Marsh_Man

So....

This morning the battery was dead in my 91 4wd. Thats ok, grabbed a spare from the parked Jeep - Installed - Started right up - Took the kids to school.

I noticed during the drive that the charge gauge was low - like at battery voltage. I checked it out - wasn't charging. This is not a surprise as the gauge has been fluctuating randomly since I purchased this truck some weeks back.

Installed a new (not reman) aftermarket alternator. Charged the battery. Started no problem, charge gauge went to a steady center at about 14v and held there while playing with lights, radio, etc - This is a marked improvement there. All good.

I shut it off, and went right back to start it again just to verify things were all good. On this start, the belt squeaked slightly - I shut off and took a peak - didnt see anything. I jumped back in to start again and see if it squeaked again - This time just a single "click!" from the relay - no crank.

I try and try - single click repeated.

I check the battery again, the charger says still maxed out on a full charge.. grabbed the Jeep battery again and installed it just to verify, same single click-- except.. on my second or 3rd attempt - nothing. No fuel pump, no gauges, no interior lights at all - no response/power anywhere. I check the connections. No response, no response. I then turn the key on and go to jiggle wires to see if one of the plugs is loose or something. However, before I can jiggle my first wire.. it just pops on. After it comes alive, I go to hit the starter - Single click again.

So, this goes back and forth.

I am fairly confident the starter went... but not sure about the random dead zones while I was trying to figure things out. Any ideas?

Marsh_Man

I should add, the starter relay is also brand new - maybe 2 weeks old. That was changed because one day the starter stuck on - sat there cranking and cranking with even the key removed. It took me a minute or two to get the battery disconnected - in that time the starter started smoking. I changed the relay, and everything has been working since - until this morning. However, it is this reason why I can see the starter might have given up. But, back to the main question - why random no power?

Chris_1

iTrader: (1)

That does sound an awful lot like a bad connection. To be proactive about it and avoid sitting somewhere where you don't want to be broken down (pretty much anywhere) I'd go over all the connections - sandpaper, shiny clean, nice and tight - especially the grounds because everybody ignores them and they're just as important as the other ones.
That's a no money, minor effort repair that will at least eliminate bad connections as the problem.
After that there are a few little regular culprits - the power distribution box especially the feed wire (under the hood), the ignition switch itself (bolted to the bottom of the column, or a loose plug somewhere top the list.

Marsh_Man

Bad ground buddy - You called it. I cleaned every contact, ground wire at the block last. I tried to start after each contact was cleaned - and the ground was it. I knew it as soon as I pulled it off - Covered in gunk and lots of arc marks - Sanded it down - vroom

Chris_1

iTrader: (1)

Cheap fix. Gotta love it.

Marsh_Man

Yeah man - Starter spins like a champ now too - Didn't realize how sluggish it had been until hearing it spin now. Thanks again

fltdriver

Do yourself a big favor and coat that puppy in dielectric grease. It'll prevent corrosion and keep the "engine crud" from making direct contact with the connection.

Marsh_Man

Will do!