venturaII wrote:
So, before I get into any sort of detail, I realize I'm not going to have the info available tonight I'll likely need for a good diagnosis, but I figured I'd throw it out there to see if this is a common problem or not.
Anyways, my wife had the Libby ('04 Sport 3.7 231/3550) this afternoon and was running errands; up until now, the vehicle has been running just fine. The vehicle was at operating temp when she shut if off to go in, and when she came out of the store after being inside for 5-10 minutes, the Jeep wouldn't start (no crank), so she called me to come take a look at it. The battery is a good 5+ years old and we live in New England and it's about 12 degrees F tonight, so I figured the battery might've given up the ghost, so I brought jumpers. When I hopped in though, the dash lights were bright, and the headlights were equally bright. When I went to start it, there was no starter solenoid click or anything - nada. Even the dash lights stayed bright, if I recall correct. The terminals were a little corroded, so I took the cables off, cleaned them the best I could in the parking lot, and reassembled...still nothing, even with jumpers connected from a running car.
I check for codes on the dash display with the ignition on/off method, and nothing came up ('done').
Since there wasn't even a hint of the starter trying to work, I tried disconnecting and jumping the clutch safety switch, in case that was keeping the starter from working, but no dice.
I finally crawled under it in the snow, and managed to get a screwdriver on the solenoid, and the starter cranked fine, but the engine would not fire up.
At that point, we were pressed for time, so it was AAA to the rescue, and the Jeep is currently sitting in the local dealer parking lot, waiting for them to open in the morning. Is there a common issue with KJs that could cause this problem? It's got ~130K miles on it, no options other than A/C, well serviced and pretty reliable up to this point (although I had to replace the NV3550 this spring when 2nd gear synchros dissolved for the second time in 130K miles...). Again, I'm really just trying to see if there's any common problems that could be causing these symptoms, so I have a little info in my pocket when I head to the stealership in the morning...
Thanks!
The fact that jumping the solenoid with a screwdriver turned over the starter motor would indicate that the solenoid/starter are fine.
A very common problem is the Ignition Pin Actuator Assembly is in the process of breaking....this rotates the ignition switch and usually can rotate the switch enough so all the lights light up but the final movement to the "Start" position does not work.
First try swapping out your Starter Relay with an identical one next to it....sits in the box under the hood.
Then make sure the Jeep is in Neutral and with the Starter Relay Removed, briefly jumper pins 30 and 87 together inside the Relay Socket. The engine should turn over and if the key is in the ignition the engine should start.
Then have a look at the Actuator Assembly to see if it is broken.
Remove the the two plastic covers over the steering column....two female Torx screws.
Remove the ignition switch from the rear of the Actuator Pin......smaller Torx screw that on newer model requires a Security Male Torx bit with a hole down its center.
If you see bits of actuator pin fall off then you need a new one...Dealers do not carry this part....you can get a Dorman actuator assembly.
You can start the Jeep by placing the key in its normal slot...for steering lock and SKIS if fitted...then with your clutch depressed as usual turn the ignition switch with a small flat screwdriver.
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