I have a 95 xj, 2.5L, AX5, 4x4, 249K. Completely stock, daily driver. I drove it to work (2.4 miles) turned it off, everything was fine, then i went to leave work and it wouldnt even crank, it has power (radio, lights, etc...)

I did some trouble shooting: checked all the fuses/relays they are all good, checked the battery it is good, then i bypassed the starter with a screwdriver and it started. I drove it home, then turned the key to crank and used a multimeter to see if it had any power at the little wire going to the solenoid and it did NOT have power there. I followed the wire all the way in the harness back to where it meets the firewall and, spliced into it gave it 12 volts manually there and it started.

I also cleaned all the battery cables, wiggled them, checked the ground ,replaced the ignition switch just because i had one and its easy.

Does anybody know where the wire for the solenoid gets power? Is it under the dash? I didn't see it under the hood. I know the switch is the ignition switch by the tumbler and that is good, it is a power supply issue.

any help would be appreciated. I am a mechanical engineer and i have been working on cars my whole life so i am pretty technical.

thank you for your time

kevin

 

I see you have an AX5 so no NSS. What about the equivalent for the manual transmission that prevents starting in gear?

 

key switch. did same thing to my 96 a few months back. picked new switch up at auto parts. need torx with security hole. will have power to all accessories just the pin to activate stater was broken.

 

I think by "key switch" you mean ignition switch, which is right there by the tumbler. I thought it was that too and replaced it to no avail.

also, I did some research and don;t think it has a neutral safety switch equivalent. It can start in any gear with or without the clutch or brake pedals pressed.

Thanks for the help

any other ideas

thanks

kevin

 

Hmmm, Pretty sure they didn't introduce clutch safety switches until 97.

Have you tested to see if you have the power coming from the ignition switch while the key is in the 'start' position?

Check voltage on the yellow wire:

 

thanks for the post. i tested power at the switch and I only have power at terminals 4 and 7 on your schematic. The yellow wire (terminal 1) is not getting power. Do you have a schematic that shows where this wire is supposed to get power from?

Only terminals 4 and 7 have power they are both "Fuse B (+)". Any correlation there?

Thanks so much for the help

Kevin

 

That wire is only going to have power when the key is in the "Start" position. That is the Output wire to the starter system. If you don't have power there while turning the key then the issue is, more than likely, still in the switch.

Is the switch adjusted correctly?

 

You're right, I dont know what i was thinking, that makes sense. I think my power supply is good then.

I already tried replacing the switch with a new one and it did not fix the issue.

How do you adjust it?


Thank you for your help

Kevin

 

No problem.

The switch slides up and down the column on the slot in the switch. You just want to adjust it so that it matches the stroke of the lock cylinder. You can test to see if the switch it working properly by pulling it off the column and using a screwdriver to push the switch into the start position while it's plugged in.

I'd test continuity between pin 1 and 7 as well as 4 and 7 with the key in the "STart" position.

 

Thanks for the help, while i was looking at how the ignition switch moves in the slot, I noticed the zinc casting on the ignition lock cylinder (tumbler) was broken and not fulling engaging the switch enough to give power to the starter. I replaced it and it starts fine now. I attached a pic of how it broke.

Thanks for the help, i appreciate it.

 

Sweet, that'll do it.

Yup, sounded like the switch was never sending a signal.

Glad ya got it fixed.

 

What about your other thread?

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/any...c-95xj-195095/

Are you going to close it out?