Intermittent no crank, just click

1TrackJack

1TrackJack

Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2019
Messages
65
Location
Clearwater, Fl.
My 04 LJ has been acting like it has a bad battery, starter drag then click but after several tries works perfectly.. Since it had been sitting for a year I put in a new battery. Problem reoccurred so I figured it must have a bad spot on the starter, so yup, I put in a new starter. After instillation it still would not crank. I then switched starter relay with another and still no crank just click. Took a break and then tried again. This time a weak click then it spun over and started. Checked the batter cables, all look good but
 
It sent before I was done. The LJ came with a weird post connector that I had never seen before. See what you think.
Battery connector.jpg
 
Yes. Check your ground. Also remove both + and - battery cables. Clean and reattach. That funky post clamp could be causing enough restriction of electrons to F*ck wit starting. Run some sandpaper over all connecting surfaces.
 
I checked everything and had a mechanic friend, former Jeep dealer mechanic, check too. As a process of elimination I think it's the ignition actuator, he said it's rare, what do you guys think?
 
Could be....if he's worked on Jeeps in the past I'd say he's seen (or heard ) this sort of thing before. I had to change my ignition switch a couple months ago...(not quiet the same as the actuator) but a pretty simple job and cheap. I think actuators go for about $40-$60.
 
Blondie70 said:
Why not jump the starter relay to isolate the "maybe switch" problem ?
Click to expand...

Yes, you can pop out the starter relay and jump these terminals. By doing so you're bypassing the ignition switch entirely - if the motor cranks then you know the issue is somewhere in the ignition, if it just clicks then you know you problem is with the battery/starter. I just use a pair of needle nose pliers, I've had to do it more than once.

1580348305897.png
 
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Never rule out a bad battery either ..especially in winter.
 
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