2000 Wrangler Starting Problem

[tricky_karma]

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas or had had a similar problem. A few months ago I woke up to find that my jeep wouldn't start. I tried jumping the battery, which did nothing. I tried starting fluid which also did nothing. It would turn over until the cows came home it just wouldn't catch. I had it towed to the mechanic and they said it was a fuse (though they didn't tell me which one) and I drove it home. It started fine there, of course. The next morning I woke up and it wouldn't start again. Same thing, it would turn over but nothing else. After about 20 minutes of trying to start it, it started. It ran fine for the last few months. Now I went out Saturday morning to find it doing the same thing. It will turn over, and if I touch the gas it will start to catch and the die out completely. I'm perplexed. And I'd like to have an idea before I head to the mechanic.

Thanks

Pj

[windywinters]

I had the same problem with my 89 wrangler. It turned out to be the fuel pump relay which is located on the side of the battery tray. There are 2 small relays there. One is for the electrical the other is for the fuel pump. They shut the power off to the elec. & fuel systems when the key is left on without the engine running. I replaced both as they were only $ 8.00 ea. at NAPA. You may want to check the crank position sesnsor ( 4 cylinder ) or cam sensor in the distributor ( 6 cylinder ) as well. These will cause intermittent starts as well.

[ldutzman]

Originally Posted by tricky_karma

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas or had had a similar problem. A few months ago I woke up to find that my jeep wouldn't start. I tried jumping the battery, which did nothing. I tried starting fluid which also did nothing. It would turn over until the cows came home it just wouldn't catch. I had it towed to the mechanic and they said it was a fuse (though they didn't tell me which one) and I drove it home. It started fine there, of course. The next morning I woke up and it wouldn't start again. Same thing, it would turn over but nothing else. After about 20 minutes of trying to start it, it started. It ran fine for the last few months. Now I went out Saturday morning to find it doing the same thing. It will turn over, and if I touch the gas it will start to catch and the die out completely. I'm perplexed. And I'd like to have an idea before I head to the mechanic.

Thanks

Pj

Hi PJ,

I had a similar problem with my 2000 Wrangler. It would start fine, then just stall out. I had it towed to the dealership and it turned out to be internal failure of Sentry Key Immobilizer Module. In a nutshell, the factory installed "theft deterrant system" failed to recognize my vehicle's key and would stall out to prevent it from being driven. Not sure if you have this feature (optional), but if you do, that could be the problem.

The dealership ran a diagnostics test and replaced the Security Alarm Module for me at no charge. From your post, it sounds like you went to an independent mechanic and not a dealership, but it might be worth it to stop by a Jeep dealership for a look.

Good luck!

Lisa