " edffwfas

#&^%$ starter bolt jjjjjjjjjjj

" was it? One of the electrical connections or one of the mount bolts? Which one?

Why was tthe bolt loose? What caused it to back out/off?

Glad you found the symptom...now to find the problem, and help the next person with a no start issue.