Starter wont disengage

[Summit County XJ]

I have had an issue with my starter on my 99 XJ for some time now. The starter engages, turns great and fires the engine. Once the engine fires and I bring the key back to the ‘on’ position the starter stays engaged. I pull the relay and the starter would disengage and the jeep would stay running. I put the relay back in and the starter stays disengaged. I replaced the starter and this issue went away for a couple hundred miles. The starter is a lifetime warranty product. The issue came back. I replaced the starter and the electronic portion of the ignition switch. Once again the issue is resolved for a few months. Recently the issue came back... the starter would not disengage. While the engine is running and the starter is still engaged I put the transmission in neutral and the starter disengaged... so I went to the neutral safety switch and replaced it. That too did not solve the issue.

I am convinced it is in the solenoid of the starter... every time I have replaced the starter, the issue is resolved for a time. I do have a very minor oil leak from the o ring of the oil filter which is located near the starter... I think this might be causing the issue but I don’t know. I have cleaned all of the ground points from the battery and the battery is an optima so there is charge.

Where do I go from here. I suppose I could fix the leak but it is very minor and not bad enough to get in there and go after it. It drips once every other week or so... there is some but minimal oil on the starter...

Help

 

[54cj3b]

Re: Starter Wont Disengage

tap the side of it with a firm blow of a hammer to see if it will disengage it most likely hung up on some debris

 

[SteelHeadz]

From what i'm understanding on the symptom described, the starter would stay engaged after it's already running, then after removing the relay it disengages?. This symptom describes a voltage still present in the signal circuit of the starter rather than a debris in the starter causing the solenoid to stick. Now the question is, where is it coming from. If the voltage is still present on the starter solenoid when the ignition is on the run position, the issue is possibly within the wiring going to the PDC or within the PDC(starter relay circuit) for a parasitic short to voltage. Don't rule out the ignition switch and its wiring circuits for this issue as it could have possible chaffed or rub thru wirings thats causing this. Check the wirings and perform some test verifications with the use of a multimeter and a test lamp.

 

[Summit County XJ]

That is right. The started disengages when I pull the relay. When the relay is put back in it stay disengaged. Something else... if I am in the cab and start the jeep the started stays engaged and when I change gears... it disengages. Could this still be a voltage issue?

 

[mark-96-xj]

had this problem about a month ago. its the ignition switch. Thought i had a bad relay, pulled it while running, starter stopped. got it diagnosed and it was the ignition switch. replaced it, and it ran perfectly after that. dont run it without the relay, i did that to be able to drive and it ruined the starter

 

[Markinnevada]

My son-in-law actually gave me this jeep because the starter kept getting stuck, and after replacing everything except the front seats it's still causing ME problems. I installed a temp switch so I didn't have to fiddle with the issue until spring. I replaced the starter, the neutral/park safety switch, about a half dozen solenoids and the wiring. Any wizard ideas???

 

[SteelHeadz]

That is right. The started disengages when I pull the relay. When the relay is put back in it stay disengaged. Something else... if I am in the cab and start the jeep the started stays engaged and when I change gears... it disengages. Could this still be a voltage issue?

Yes. The question is where is the voltage coming from. There's a a couple of ideas out there where you could start diagnosing from. I would start with the ignition switch feed first.

 

[buells2t]

Guessing you tried this but I didn't see it in you post (sorry if I missed it).
Have your replaced the relay?

Mike

 

[FloridaCherokee1988]

Had similar problems on other vehicles and it was usually the solenoid but theres a number of things it could be, just have to run through them all.

 

[MoparMatt77]

Check the following wiring in the Ignition switch harness, at the starter & ASD relay - PDC, and battery wiring harness (Green switch wire in battery harness to starter or freyed battery cables?), a sticky ignition lock cylinder, also check the teeth on the flywheel?

 

[Markinnevada]

Checked all the connections, checked the flywheel, checked the muffler bearings, checked my sanity. I'm thinking about just hooking up a big ol' solenoid with a cut off switch to the starter anf if it keeps acting up, just taking it out of the equation. Does anyone happen to have a good wiring diagram I can get a copy of? 1983 cj-7 Laredo. And what about the after market Hella turn/run lights that seemed to have been a special order. I need to replace them from years of sitting outside. Any ideas. GThanks, and cheers to all.