Q: My car won't start - 1997 Jeep Wrangler

asked by on October 22, 2016

The Jeep died going down the road, I lost all power and wouldn't crank. As soon as it died I popped the clutch to jump it and it came alive for maybe a second before it died out again. I came to a stop and checked all gauges fuses inside and out and couldn't find anything. It was completely dead, no lights on the dash, no radio, nothing. I do however have aftermarket lights installed that is ran off a separate switch from batt, that would come on but nothing else. I got it towed home and started looking at things. For about two weeks it wouldn't do anything, then one day it had power. Lights came on but wouldn't start. It would make a rapid clicking sound like the batterie was dead. I pulled out the voltammeter and I was getting 12.6 volts. I checked all the grounds all the positives cleaned every terminal, on the battery on the starter everywhere I could. The other day I got it to start, it ran for 10 minutes and as soon as I shut it off it went back to no power or anything. No codes

My car has 185000 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.

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Hi and thanks for your question. It seems to be the ignition switch in your vehicle. The switch is cutting out all of the power. There could be a loose ground to the switch or the tumbler could have shorted contacts within it. I recommend replacing the ignition switch if you cannot find anything wrong with the wiring.

If you need assistance determining why your car will not start, then seek out a technician, such as one from YourMechanic, who can inspect your vehicle and replace the ignition switch if needed.

The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Please see our terms of service for more details

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