Jeep won't start

Tjtrey

New Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2021
Messages
2
Location
Austin
Hi everyone. I’ve spent the last couple days reading through posts and trying to fix my jeep but haven’t figured it out yet so I was hoping to get some help from y’all.

I went to start my jeep and I got one click but no crank. All the lights, radio, and headlights come on and do not dim. I pushed it up a hill then rolled it down and popped the clutch to get it home. It ran for an hour with no problems. It wouldn’t start again once I was home and turned it off. I took my multimeter and checked the battery in both key positions and the battery was great. Next I swapped fuses under the hood and in the glove box to see if it was a fuse or the clutch safety. None of those worked. I then checked the power going to the main post on my starter and had power there. I used a screwdriver and was able to get the starter to turn. I then connected a female quick disconnect to a wire and attached it to the starter and ran the wire up to the battery. The starter would spin but I could not get it to start.

Do y’all think it is the ignition actuator or the ignition switch?

2004 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with the 4.0 and manual transmission.

Thanks you
 
You should take your actuator pin out and check if it is broken before you buy a new one to make sure that you don't buy a part you don't need.
 
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Reactions: Jerry Bransford
So I just did this on my Jeep about a month ago. I replaced the actuator and ignition switch plus upgraded to delay wipers while in there. I was having a issue where you would hear a click but it would not start the first 2-3 times I tried the key and then it would turn over, not great but enough to start it. In my case the new starter I put in had a bad solenoid. The actuator I ordered was the same dor-man that Jerry linked. When I went to install it the pot metal casting the plastic pin sits in was just a hair too large to fit the ignition switch. I ended up disassembling both and rebuilding the new one with the old cast part and it went together just fine. I am sure a minute or to with a file would have tuned up the new casting as well. If you replace just don't force it if it does not want to go to go into its home nicely.