98 Jeep Cherokee Sport. 6cyl 4.0 liter. I have an intermittent no start / no crank issue. I've been searching the forums for more than 3 hours and I haven't found a problem like this.

Most of the time, it runs okay. There are some things I'm working on, but overall the Jeep is functional. My latest problem is that occasionally the Jeep won't start. I still have electricity going to the dash, interior lights, lighter outlet, etc. (Can't recall if the exterior lights are working.) Turning the key to the start position kills everything for about 30 seconds. The Jeep is dead for about 20-30 seconds before the dash, interior, lighter, etc. come back on. Turn the key to start, it happens again.

Since buying this vehicle, I've replaced the fuel pump, ECM, TPS, CPS, MAP sensor, battery, and starter. I've had the alternator checked. I've visually inspected the wiring under the hood. I have a replacement NSS coming in the mail, and I am going to test/replace the ignition switch this weekend.
PS: For a while I was having a problem with the interior electrical being affected by the plunger on the door frame that senses whether the door is open. (I didn't check that last night.)

Does anyone have ideas as to why this is happening? Any thoughts on what I can check?

 

bad battery/connections and/or starter solenoid

 

New starter, new battery, cleaned and reattached connections. No love.

Replaced ignition switch. No effect.
Jumping the solenoid yields the same result. The Bendix kicks out, but the starter doesn't crank.

 

I sure wish you had posted all that in the first place.

 

Another update: With the help of a friend, I was able to check the exterior lights' behavior when I turn the key to the start position. They go out too. So, when I turn the key to start, it apparently kills the entire electrical system for up to a minute. (Yes, it is taking longer for the system to recover.)

 

it sounds like you have most likely a bad main battery or earth cable

 

I'd check grounds and your connections first including the ones on the battery.
Have the (new?) battery load tested as well; would hate to see you chasing this issue in the wrong direction..

 

Just for yucks when it won't crank try jumping it with another vehicle. Sure sounds like a bad battery or bad connections and/or cables (cables can rot out under the insulation or crimps

 

Yup. Tried that too. No change.

My internet research suggests that this is a short to ground. Unfortunately, I am not very proficient at automotive electrical systems. (TBH, I probably know more than I think I do, but for all intents and purposes, please assume that I have never heard of Ben Franklin, Nikola Tesla, or Thomas Edison, and that up until now, I have regarded electricity as an ungodly force wielded by sorcerers.) And I do not know how to track it down. I do have a multimeter that I have actually looked at a few times over the past few decades. Each time I did, it made me feel like a monkey in front of the controls to an ICBM. I feared to touch it lest I blow up a major metropolitan center. ...or at least get my banana taken away.

Today, I secured a loose ground from the firewall to the engine. (Don't know what that was for, but it looked like a ground [braided wire], and it was loose, so I tightened it. And I discovered a plug/connector that has no apparent mate. I'm going to download a sheet of hieroglyphics- I mean an electrical schematic and see if that enlightens or inspires me.

Don't mind me, I tend to get verbose when I am frustrated to the point of applying C4 to the problem just to see what happens.

 

FWIW. if you shorted the battery amps to ground and it didn't blow a fuse or a breaker the resulting smoke and melted wiring would identify the problem.

Don't assume the "new"" parts you installed ,(including the battery) are good.

 

what about all the ground wires at the dip stick base?

 

Numerous times, I had removed the clamps, cleaned them and the posts with a pocket knife and/or a brush (depending on what was available), but this time, I disassembled the clamps and took a wire brush to the cables and the clamps.

IT LIVES!!!

​​​​​​That was it. Dirty cables and clamps. Now that I can get back to work, I'll be replacing the cables as soon as I can as an extra measure. Thank you all for your help.

Long live the Cherokee forum!

Now, I am going to soak for an hour in a kiddie pool full of Dawn dish soap. Ugh.

 

LOL!!
Please post pics of kiddie pool.