No crank/block to firewall ground strap?
06-09-2018 | 05:38 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 905
Likes: 7
From: New Hampshire
Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L I6
No crank/block to firewall ground strap?
Had a no start issue bite me in the *** yesterday. After stopping to get gas the jeep wouldn’t start. It’s a 98 XJ.
Tried to jump start it, no good. Took the battery out and had it load tested. Failed, so replaced. Still no crank.
Replaced the starter along with battery as they were both about 8 years old. New starter, not refurbished. No start.
Lights come on, there’s power in the cabin. Just no crank. A light click sound and nothing.
Stared pulling and and cleaning grounds. The ground strap connecting to the firewall from the engine block was snapped in two. Tried to removed... big bolt broke away from the firewall. Pulled the sheet metal out and everything.
Would that ground strap create a no crank? I retrofitted a smaller wire from that engine bolt to a separate bolt of the firewall. I don’t have the actual strap so It wasn’t too secure but the gauges actually came on and I got a harder click. Still no crank.
Does a new strap NEED to be connected to that large bolt on the firewall? I believe it was a 15mm. Or can I connected it somewhere else so long as it’s still tied in to the bolt in the rear of the engine?
Tried to jump start it, no good. Took the battery out and had it load tested. Failed, so replaced. Still no crank.
Replaced the starter along with battery as they were both about 8 years old. New starter, not refurbished. No start.
Lights come on, there’s power in the cabin. Just no crank. A light click sound and nothing.
Stared pulling and and cleaning grounds. The ground strap connecting to the firewall from the engine block was snapped in two. Tried to removed... big bolt broke away from the firewall. Pulled the sheet metal out and everything.
Would that ground strap create a no crank? I retrofitted a smaller wire from that engine bolt to a separate bolt of the firewall. I don’t have the actual strap so It wasn’t too secure but the gauges actually came on and I got a harder click. Still no crank.
Does a new strap NEED to be connected to that large bolt on the firewall? I believe it was a 15mm. Or can I connected it somewhere else so long as it’s still tied in to the bolt in the rear of the engine?
06-09-2018 | 05:48 PM
#2
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 905
Likes: 7
From: New Hampshire
Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L I6
To add:
Tried starting in neutral, no crank.
Think ive ruled out the ignition switch. Tried starting with the blower motor on, cuts power to blower.
Swapped relays around, still no crank. My mind keeps going back to the ground strap.
Tried starting in neutral, no crank.
Think ive ruled out the ignition switch. Tried starting with the blower motor on, cuts power to blower.
Swapped relays around, still no crank. My mind keeps going back to the ground strap.
06-09-2018 | 09:35 PM
#5
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 7,964
Likes: 957
From: Lost in the wilds of Virginia
Year: 1998 Classic (I'll get it running soon....) and 02 Grand
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
You might have a ground problem, but that strap is NOT it. The starter draws a large amount of current, and that strap cannot handle it, it's not intended to handle it.
Ozalid is correct - it's just there for radio noise.
Check your ground cable and its connections. Both ends. Check the positive cable, too.
Ozalid is correct - it's just there for radio noise.
Check your ground cable and its connections. Both ends. Check the positive cable, too.
06-09-2018 | 09:36 PM
#6
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 905
Likes: 7
From: New Hampshire
Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L I6
Sounded like the clicking was
coming from the solenoid. However it could have been coming from the relay. I’m getting the jeep towed up to the house tomorrow morning so hopefully I’ll be able to dig in to it deeper.
coming from the solenoid. However it could have been coming from the relay. I’m getting the jeep towed up to the house tomorrow morning so hopefully I’ll be able to dig in to it deeper.
06-09-2018 | 10:35 PM
#7
CF Veteran
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 1,472
Likes: 5
From: San Antonio, TX
Year: 1992
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L H.O.
The strap does not give the block its ground, the neg cable does that. BUT, the fact that running a small wire from the body(which is also grounded directly to the battery) to the block gave you a louder click from the relay... This tells me you do have a bad ground to the engine. Likely a bad neg cable, or corrosion at the ground point.
That small wire wasnt enough to power the starter motor. But if you had an adequate ground, it wouldnt have had any affect at all.
That small wire wasnt enough to power the starter motor. But if you had an adequate ground, it wouldnt have had any affect at all.
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06-10-2018 | 09:36 AM
#9
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2012
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From: New Hampshire
Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L I6
That has got to be a primary engine ground.
Tow guy dropped it off at the house this morning.
After giving attention to every other ground I could find, I caved and installed the new engine strap. Installed on one of the fire wall bolts next to the large bolt that I snapped off. After scrubbing the paint down to metal and putting the new wire on.... Boom. One crank and an easy start.
Im out now doing some errands but will post a few pics when I get home. I’ll do a few starts and whatnot before I call this solved.
Tow guy dropped it off at the house this morning.
After giving attention to every other ground I could find, I caved and installed the new engine strap. Installed on one of the fire wall bolts next to the large bolt that I snapped off. After scrubbing the paint down to metal and putting the new wire on.... Boom. One crank and an easy start.
Im out now doing some errands but will post a few pics when I get home. I’ll do a few starts and whatnot before I call this solved.
06-10-2018 | 11:25 AM
#10
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 7,964
Likes: 957
From: Lost in the wilds of Virginia
Year: 1998 Classic (I'll get it running soon....) and 02 Grand
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
That is NOT your primary engine ground, and if that cured your problem, you have a problem with your main engine ground. It might look good, but it's not good. You need to find and fix the real problem, or you will have more problems.
Re-read TwistedWrench's post. He's got it exactly right.
Re-read TwistedWrench's post. He's got it exactly right.
06-10-2018 | 11:48 AM
#11
CF Veteran
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 3,038
Likes: 337
From: PA
Year: 1997
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L
Remove and clean all of these:
When i did mine, i also cleaned up the connections to the PDC. Just because. I also cleaned the starter connections, which were covered in oil and dirt anyway. Starters dont like that stuff.
When i did mine, i also cleaned up the connections to the PDC. Just because. I also cleaned the starter connections, which were covered in oil and dirt anyway. Starters dont like that stuff.
Last edited by fb97xj1; 06-10-2018 at 11:53 AM.
06-10-2018 | 12:17 PM
#14
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Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 905
Likes: 7
From: New Hampshire
Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L I6
Does any know how to make a good home brew degreaser? My oil filter adapter has blown gunk all over the place down there and I appear to be all out.
06-10-2018 | 12:26 PM
#15
CF Veteran
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 3,038
Likes: 337
From: PA
Year: 1997
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0L