"Just Jeepin'" (macintux)
01/01/2020 at 01:25 • Filed to: None
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"Just Jeepin'" (macintux)
01/01/2020 at 01:25 • Filed to: None | 1
| 30 |
Update part deux : sadly I was under my Jeep as the clock struck midnight, hammering at my starter. I’ll be experimenting with a remote starter switch when it’s light out.
Update : thanks to everyone who pointed at the starter relay despite my resistance (get it?). It’s difficult to prove that my problem is fixed, but apart from one brief scare where I might not have had the clutch fully depressed, it has started easily every time since I swapped it out for the identical horn relay.
Of course my horn seems to work every time too, but it may have more generous tolerances than the starter. Or perhaps the problem simply is lurking, waiting for me to be stuck in the middle of nowhere (which I’m not far away from at the moment, at a lovely small cabin in southern Indiana).
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
I’m about to replace my starter for the 4th time in 5 years, the 2nd time in 2 weeks.
W.T.F.
I have no shortage of electrical gremlins, but the temporary remedy each time is the classic: hit it with a mallet.
Is there any plausible electrical explanation for this? I’m tempted to buy a beefy aftermarket Jeep starter instead of the reman ones I keep getting (lifetime warranty, hurrah) but I don’t want to go that route if there’s a circuit problem that will just leave me stranded again.
It wouldn’t be so terrible if I could reliably get it running without assistance, but frequently it takes someone trying to start it while I apply my mallet.
atfsgeoff
> Just Jeepin'
12/28/2019 at 14:11 |
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May be a clearance/meshing problem between the bendix drive pinion and the flywheel or flexplate (manual or auto trans). The starter might need shims to engage reliably.
kgman
> Just Jeepin'
12/28/2019 at 14:12 |
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Is it stick shift? Just park on a hill each time and bump start it
bob and john
> Just Jeepin'
12/28/2019 at 14:13 |
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starter relay
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Just Jeepin'
> kgman
12/28/2019 at 14:14 |
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There are no hills here, sadly.
I did park on a mild slope today but it wasn’t steep enough to help.
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Just Jeepin'
> atfsgeoff
12/28/2019 at 14:15 |
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How could I figure out (or more accurately have my mechanic figure out) whether that’s the case?
DirtyDodge
> Just Jeepin'
12/28/2019 at 14:19 |
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You could always get a remote starter switch like this and make it a one man operation
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Just Jeepin'
> bob and john
12/28/2019 at 14:19 |
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Can you expand on that ?
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Just Jeepin'
> DirtyDodge
12/28/2019 at 14:21 |
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It’s a stick. I guess I could keep a really heavy brick with me to hold down the clutch pedal...
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atfsgeoff
> Just Jeepin'
12/28/2019 at 14:25 |
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https://drivinglife.net/how-to-shim-a-starter/
slipperysallylikespenguins
> Just Jeepin'
12/28/2019 at 14:27 |
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Does it click and try to turn the engine or is it silent?
Try jump starting directly to the starter. That would rule out the bad starter and point towards a weak spot in your wiring like the relay that Peter mentioned.
A beefy aftermarket starter would probably be the way to go moving forward.
Have you or your mechanic tested your “bad” starters before or just replaced?
Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
> Just Jeepin'
12/28/2019 at 14:34 |
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If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
> Just Jeepin'
12/28/2019 at 14:35 |
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Starter relay has gone bad.
Longtime Lurker
> Just Jeepin'
12/28/2019 at 14:47 |
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Or disconnect the clutch pedal switch. But if you do that make sure it’s in neutral so you don’t run over yourself when under the vehicle.
ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
> Just Jeepin'
12/28/2019 at 15:00 |
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There are a lot of shitty remans out there. If you’ve got a starter and alternator specialty shop in your area that rebuilds them, you’ll probably get a lot better results than the Chinese remans that comes out of a box at the parts house. I can recommend starters and alternators of NM in Albuquerque, but that’s probably a little far from you.
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Just Jeepin'
> slipperysallylikespenguins
12/28/2019 at 15:20 |
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There’s no attempt to turn the engine at all, entirely silent.
If the relay or other element in the circuit is bad, why would a mallet reliably get it started?
No, we haven’t tested any of the previous failures, given the mallet always works. That may be sheer ignorance on my part: what I know about ignition systems would fill a business card.
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Just Jeepin'
> If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
12/28/2019 at 15:21 |
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I’m confused how a mallet fixes an electrical problem, however. That’s one of my points of confusion about all this.
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Just Jeepin'
> ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
12/28/2019 at 15:22 |
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Yeah, pretty sure the Jeep would fail 1/4 of the way to NM. I’ll look around, thanks, but I think I’d be happier buying a brand new aftermarket one if I can be persuaded I’m not going to break it in 3-4 weeks due to my electrical issues.
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slipperysallylikespenguins
> Just Jeepin'
12/28/2019 at 15:29 |
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I’m not sure why the mallet works, that is a little confusing unless it vibrates everything enough to get a good connection. The clicking you should hear when attempting to start is the starter relay, so it sounds like you aren’t getting power to that. There should be a similar rated relay in the same control panel that you could swap and check if it helps.
Could also be ignition troubles if there is no power getting to the relay.
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slipperysallylikespenguins
> Just Jeepin'
12/28/2019 at 15:34 |
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Here is a forum post that could be a similar situation:
https://www.wranglerforum.com/f282/jeep-wont-start-battery-starter-good-149840.html
It ended up being the i gnition actuator pin for him.
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If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
> Just Jeepin'
12/28/2019 at 16:20 |
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The jolt of the physical impact can reseat mechanical components that have slipped out of alignment or electrical connectors that have a loose contact.
ClassicDatsunDebate
> Just Jeepin'
12/28/2019 at 20:51 |
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I would make sure your grounds are solid. Make sure you have a ground strap from a starter bolt to the frame. A bad ground would cause ongoing starter issues.
facw
> Just Jeepin'
12/28/2019 at 21:06 |
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Hmm, apparently Peter Black and EssExTee know things...
MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick)
> slipperysallylikespenguins
12/28/2019 at 23:06 |
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I know you solved your problem but you should bench test broken stuff if you can. It’s usually sketchy and fun and makes you feel like Dr. Frankenstein.
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MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick)
> Longtime Lurker
12/28/2019 at 23:07 |
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When you’re dangling your foot out the driver’s door and you turn it over and OhFucjItsinGear!!!!!!!
gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
> Just Jeepin'
01/01/2020 at 02:24 |
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Do the contacts on the starter relay look More corroded than the horn relay? Do the pins look clean and all making contact?
Pat Pfeiffer
> Just Jeepin'
01/01/2020 at 04:22 |
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Clean the battery terminals and hardware at the end of the cables. Is it a side post battery? If so be sure to remove the screws from the ends of the cables all the way and clean everything.
Urambo Tauro
> Just Jeepin'
01/01/2020 at 09:54 |
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The hammer having an effect seems to narrow it down a lot . But as EssE xTee noted, the shock could be jostling a weak connection or component , not necessarily the starter motor. And as you’ve noted, the starter motor may indeed be bad, and something electrical might be burning through them too quickly. I think the next thing that I would do would be to check the m ain B+ and ground paths, not ju st for resistance, but for voltage drop .
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Just Jeepin'
> Urambo Tauro
01/01/2020 at 10:04 |
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I haven’t yet replaced my stolen multimeter, but even with it I’d be hard pressed to do much useful. Still learning how these electrons move (or don’t) .
What’s the “main B+ path”?
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Urambo Tauro
> Just Jeepin'
01/01/2020 at 10:12 |
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“B” stands for battery, it’s the big 12V+ cable coming from it (or sometimes from the alternator post, depending on how your particular vehicle is wired).
MM54
> Just Jeepin'
01/01/2020 at 10:22 |
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I’ve had reman parts dead out of the box so, since you’ve ruled out the relay and hitting the starter with a hammer works (which is probably a broken winding or bad spot on the commutator) I’d say you need an actual new starter, not another junk reman :)