Key Stuck & Won't Crank

[JeepNCPR97]

Hi Everyone, long time user of this forum but just signed up. I have a 1997 Jeep TJ, 4 cyl, 5 speed. The TJ was my first car at 16 and I'm 39 now. The Jeep was 2 years old when I bought it and had about 13,000 miles on it. It is now approaching 200,000. I moved to Puerto Rico some time ago and the Jeep has basically been sitting in my dad's garage for 13 years. He drove it infrequently and I would dive it when I would visit. I think maybe 2 or 3 thousand miles has been put on it in the last 13 years. In any event so much for the introduction and along to the problem. I finally decided to ship the Jeep down to Puerto Rico. In order to do so I had to drive it from NC to Jacksonville, FL. Prior to the trip I had a trusted mechanic go through it and $1,600 later the Jeep made the trip flawlessly. Dropped it off at a shipping company starts with "Crow" no problems so far. Upon arrival in San Juan PR the I saw the tire was flat. Frustrating but no big deal. I get in the Jeep to start it and no joy, also the key is stuck in the ignition. So I pop the hood and much to my surprise the fuse box cover was off and the actual box had been ripped from its mounts. The key will turn on but it will not crank nothing, no clicking no strain from the starter. The lights, dash, etc.. all come on so I'm assuming the battery is good its also less than a month old. I believe at the moment it is something it the fuse box has been messed up. I made sure they were all seated properly. Any ideas on where to start from the fine folks on this forum?

 

[TurboTJ]

Assuming somewhat wasn’t damaged when the fuse box was ripped from its mounts, it is likely the ignition switch actuator. This goes between the ignition tumbler and the ignition switch. I just went through this. Same exact symptoms. You’ll need to remove the plastic surrounds on the steering column and the ignition tumbler. You’ll need a secure torx driver for the one screw that holds the ignition switch in. You can get a new actuator on Amazon. It is a little tricky to get the new part in but it is fairly easy. There is a Utube video on it.

 

[JeepNCPR97]

Assuming somewhat wasn’t damaged when the fuse box was ripped from its mounts, it is likely the ignition switch actuator. This goes between the ignition tumbler and the ignition switch. I just went through this. Same exact symptoms. You’ll need to remove the plastic surrounds on the steering column and the ignition tumbler. You’ll need a secure torx driver for the one screw that holds the ignition switch in. You can get a new actuator on Amazon. It is a little tricky to get the new part in but it is fairly easy. There is a Utube video on it.

Thanks I'll take a look.