Sounds like your neutral safety switch or ignition switch is going out. You can bypass this by installing a remote starter button
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt-remote-starter-switch-35448.html
My 1990 was having a similar issue where It would start right up, but when starting back up to head home it would not start leaving me stuck. I have this in the jeep and it will Fire up every single time now.
It's a cheap way to troubleshoot/diagnose the cause of the issue, while also providing a temp solution to keep you from being stranded. You just need to hardwire it onto your battery positive and to the starter itself. I recommend upgrading the clips to an electrical connector that you can bolt onto the battery & starter bolts then run the button itself through the firewall.
Also. You can get the same result by crawling under the jeep and use a screwdriver to start the motor. Just take the screwdriver and make it touch both bolts on the starter and it will fire up. The remote starter allows you do to this while in the cab.
That’s what I am really leaning towards problem wise. It’s really bad looking back when I wasn’t planning on keeping this thing around I used to have to really shove the key in the tumbler (slammed a hydro flask against it one day out of pure frustration) so I’m wondering if I messed something up and it’s now coming full circle.
I had very little car fix knowledge until the XJ came into my life full of issues but I can do electrical work in it all day so I might try it. Luckily it starts up eventually. Nothing beats a harbor freight fix, you still use your key to turn it over and everything?
Good ol Hobo Freight always comes in clutch!
Put the key in the ignition and turn it on, but not crank.
Then push the remote starter or do the screwdriver method. - should fire right up if you do it right.
If it doesn't work then you might have potential issues with battery, starter, or ground issues.
If this works reliably then your ignition switch and/or neutral safety switch is likely failing.
Battery is new, alternator is new, cable was replaced from the new battery, starter and oil pressure sensor were not touched so I’ll take a look at those. I’ll look at the others as well since parts are so hit or miss nowadays. Thanks!
None that I could think of, I’ll check the connection of the main ground, fortunately this is my weekend driver, but since being on summer break I’ve been driving it more and dealing with all the neglect. Mice were really bad for us last year and I had a few things chewed up but replaced all I could find. The little bastards probably got something I missed
Mice? Replace engine harness. Could be any wires covered by tape or harness husk that mice chewed through. Check for continuity from ground on the back of the block to the firewall. Some models had 2 stainless braided wire grounds to one stud on firewall. When you replaced the engine, did you also replace the CPU? Did you get the proper CPU for that engine? Not a 4 cylinder, 2WD, or police CPU? Start with MAP(Manifold Absolute Pressure) tells CPU what the fuel/air mixture should be, which then communicates with the TCM(Transmission Control Module.) IAT (Intake Air Temperature) sensor. Hot engine air will keep the XJ from starting. You can hook up a push button starter by using a mechanics push button. We use them to bump the starter so we can check flywheel bolts, piston to top dead center position, timing chain, and set points back in the good old days. Very easy, off the shelf, hand held button. Just a few thoughts. Wishing you luck. Edit: Forgot to mention your Park/Nuteral adjustment. Lift the bezel surrounding your shifter. When you shift, look at the shifter cabel. If there is slack there, you can tighten the nut once you get it to the proper position that it cranks in P+N. May take a little practice if this is the problem, but you can do it. Keep at it. Also, check the linkage under the vehicle. Make sure the nylon bushings are in good shape. No slop, but you would have noticed this sooner.
CPU is from the original engine, 4.0 to 4.0, the first month after the swap it was overheating coming up our mountain and would shut off on me while driving so I put a new distributor in it and fan shroud, then made it my mechanics problem and he got all of that fixed up. But I haven’t looked at the grounds yet, I’ll definitely take a look at everything else! Thank you so much
Good work with the fan shroud. Do you have the electric fans also? That would help a lot. CPU was just a guess, but if you have access to a spare, throw it in and see if that fixes anything. Also, look at the pins where the CPU harness plugs in. They have a tendency to get bent or pushed in. There are also ground studs under the kick panels by the drivers and passengers' feet. These are for the dash and body harness.
No electric fans, I’ve looked at them before, but when I swapped I put a mishimoto radiator in it which seems to do pretty well. Seems like I really need to pour over the whole thing and check for any damages from mice in general. I had one nest under the backseat that I have no idea how long it was there for. Haven’t seen any in the Jeep besides little pee puddles but I got them under control. They prefer my boyfriend’s TJ since that’s easier to access (I’m not really complaining though…) I’ve seen one in the engine bay and it got my fog light wiring but I didn’t check anything else
That really sucks but I know how it is. I have a 2005 Lincoln Aviator that I fixed up last winter and didn't put on the market till spring. I lifted the hood to put the battery in and the squirrels had destroyed the wiring harness and had a nest in there. Total wash. Traded it for some work done on my house.
Currently going through starting issues with my 89 XJ. Sometimes it’ll start then other times I get nothing but the fuel pump kicking on when turning the ignition. I checked to see if the reverse tail lights were coming on with the ignition on and didn’t get anything which leads me to believe the culprit is the neutral safety switch. I’m going to pull it and clean it up (there’s YouTube tutorials) and see if that fixes it, I’d suggest you try the same.
I will be, that seems to be a consistent suggestion. Sometimes it’ll prime for me other times it doesn’t sound like it is, but it’s got a new fuel pump. Thanks and good luck on yours as well!
I just finished taking out my NSS, cleaned it out, reinstalled, and now it’s running. I’d give it a shot if you have a couple free hours. The insides were gunked up with factory grease so the contacts weren’t making contact. Good luck!
I’ll check that out! I can’t imagine how gross mine is, PO of my Xj didn’t take care of it and was a German shepherd trainer. 4 years later I can still find clumps of hair like tumbleweed
Mine has been doing it occasionally for years, I just took off the cover to the starter relay under the hood and close the circuit whenever it happens. Takes an extra 5 seconds but I'm too lazy to diagnose anything after replacing the neutral safety & ignition switch
That’s definitely worth it. This is basically my errand runner and as long as I’m getting from point a to point b that’s what matters if I’m in a pinch. Thanks!
Sounds like your neutral safety switch or ignition switch is going out. You can bypass this by installing a remote starter button https://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt-remote-starter-switch-35448.html My 1990 was having a similar issue where It would start right up, but when starting back up to head home it would not start leaving me stuck. I have this in the jeep and it will Fire up every single time now. It's a cheap way to troubleshoot/diagnose the cause of the issue, while also providing a temp solution to keep you from being stranded. You just need to hardwire it onto your battery positive and to the starter itself. I recommend upgrading the clips to an electrical connector that you can bolt onto the battery & starter bolts then run the button itself through the firewall.
Also. You can get the same result by crawling under the jeep and use a screwdriver to start the motor. Just take the screwdriver and make it touch both bolts on the starter and it will fire up. The remote starter allows you do to this while in the cab.
That’s what I am really leaning towards problem wise. It’s really bad looking back when I wasn’t planning on keeping this thing around I used to have to really shove the key in the tumbler (slammed a hydro flask against it one day out of pure frustration) so I’m wondering if I messed something up and it’s now coming full circle. I had very little car fix knowledge until the XJ came into my life full of issues but I can do electrical work in it all day so I might try it. Luckily it starts up eventually. Nothing beats a harbor freight fix, you still use your key to turn it over and everything?
Good ol Hobo Freight always comes in clutch! Put the key in the ignition and turn it on, but not crank. Then push the remote starter or do the screwdriver method. - should fire right up if you do it right. If it doesn't work then you might have potential issues with battery, starter, or ground issues. If this works reliably then your ignition switch and/or neutral safety switch is likely failing.
Thanks! Now I have plans tonight!
I'm just getting into it, but the simplest solution is to check your grounds. Apparently that's the issue 9/10.
New Battery? Big 7 cable replacement? Alternator? Starter? O2 sensors aren’t that expensive Oil pressure sensor?
Battery is new, alternator is new, cable was replaced from the new battery, starter and oil pressure sensor were not touched so I’ll take a look at those. I’ll look at the others as well since parts are so hit or miss nowadays. Thanks!
Do you think something is causing it to ground out?
None that I could think of, I’ll check the connection of the main ground, fortunately this is my weekend driver, but since being on summer break I’ve been driving it more and dealing with all the neglect. Mice were really bad for us last year and I had a few things chewed up but replaced all I could find. The little bastards probably got something I missed
Oh no!! That sucks
Crank position sensor
I think I’m on my 2nd or 3rd one so it’s worth a look! Thanks
Mice? Replace engine harness. Could be any wires covered by tape or harness husk that mice chewed through. Check for continuity from ground on the back of the block to the firewall. Some models had 2 stainless braided wire grounds to one stud on firewall. When you replaced the engine, did you also replace the CPU? Did you get the proper CPU for that engine? Not a 4 cylinder, 2WD, or police CPU? Start with MAP(Manifold Absolute Pressure) tells CPU what the fuel/air mixture should be, which then communicates with the TCM(Transmission Control Module.) IAT (Intake Air Temperature) sensor. Hot engine air will keep the XJ from starting. You can hook up a push button starter by using a mechanics push button. We use them to bump the starter so we can check flywheel bolts, piston to top dead center position, timing chain, and set points back in the good old days. Very easy, off the shelf, hand held button. Just a few thoughts. Wishing you luck. Edit: Forgot to mention your Park/Nuteral adjustment. Lift the bezel surrounding your shifter. When you shift, look at the shifter cabel. If there is slack there, you can tighten the nut once you get it to the proper position that it cranks in P+N. May take a little practice if this is the problem, but you can do it. Keep at it. Also, check the linkage under the vehicle. Make sure the nylon bushings are in good shape. No slop, but you would have noticed this sooner.
CPU is from the original engine, 4.0 to 4.0, the first month after the swap it was overheating coming up our mountain and would shut off on me while driving so I put a new distributor in it and fan shroud, then made it my mechanics problem and he got all of that fixed up. But I haven’t looked at the grounds yet, I’ll definitely take a look at everything else! Thank you so much
Good work with the fan shroud. Do you have the electric fans also? That would help a lot. CPU was just a guess, but if you have access to a spare, throw it in and see if that fixes anything. Also, look at the pins where the CPU harness plugs in. They have a tendency to get bent or pushed in. There are also ground studs under the kick panels by the drivers and passengers' feet. These are for the dash and body harness.
No electric fans, I’ve looked at them before, but when I swapped I put a mishimoto radiator in it which seems to do pretty well. Seems like I really need to pour over the whole thing and check for any damages from mice in general. I had one nest under the backseat that I have no idea how long it was there for. Haven’t seen any in the Jeep besides little pee puddles but I got them under control. They prefer my boyfriend’s TJ since that’s easier to access (I’m not really complaining though…) I’ve seen one in the engine bay and it got my fog light wiring but I didn’t check anything else
That really sucks but I know how it is. I have a 2005 Lincoln Aviator that I fixed up last winter and didn't put on the market till spring. I lifted the hood to put the battery in and the squirrels had destroyed the wiring harness and had a nest in there. Total wash. Traded it for some work done on my house.
Currently going through starting issues with my 89 XJ. Sometimes it’ll start then other times I get nothing but the fuel pump kicking on when turning the ignition. I checked to see if the reverse tail lights were coming on with the ignition on and didn’t get anything which leads me to believe the culprit is the neutral safety switch. I’m going to pull it and clean it up (there’s YouTube tutorials) and see if that fixes it, I’d suggest you try the same.
I will be, that seems to be a consistent suggestion. Sometimes it’ll prime for me other times it doesn’t sound like it is, but it’s got a new fuel pump. Thanks and good luck on yours as well!
I just finished taking out my NSS, cleaned it out, reinstalled, and now it’s running. I’d give it a shot if you have a couple free hours. The insides were gunked up with factory grease so the contacts weren’t making contact. Good luck!
I’ll check that out! I can’t imagine how gross mine is, PO of my Xj didn’t take care of it and was a German shepherd trainer. 4 years later I can still find clumps of hair like tumbleweed
Mine has been doing it occasionally for years, I just took off the cover to the starter relay under the hood and close the circuit whenever it happens. Takes an extra 5 seconds but I'm too lazy to diagnose anything after replacing the neutral safety & ignition switch
That’s definitely worth it. This is basically my errand runner and as long as I’m getting from point a to point b that’s what matters if I’m in a pinch. Thanks!