D**N Jeep!! UUGG

Put a new remanufactured starter in the jeep the other day and have started and driven it fine for a day or two for a total of about 25mi. Started it this morning with no problem drove about 400 yards and the jeep sputtered and backfired softly a time or two then died. Stopped it and turned the key to refire it NOTHING!!

The lights come on but no starter.. what can this be? all wires are still hooked up nothing loose. Is it possible that the starter I got was junk?? Bad coil for the engine to not get spark?? Incidentally my coil draws power directly from a terminal on the starter is this correct??

Help I'm getting real frustrated, it seems every time I drive the jeep and park it, the next time I try to drive it something else brakesdown!!!!

 

Crawl back under it and be sure everything is tight. Then check the battery.

 

Check yer grounds?

 

Went through same thing a couple jeeps ago. turned out to be wire needed soldered in starter.

 

I would say something in the wiring. Some of the other things mentioned wouldn't make the Jeep sputter, backfire, and then die would they?

 

OK, took the starter down to autozone had them check it works fine. checked all the wire with a continuity probe all fine, checked the starter lead with a hot probe have power when the key is turned to the on possition. so all that leaves me with the battery right??

Well hooked up the jumper cables motor fires right away!! stupid me I stall it... won't fire under own power again..in fact has the same syptoms turn the key absolutly nothing happens even though headlights and dash lights illuminate???

So then take the battery to autozone checks out to be emitting 760cc amps.....so what the crap....obviously this means

1. either the Alternator or
2. the alternator is not connected to the battery properly??

So how does one check to see if the alternator is putting out proper amperage?? By-The-Way my ammeter doesn't work..
And what is the correct diagram for the charging system?
also the coil is fed from a terminal on the starter is this correct?? would this draw to many amps, which would interfere with the starter??

 

Coil should have a feed from the ignition switch to + on coil. Auto Zone should be able to check out your alternator too. Hang in there, you'll figure it out. Think of it as a learning experience.

 

Check you engine to frame ground strap. You didn't replace your motor mounts lately have you?

 

no idea when the motor monts were changed.

 

With the headlights on, turn the key to try to start it. If they go out, you have a bad battery connection/cable. If they stay on, you have a wiring problem between the switch and starter.

 

Also the battery cable size makes a difference, believe it or not. There was a thread on one of the Jeep boards (Willys Tech I think) about this very problem a while back. Guy put larger cables on and solved the problem. Don't recall the size.

 

This is one of those times when a test light will tell all. Connect it to the ignition wire on the solenoid and turn the key to the start position. Power? If yes then check the battery side of the solenoid. Power? if yes, then check the starter side. If no power, then the solenoid is bad(all this is done with the key in the start mode). If yes, then check at the starter. If no then the cable is bad. If yes then check the starter casing from the frame. If it lights, then the ground is bad.

 

Took the alternator to autozone and had them check it. It passed the test.. so I found a wiring diagram on another thread how to wire the ammeter, alternator, starter and batt together. I changed my wiring to mirror the new diagram and whalla fireup right away under its own power...looks like the previous owner had the ammeter running off of the starter instead of the batt and alternator and then through the fuse box.. starter and all the other stuff on that fuse must have been draining amps needed for starting... ironically my ammeter still doesn't work...even though my test light tells me that the circuit is complete..
Is the ammeter guage like a fuse, where if the guage won't work its due to a severed circiut in the guage.....or eventhough the guage doesn't work is my batt still being charged via the alternator??

 

Check your negative battery cable where it bolts to the frame if it is loose (at all) you will have problems like this. It happened to me years ago and drove me crazy, and it would explain why you can jump it but won't start under own power. My 2 cents.

 

My engine to frame strap is two pieces. It is grounded through the worn out engine mounts.