So im driving home from work the other day and my cj just stalls on me as im slowing down to make a turn. I try and start it up but all i get is this clicking sound from my starter. I pull it over to the side and take a look. I ended up getting it towed back to my house. I just replaced the starter today thinking that was the problem but when I went to start it up I got the same clicking sound. Please help me out I need my baby up and running asap
cj wont start please help
- Thread starter burton
- Start date
Sparky-Watts
Banned
Sounds more like battery problems than starter. How old is the battery? Even if new, it could have a dead cell, which will render it useless. Have it checked at your local Auto Zone, or similar parts store. If not the battery, then check all your cables from the battery for good connections, including ground cable.
If that doesn't work, let us know, and I'm sure one of the audience of experts here can point you in the right direction!
If that doesn't work, let us know, and I'm sure one of the audience of experts here can point you in the right direction!
ndnatty
Member
If it stalled while you were driving, then might want to take a look at your alternator, then the connections from there to your battery. Your battery may have been drained by the alternator not working while driving leaving your battery to do all the work. If so then you may be able to have your battery recharged and it will be fine, depending on how low it was drained. Autozone can do the test for you, or some other autoparts place in your area.
redrooster
New member
Superlift TV
Definitely alternator. Make the swap, charge the battery and off you go.
Definitely alternator. Make the swap, charge the battery and off you go.
Sparky-Watts
Banned
How could I forget the alternator?!? It's happened to me, too! I'm guessing when it happened to me, the extra juice to run the brake lights and turn signal was enough to completely kill it (that was in my Toyota PU), fortunately, it happened as I was pulling into Auto Zone for wiper blades (it was raining too, so the wipers were drawing juice, too) and didn't get stuck out on the highway in the middle of nowhere in the rain!!!
well the thing is is that when i try and turn it over i get 12 volts on my gauge, the clicking sound even after i replaced the starter. But I had my sister try and start it as I looked at the starter and all those connections and the connection from the starter to the starter solenoid started to smoke alittle. So I cleaned the connection because it was dirty but after that I still had nothing. Im kinda lost with this one. Please help me out some more!!! Give me some good details on what to look for and what not so I can get my baby running again.
Sparky-Watts
Banned
Hmmm....smoking wires is not a good thing!! I'm thinking maybe an internal short in the alternator. Definitely a short somewhere, but I would guess alternator. Take off your alternator, take it in to AutoZone, and have them test it there. They will test it for free, and it doesn't need to be on the vehicle.
TwistedCU
New member
just because you see 12 volts doesn't mean the battery is putting out enough current to start the motor. The smoking is probably from the starter and/or solenoid overheating from trying to start it. The clicking noise is common when trying to start a motor with a dead/weak battery.
Like others said, it sounds like you have a bad alternator. If you only had a dead battery, it would've ran fine once started. It died while you were driving it, which means the alternator took a crap and you were running on the battery's power until it's charge was depleted - which is why it won't even start now.
You need an alternator and after you put it in, get a jumpstart to get the engine started, then let it run a good while to recharge your battery.
Let us know how you make out.
Like others said, it sounds like you have a bad alternator. If you only had a dead battery, it would've ran fine once started. It died while you were driving it, which means the alternator took a crap and you were running on the battery's power until it's charge was depleted - which is why it won't even start now.
You need an alternator and after you put it in, get a jumpstart to get the engine started, then let it run a good while to recharge your battery.
Let us know how you make out.
ok update on my cj, replaced the starter....still just getting a clicking sound. Got the alternator and battery checked at autozone, they are good. Replaced the starter solenoid, still getting the one click... Im going crazy trying to figure out what is wrong. I need anyone's help, please someone come to the rescue.
burton said:
Hi,
How did they test your alternator? Did they remove it form the vehicle? If they did not remove it from the Jeep, then I don't see how they properly tested it if you cannot get the Jeep to run.
Here's the deal: you have no electrical current capacity in your starting system. This is either because the battery and/or alternator IS infact dead OR that you have a dead short circuit in the charging system which is draining the system.
Smoke is NEVER a good sign. Do not continue to power the Jeep if it is smoking as you can and will ruin your battery/ alternator (if they aren't already dead) if the smoke is due to a dead short and the wires are heating up. On the other hand, as was pointed out above, it is possible the smoke was caused from the starter motor itself. If a motor is powered, but not enough to overcome the mechanical force placed on it and it fails to spin, all that power now becomes heat as the motor windings warm up and will melt or fail if power is not removed quickly.
You said that the battery shows 12 volts then 0 volts when you move from run to start on the ignition switch. This would be furthur proof of either a dead short or a bad battery (which looses voltage when an electrical load -- such as the starter) is placed on it. With the key in RUN position does your voltmeter reading drop if you switch on the headlights?
Hope that made sense as I'm tired. Now off to recharge (sleep)... :mrgreen:
-Nick :!:
i pulled the alternator and battery and took them to autozone and they checked out good. Replaced the solenoid too. I tried by-passing the starter-solenoid connection and still the same click. The solenoid is trying to power up but theres nothing. Does anybody know if this is just a little hidden wiring problem or a much bigger problem?
Hi,
I think we've determined that the starter motor is what is clicking, right?
There is a possibility that the starter motor is bad or that it is not installed properly. Have you had autozone verify whether they sold you a working starter motor?
Since I'm not there to see the wiring it would be very hard for me to pinpoint your problem beyond faulty battery/ alternator/ starter motor.
I know this is sort of out there, but I'll bring it up anyways: Can you turn the engine manually (with the use of a breaker bar of course)? Maybe you can't get the starter to work because it cannot for some reason budge the engine... Hopefully this is not the issue, though :mrgreen:
EDIT: I just read your first post way above and noticed you said the Jeep stalled on you, and now won't restart. Keep in mind that you could have a mechanical engine problem here...
-Nick :!:
I think we've determined that the starter motor is what is clicking, right?
There is a possibility that the starter motor is bad or that it is not installed properly. Have you had autozone verify whether they sold you a working starter motor?
Since I'm not there to see the wiring it would be very hard for me to pinpoint your problem beyond faulty battery/ alternator/ starter motor.
I know this is sort of out there, but I'll bring it up anyways: Can you turn the engine manually (with the use of a breaker bar of course)? Maybe you can't get the starter to work because it cannot for some reason budge the engine... Hopefully this is not the issue, though :mrgreen:
EDIT: I just read your first post way above and noticed you said the Jeep stalled on you, and now won't restart. Keep in mind that you could have a mechanical engine problem here...
-Nick :!:
TwistedCU
New member
Have you tried jump-starting it? (if it doesn't start with a jump and does the same thing, don't keep trying)
If it starts with a jump, and then runs fine for a good while, but then wont start again unless you get another jump then you need a new battery.
If the jumpstart gets her going, but the motor dies or gets real sluggish as you turn on everything electrical (high beams, heat on high, etc) soon after you remove the jumper cables, your alternator is not charging the system.
If it does the same thing it has been doing when you try to jump it, then there is likely either a bad part (starter, solenoid,etc) or an electrical fault. This fault could be a grounded positive lead or a negative & positive wire are contacting each other somewhere.
The other electical fault possibility is a poor connection (technically a "high resistance open"). You checked the positive battery lead to the starter, but have you checked the battery ground? if it is making poor contact it will have the same effect. Make sure there's not a bunch of corrosion at the terminals or wherever it is bolted down.
I highly doubt that battery could have a decent charge after all you've been through. If you don't feel comfortable jump starting it, then I would buy/beg/borrow/steal a good one to at least try starting it.
If it starts with a jump, and then runs fine for a good while, but then wont start again unless you get another jump then you need a new battery.
If the jumpstart gets her going, but the motor dies or gets real sluggish as you turn on everything electrical (high beams, heat on high, etc) soon after you remove the jumper cables, your alternator is not charging the system.
If it does the same thing it has been doing when you try to jump it, then there is likely either a bad part (starter, solenoid,etc) or an electrical fault. This fault could be a grounded positive lead or a negative & positive wire are contacting each other somewhere.
The other electical fault possibility is a poor connection (technically a "high resistance open"). You checked the positive battery lead to the starter, but have you checked the battery ground? if it is making poor contact it will have the same effect. Make sure there's not a bunch of corrosion at the terminals or wherever it is bolted down.
I highly doubt that battery could have a decent charge after all you've been through. If you don't feel comfortable jump starting it, then I would buy/beg/borrow/steal a good one to at least try starting it.
