Well after spending a few hours driving around town doing some Halloween shopping. My Jeep won't start. It's not the batter because it's a new battery about 6 months old and all the lights still come on when the key is turned to the ACC position (including the headlights). When I try to start it I hear a slight click but the starter does not turn over. I'm thinking this might be either the starter relay or the starter motor. I am not a mechanic and I know people on here would know more than I would. Would I be correct in thinking this? My other question is. If it is the starter and or the starter relay is this something I could change out my self? If so does anyone have any pictures where I might find the starter relay location and maybe a picture of where the starter motor is loacted at. Considering my Jeep is sitting in a shopping center parking lot over night I am kind of bummed at the moment and I hope I can get this fixed soon. I'm sad without my baby sitting at the house.
Go check the battery connections and the front fuse box connection. Lift the lid and make sure the main lead is tight. Try and jump it at the battery only. It could be that 6 month old battery is toast too, so don't rule that out just cause it's fresh.
Yeah I'll be checking that tomarrow. It was dark and I didn't have a flashlight with me in the Jeep at the time. I'm gonna try a basic jump with jumper cable tomarrow before I spend the money having it towed. I didn't think of checking the fuse box connections but I will surely.
When you check the battery connections don't just see if they're snug. Loosen them, take them off, and put them back on. Preferrably after hitting both the terminals and the inside of the clamps with a wire brush. Scratching both of them with a pen knife works in a pinch. If the battery is good, and If there's a click, then it's probably not the relay or the solenoid. Small possibility the lead on the starter motor is loose or it could be a dead starter motor.
I swapped out my starter like a month ago, can be had for around 75-80 bucks Its not too hard to change if you have stock exhaust headers, worst part is you have to take out the front driveshaft
Any idea where I can get the starter for this 75-80 bucks? Hmm take out the front drive shaft you say? This might be out of my level of repairs but if I can find the starter for this price it won't as big of hit to my budget as I thought. I will surely try the battery terminal tricks first.
Cool thxs for the website. I will order from them if it ends up being that. I should know by tomarrow. Does anyone know if you can jump the starters like you used to be able to do with older cars with a screwdriver and cross the terminals on the starter? I was looking for a way for me to self test to see if it's the starter or a bigger problem.
It's not going to be a bigger problem than the starter... well, Ok, the battery might be about the same cost. You can get a good digital multi-meter for about $20? at Radio Shack to check the battery. Everybody should have a multi-meter for checking/testing everything electrical, from flashlight batteries to wire continuity to power outlets.
Hmm I got a AC mutilmeter, but I don't think thats gonna help me. I guess some day I should invest in a nice digital ACDC one. I hate things that don't work the way they are supposed to. A car has one function "WORK" it makes me mad when things that cost $30,000 don't work right.
The solenoid is built into the starter, so you won't be doing the ole screw driver routine. Also you can't even get to it on the jeep, it's buried behind the headers on the drivers side.
Thats funny I just read your post about not being able to get to it. I spent like 5 min's trying to get to it. I can't even fit my head under that section of the jeep to even see it (more less access it to change it) This would require some sort of lift or jack to access. I already ordered the part and the flat bed tow truck is on the way to pick it up to take it to the repair shop. I guess I'll have to skip any recent mod's I was looking at to get this fixed. Oh well better that it is drivable rather than a giant paper weight. so $75 for the starter, $18 for 2nd day shipping, $65 tow and $150 labor = $308. Well not as bad as I thought it was gonna be consider my first check I saw the starter at $205-$255 before anything else. This better fix the problem.....
Well I ruled out the battery since all the headlights come on bright and don't dim after a few min's even with the truck not running. Ignition turns and all the regular lights come on the dash and when I try to start it. It makes a single click noise from the area the starter is located at (not that there is much room to see it). I just dropped it off at the mechanic and the mechanic tapped on the starter with a hammer while trying to start it and it started. Was just good enough for them to get it inside on the lift. They say they are gonna remove the starter and have it off so when the new one arrives we can make sure everything matches up. So I guess to answer your question I didn't know it was. It just seemed like a starter to me. I'm by no mean a mechanic, but it looks like the problem so far. I got 62,000 miles on my 06' just incase anyone else has similiar issues. Kinda mad me mad. I just changed all the brake pads to EBC Red Stuff no sooner to read these pads suck and squel like crazy. and My backs did so bad I used the hand brake when stopping in parking lots. I had them installed in Texas and figured they needed to be broken in so I made the drive back to Virginia and that did not help. I used some the anti squel lube from Autozone and it help alot but I can tell they are gonna squel again very soon. I'll get it running again then worry about the brakes. Maybe go with the Cadillac CTS V ones, some people seem to be having good luck with them. I got a vender with my company that can get them to me at a decent price. So if I can ever get back to work I want the R1 rotors. But until then mods have to hold off, to bad I can't enter my companies contest.
Sounds like you picked the right part. The starter is an electric motor with armature with windings and maybe a dozen slots. If the windings go bad or short then 1 or more slots can go bad. If the motor stops (after the last use) on one of those dead spots it won't go the next time. The trick of tapping it with a hammer while trying to start it will jiggle it just enough (also the next good spot might be providing a weak pull on it too) to get past the bad spot. Once it's turning the momentum carries it past it no problem. Haha, with a clutch you can put the car in the top gear and just rock it a bit while holding the key. Much experience driving old broken down cars...
Well I just got a email saying my new starter has been shipped. It will take 2 days to get here. I was gonna try the hammer trick or something to get it started to drive it to the mechanic, but I didn't even have enough room to get my ead under that area of the truck more less try to find it and hit it with a hammer, So I had it towed on a flatbed tow truck. Luckly I have a tow hitch on my truck and just had him grab it from the chain stays on it. as for the fuse I probably should of checked that first but I was mad and didn't think of that. After the mechanic tapped the starter with a hammer and got it started I'm like 90% sure this is the problem.
