96 xj Wont start HELP!!!

my 96 xj wont start no crank nothing the lights and all come on when you turn the key but after that no sound.. i thought the starter was bad but i dont even get a click noise so i am ruling that out for now, ive read about the cps and nss but not sure how the nss would affect the starting of it i tried putting it in neutral but still nothing. i drove it home last night and when i did turn it off and try it it was sluggish at best when trying to start now this morning nothig HELP:banghead:

A bad CPS would not keep the starter from turning over. A bad NSS would. If it were sluggish on the last start, I'd check the battery, battery cables and battery connections, especially the grounds.

Have you tried jumping it from another vehicle?

There's a gazillion posts in here about troubleshooting a starter problem. AutoZone has some good material in their online repair guides too.

[QUOTE=Saudade]A bad CPS would not keep the starter from turning over. A bad NSS would. If it were sluggish on the last start, I'd check the battery, battery cables and battery connections, especially the grounds.


Ok i took the battery and starter to have them tested BOTH were fine, the guy said he could test my cps for me i will bring that in tomorrow as for the nss not sure how you can test for that, any help with that would be great because at $185.00 i want to make sure its the problem:rolleyes:

This is from the 93 FSM. You;ll find the connector on the pass side, near the firewall, coming up from the transmission.

NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH CONTINUITY SPECIFICATIONS
Shift Lever Continuity
Position Between Terminals
Park ........................................... "B" & "C"
Reverse ........................................ "A" & "E"
Neutral ........................................ "B" & "C"
Drive ................................................ (1)
3 .............................................. "A" & "G"
1-2 ............................................ "A" & "H"
(1) - No continuity should exist between any terminals.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/3423/189712NSS_CONN-med.JPG

[quote=Saudade]A bad CPS would not keep the starter from turning over.


I am not so sure about that.
My 1989 cherokee suddenly would not start one day. the starter did not even receive any power. i knew this because the lights did not dim when i turned the key. when i replaced the cps all was better then.

ps. i only replaced the cps after replacing the coil,distributer,and all the wires did nothing.

[quote=Saudade]A bad CPS would not keep the starter from turning over.


I am not so sure about that.
My 1989 cherokee suddenly would not start one day. the starter did not even receive any power. i knew this because the lights did not dim when i turned the key. when i replaced the cps all was better then.

ps. i only replaced the cps after replacing the coil,distributer,and all the wires did nothing.
The cps has nothing to do with the starter.Saudade is 100% correct.In your case it must have been a coincidence