TEEJ's JK Starter Fix - Write-Up
07-12-2008 | 05:49 PM
#12
JK Junkie
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,192
Likes: 2
From: SoCal
There's a few (3?) TSB's on starter problems, from cam position sensors to the sentry key static electricity, to the starter solenoid melting, etc....
My dealer allegedly looked at all possibilities....and came up with maybe all three, which they already corrected...but it still would not start every time, so they kept the reticent wrangler a while, and then gave up....I figured out which fuse, as that's the one that the starter runs on...so it resets what ever is confusing the poor thing.
My starter solenoid WAS melted, so obviously, the fuse thing would not fix that particular problem by itself...but you can see that, as when you remove the heat shield, the starter is visible, and the hole in the solenoid where it melted is the size of a quarter (on mine at least...)....
WHAT made the solenoid melt in the first place would either be a loose connection (Defective assembly, etc...) allowing arcs, or, a bad cam position sensor which would leave the starter gear extended against the flywheel for too long, etc....and burn it out....or maybe some other programming glitch that has not yet been identified.
So, for now, I consider this a band-aide, needed until Damn Slur Cry Swear comes up with a definitive diagnoses and permanent cure.
My dealer allegedly looked at all possibilities....and came up with maybe all three, which they already corrected...but it still would not start every time, so they kept the reticent wrangler a while, and then gave up....I figured out which fuse, as that's the one that the starter runs on...so it resets what ever is confusing the poor thing.
My starter solenoid WAS melted, so obviously, the fuse thing would not fix that particular problem by itself...but you can see that, as when you remove the heat shield, the starter is visible, and the hole in the solenoid where it melted is the size of a quarter (on mine at least...)....
WHAT made the solenoid melt in the first place would either be a loose connection (Defective assembly, etc...) allowing arcs, or, a bad cam position sensor which would leave the starter gear extended against the flywheel for too long, etc....and burn it out....or maybe some other programming glitch that has not yet been identified.
So, for now, I consider this a band-aide, needed until Damn Slur Cry Swear comes up with a definitive diagnoses and permanent cure.
33
07-12-2008 | 08:42 PM
#13
Thread Starter
JK Super Freak
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,623
Likes: 5
From: Lawrenceville, NJ
No, worked perfectly for about 6K miles...it has almost 7K miles on now, soI guess its about shot.
Yes - the IOD - the white one next to the yellow.
I didn't know they shipped it pulled though....always fun to add another layer to the Jeep Onion...thanks!
07-13-2008 | 07:28 AM
#14
JK Freak
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 739
Likes: 0
From: Virginia Beach, VA
This may or may not work for some but it works for mine. I know that Toad has manual locks so this might just be a random thing, but when my jeep does this, I lock and unlock it with the key fob and it will start right up.
10-25-2011 | 07:46 PM
#15
JK Enthusiast
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 124
Likes: 0
From: Sac area CA
My 08 auto rubi dose this all the time - i think its a ??trans position sensor?? because whenever it happens i just wiggle the shifter around or put it in neutral and it starts every time - dealer can not "recreate problem" and even though i have dates, times, and videos of it every time they say there is nothing they can do - 
love my jeep dealer
-
Take my bimmer right across the street it doesnt even matter if anything is wrong with the bimmer ive got cookies, coffee, and a loaner waiting for me -
love going to the bmw dealer 
- but dread walking across the street to the jeep and i paid about half as much for my bmw as i did the jeep : ( any way enough with that rant and who know maybe it will go away when they install the new motor as i have epically failed the oil consumption test to the rate of about 1.5 quarts of burnt oil to every 1000 miles traveled. 'MERICA/mexico/canada/lame
love my jeep dealer - Take my bimmer right across the street it doesnt even matter if anything is wrong with the bimmer ive got cookies, coffee, and a loaner waiting for me -
love going to the bmw dealer - but dread walking across the street to the jeep and i paid about half as much for my bmw as i did the jeep : ( any way enough with that rant and who know maybe it will go away when they install the new motor as i have epically failed the oil consumption test to the rate of about 1.5 quarts of burnt oil to every 1000 miles traveled. 'MERICA/mexico/canada/lame
10-27-2011 | 04:05 PM
#17
JK Super Freak
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,108
Likes: 1
From: SLC, Utah
My 08 auto rubi dose this all the time - i think its a ??trans position sensor?? because whenever it happens i just wiggle the shifter around or put it in neutral and it starts every time - dealer can not "recreate problem" and even though i have dates, times, and videos of it every time they say there is nothing they can do - love my jeep dealer -
Take my bimmer right across the street it doesnt even matter if anything is wrong with the bimmer ive got cookies, coffee, and a loaner waiting for me - love going to the bmw dealer - but dread walking across the street to the jeep and i paid about half as much for my bmw as i did the jeep : ( any way enough with that rant and who know maybe it will go away when they install the new motor as i have epically failed the oil consumption test to the rate of about 1.5 quarts of burnt oil to every 1000 miles traveled. 'MERICA/mexico/canada/lame
love my jeep dealer - Take my bimmer right across the street it doesnt even matter if anything is wrong with the bimmer ive got cookies, coffee, and a loaner waiting for me -
love going to the bmw dealer - but dread walking across the street to the jeep and i paid about half as much for my bmw as i did the jeep : ( any way enough with that rant and who know maybe it will go away when they install the new motor as i have epically failed the oil consumption test to the rate of about 1.5 quarts of burnt oil to every 1000 miles traveled. 'MERICA/mexico/canada/lameAnother common cause is a bad engine ground. You can check this by using a jumper cable to make a temporary ground. Note, do not attach the positive battery terminal to anything just the negate battery post on one end, and the other end to the engine block. Warning - The positive side is not connected to anything. If it starts after running a jumper cable from the block to negative battery terminal then you know you have a bad ground.
There are reports of ECU issues, I think that's what TEEJ is running into. I don't know how to fix that one long term hence TEEJ's write up for pulling the fuse to reset the ECU.
Good luck, it took me 8 times to get the dealer to fix mine and a total of 3 weeks in the shop. I had to do my own debug and diagnostics and show them the video of what I did. Even then I had to give them the part number, and then convince them the part was still under warranty. It was a total PITA.
10-30-2011 | 09:47 PM
#18
Thread Starter
JK Super Freak
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,623
Likes: 5
From: Lawrenceville, NJ
OK, they JUST fixed it.
I had a broken wire in the main loom under the truck....since 2008 apparently.
The stealerships had been intermittently working on this each time it stranded my wife for the most part.....and, this time (I HOPE?) they finally (FINALLY?) got to the root of the problem.
After changing the KEYS, the key related computer, the starter, and so forth, a gazillion times, they now replaced the entire wiring harness when they found a break inside the loom. (It made/lost continuity for years it seems...)
Its been behaving for about 6 months, so, it might be cured after all.
It was probably built wrong at the factory...and torturing us ever since.
I had a broken wire in the main loom under the truck....since 2008 apparently.
The stealerships had been intermittently working on this each time it stranded my wife for the most part.....and, this time (I HOPE?) they finally (FINALLY?) got to the root of the problem.
After changing the KEYS, the key related computer, the starter, and so forth, a gazillion times, they now replaced the entire wiring harness when they found a break inside the loom. (It made/lost continuity for years it seems...)
Its been behaving for about 6 months, so, it might be cured after all.
It was probably built wrong at the factory...and torturing us ever since.