My 1998 XJ is showing up some issue when starting/cranking.

Sometimes (not always) I go for starting the car and nothing happens. The motor does not crank and on the dashboard the voltage indicator does not drop. In other words the car is off, I turn the key on and the battery is at 12V. When I crank nothing happens but also the voltage stays at 12V without dropping. The lights in the car does not suffer either.

To start the car I need to roll it and release the clutch when the car has some speed and it starts right away.

However, this does not happen every time. Sometimes the starter works just fine.

Should I be looking at changing the starter motor or could it be something else?

Thanks

 

5 speed,right?
All your grounds,especially the battery cables and starter wires.
Is your starter covered in oil from a leak in the valve cover or oil filter adapter?

 

It may be your NSS (Neutral Safety Switch) on the transmission. Put the vehicle in reverse and see if the reverse lights are illuminated. If not, that's your problem. If they do, well...I don't know.

 

Yes, those too.

 

Yes, transmission is 5 speed manual.
I checked the battery wires and they are ok.

I noticed the car has another problem: sometimes the doors lock themselves. I hear the click of the door locks and the doors lock without me actually locking them.

Can that also be related to the same issue with the NSS?

If NSS is the problem, what should I do to fix it?

Thanks

 

Here's what I used: http://go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoNSSrebuild.htm

Some people used flat screwdrivers to gently pry it off and have done so successfully. I don't recommend it; you risk cracking the housing. I'm fortunate enough not to have corrosion issues so soaking it in PB Blaster all night allowed it to slide off the shaft easily. Check your reverse lights first though, it's a telltale sign assuming the bulbs are functional.

Just found out manual trans apparently don't have NSS's so that's probably not the problem.

 

You could jump the starter several times and see if it works just to rule that out.

Otherwise, a ground needs cleaned somewhere, a faulty clutch position switch or possibly a faulty relay somewhere.