Hi Guys, I recently bought a 98 XJ 4x4 with the 4.0. 200k Miles. Runs really great, but after starting and running for a while, it wont even turn over. I've been doing my research into it. So I'll list through what I've checked/think it is;
1: Not the NSS - Wigggle it in Neutral/Park, beat it, jump on it, roll it a little and nothing. Not even a hickup. the starter doesn't even seem to get juice.
2: Tried bumping the starter solenoid with a screwdriver, would spark but not turn the starter over.
3: No error codes being thrown.
4: Tried bypassing NSS - used the jumpers, and nothing.

So I'm thinking its either the ignition, but it makes everything click properly, or the starter itself. Or the Solenoid. Maybe the Ground wire? Anyways from cold it starts fine. Like leaving it alone for 30+ minutes, fires up every time. But drive it for a while, turn it off wont even make the starter kick even a little.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Ghrislain

 

Obviously check all your grounds are clean and tight and if you see any obvious wiring issues, correct them.

Test the starter relay after a good long drive. If it tests bad then wait until it's cool and test it again. If it passes then you know the relay is bad.
If it tests fine when hot then pull the starter and bench test it when cold. It should fire as you've described. Take a hair dryer or better yet a heat gun and warm it up and re-test. If it doesn't fire up then you know it's a bad starter.

If those tests don't reveal the culprit, you can move on to the wiring.

 

Ok, thank you PatHenry. I hadn't come across those tests yet, I'll try those soon as I get home tonight.

Thanks,

Ghrislain

 

No problem - the basic idea is to test how the things work when cold (where you expect them to work) and hot (where something is failing). Clearly something is --just-- bad enough that a little heat expansion of the metal is throwing it out of whack. That could be internal components of the relay or starter solenoid, or wiring where the casing cracks and upon expansion is just enough to short out.
The starter is subject to a lot of heat due to it's location, so it certainly is suspect from your description.

Good luck and let us know what you find!

 

Ok long delayed update - Was the starter.
Thought it was a bad connection on the battery after jump starting it one day, next did not work.
Replaced the Relay just in case, still no go.
Climbed under to bang on the starter and accidentally hit the solenoid contacts and they sparked and made a good ruckus, but the starter was deader than a doornail.
Temps have been mostly less than 30f (-6 when I was working on it in the mall parking lot last night) which is why I avoided fixing it. Also lost the top bolt somehow, on white snow thats hard... not sure how that happened.

Anyways snugged up the bottom bolt, nudged the ignition and fired right up. I always thought starters made noise/other things indicated they were dying other than intermittent starting?

Thanks again PatHenry!

 

Sometimes they do. Especially if they are failing mechanically (like an over-run clutch failing, or bearings). But like any electric motor they have a tendency to begin failing silently based on where their last rotation left them (internally). Leading to intermittent operation, or occasional success after tapping on the motor and jostling its position a little.

 

Hahaha - you did all the work, but you're welcome to my limited knowledge base anytime!

Glad to hear you got it fixed and are good to go! It's amazing how these XJs still run with stuff that would stop a lesser vehicle. In your case a single starter bolt, in my case I drove my 95 2 hours home from CT and came to find out the lower alternator bolt was MIA and the alt was shifted at an odd angle... it still drove great.
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Jordan's absolutely right - starters are "wear" items, they eventually fail.
I had a starter in an ex-gf's Subaru - I pulled the starter on a rather chilly night in her work parking lot, took it to AZ and it bench tested fine.. which left me scratching my head since the battery was new, relay was good, wiring was good, so I took it back, reinstalled it.
(Mind you on that Subaru the starter was a real PITA to get at since it was in the back of the engine..)
She kept having intermittent starting issues - I explained to her what Jordan mentioned about "bad spots" in the motor and she decided to go ahead and try replacing it. It was freakin expensive and I warned her it might not solve the problem.
Another even colder night in her work parking lot and as soon as I replaced the starter she never had a problem with it again.