Primary suspects are the starter itself and the neutral safety switch. And of course, make darn sure that the battery connections are shiny clean.

First thing is to try starting with the shift lever in neutral and also try to turn the engine over while wiggling the shift lever. If either of these techniques allows it to start, it's the NSS.

Get out that rubber hammer again and try tapping on the starter again; if this resolves......then of course replace the starter.

Even if the above techniques (wiggling and in neutral) with the NSS doesn't help, I usually try bypassing the neutral safety switch (explained in this link). If that allows the engine to start, the problem is the neutral safety switch. Refurbish per instructions in that article.

http://go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoNSSrebuild.htm

 

weirdest thing... I left it at the gas station for about an hour, went back to try and start it (give it a wack with the hammer) and without doing anything it started... Now i'm wondering if it's not starting when it's warm but I just drove it back home and tryed starting it (engine is warm) and starts up fine... I have no clue what made it not start but it seems to be fine now... could there be a problem though?

 

Yes, your starter. You had to hit it with a hammer last year and now again it started after being hit? It's either that or the small wire on the solenoid may be loose. Crawl under and check it out.

 

First clue - Hitting your starter with a hammer made it start a year ago.
Second clue - After hitting it, it was making a weird noise.
Third clue - You hit it again when it didn't work, solving your start problems.

Now to solve the mystery: The starter has a brush pack that wears and becomes dirty. Some starters will become clogged around these brushes making them stick. Hitting it with a hammer will dislodge them and make them contact the stator assembly again, thus allowing proper function.

Take off your starter and rebuild it; it's a piece of cake. Put it back on with all connections cleaned untill sparkling like new. Start your Jeep and have a scooby snack!

 

First clue - Hitting your starter with a hammer made it start a year ago.
Second clue - After hitting it, it was making a weird noise.
Third clue - You hit it again when it didn't work, solving your start problems.

Now to solve the mystery: The starter has a brush pack that wears and becomes dirty. Some starters will become clogged around these brushes making them stick. Hitting it with a hammer will dislodge them and make them contact the stator assembly again, thus allowing proper function.

Yep, frozen starter. I guess he's waiting for another clue to convince him...

it started without hitting it is what im saying, i went back to it and tryed starting it and it did...

When mine went bad it did the same thing. No noise, nothing. When the tow truck got there, I gave it a last try and it started right up... Don't ask me why. Hitting it with something did the trick later when it went out again, but then it went worse and worse, so I finally replaced it.

 

it started without hitting it is what im saying, i went back to it and tryed starting it and it did...

 

You can take advice or leave it, but i recommend rebuilding your starter lol

 

i understand my starter is junk i've known that for a year i just don't know why it wouldnt start and then an hour later it did?

 

after time the spring tension behind the brushes probably moved them back against the stator, allowing the starter to work.

 

I should also add that when solenoid's start to go they can be pretty quirky

 

Who cares why? Does it matter? Replace the starter or go cheap and do what he^^ said.

 

I don't know. I paid $60 for one at Napa last time I needed one.

 

Local NAPA = $155.59 for a standard remanufactured starter. For my Jeep.

 

Another reason I buy most of my parts online from your country. We get ripped off for this stuff left and right. Unfortunately I needed this one right away, can't pick up 3 x-mas trees in a Mazda2 :thumbsup:

 

wow rebuilding it is easy 200bucks for a starter........uhhh... what do you drive a ****in evo? lol. thanks for the tips rebuilding the starter tomorrow!!!