Engine Cut Out Completely - CJ5

Jamesurq · 07-23-2012, 10:44 AM

Driving along in the CJ at about 40 or so, engine dies... Pull over and it won't start back up - no noise....

Tap the starter and I get a clicking sound when I try to start.... then nothing.

Towtruck guy stops and uses the jump in a box starter "it's not the battery" he says. His guess was the starter solenoid.

Question:

Would a faulty starter solenoid cause the engine to stall out and die?

Mishimoto · 07-23-2012, 10:50 AM

Did it die quietly or start chugging along? I don't see a faulty starter solenoid being at fault for the stall, unless you're wiring harness is very different from what I'm thinking. How is your battery and the cables?

Jamesurq · 07-23-2012, 10:55 AM

Engine didn't sputter and stop/start.... Just on then gone... coasted to a hault.

I thought for a minute it could be gas since the ODO and the fuel gauge are both "in need of assistance". But you would figure a stutter or two if that was the case.

Battery is tip top - cables are original but look fairly solid.

Mishimoto · 07-23-2012, 10:59 AM

Checking for fuel or dumping a few gallons in would be pretty easy to do. I would check to see if the cables are tight to the clamps, unless they are one piece clamp/wire units.

Jamesurq · 07-23-2012, 11:19 AM

Well the fuel certainly wouldn't stop the starter from trying to turn, so I ruled it out.

Mishimoto · 07-23-2012, 12:20 PM

Very true, have you done any work to it recently?

Jamesurq · 07-23-2012, 02:43 PM

Just bought it - I've been heavily focused on cosmetic work and mechanically it's been pretty smooth.

PO put an alternator and battery recently and had a quick disconnect on the battery and said that if it was sitting for more than a week he would disconnect....

Could be that the solenoid was sketchy and he was replacing alternator and battery unnecessarily.... God I hope I"m right

Again though, a broken solenoid, could that cause the engine to cut out completely? I always thought the function was to just engage the starter and that's it....

Mishimoto · 07-23-2012, 03:05 PM

How many wires are running to the solenoid and off it?

Jamesurq · 07-23-2012, 03:10 PM

Not looking at it now - but in my head there's the main in from the battery, the main out to the starter, 3 or 4 to the alternator and a few more to the voltage regulator... why?

Mishimoto · 07-23-2012, 03:16 PM

I've seen them wired the wrong way, still letting the vehicle start, but not charging the battery. Just trying to make sense of why it stalled out on you

Jamesurq · 07-24-2012, 06:58 AM

Good point. Ive got a service manual in the mail, I'll double check the wiring.

Mishimoto · 07-24-2012, 07:16 AM

Let us know what you find

Jamesurq · 07-24-2012, 11:12 PM

Here's what I found.

Starter is shot.
Took it out and working on sourcing a replacement
Brushes were heavily worn - and it was a remanufactured unit to begin with

The solenoid is on order as well as the voltage regulator. With all 3 coming in at a whopping $75 and maybe 2 beers worth of ****tytree mechanic and I'm back in business.. (and crossing my fingers)

Mishimoto · 07-31-2012, 11:58 AM

Were you able to get a starter yet?

Jamesurq · 07-31-2012, 12:15 PM

Yep

Starter installed
Solenoid and voltage regulator as well.

Figured out what caused the car to stop.... It was the gas. The gas filler nozzle has a lot of back pressure, so the pump nozzle it thinks it's full. So if you put the pump on just a TINY bit, it will fill. Managed to put 13 gallons in (took like 10 minutes to do so) so I went ahead and called that the source of the problems.

Car's been starting and running great since...