96 jeep grand cherokee limited problem

[fish2live]

my parents just purchased this truck a couple weeks ago everything checked out when we looked at it car fax and everything. it has 98000 miles and today my dad called and said there was a ticking back by the hatch and when he went to turn it over it wouldn't do anything. he opened the hatch shut it and tried it again finially after a couple times it finially turned over and started. anyone have any ideas?

[Jeremy airjer W]

He turned the key to start and he heard a single click? Then it made a single click every time he tried to start it? Then it started?

If he heard a single click then I would guess that this is an electrical problem, possibly the starter but would not rule out poor connections as well.

Did he happen to notice if the lights on the instrument cluster went out when he tried to start it?

[fish2live]

i will ask him for a better discriprion as he will be calling soon.

[fish2live]

when he tuns the key nothing happens although the interior lights are on. heard a clicking noise from the back turns out to be coming from the hatch this is while the key is in the off pos. opened and shut door and glass window and sound stopped got back in and it started. happened a couple times and as long as it is making the clicking noise it won't do anything when he turns the key. also the rear defrost and wipper do not work if that helps.

[Jeremy airjer W]

?

I need the year make and model. I have a theory but I need to cunsult a wiring diagram for the starting system, Transmission, and rear hatch (it a long shot but these may have something in common). If I confirm my thoery I'll post it Monday night!

[fish2live]

1996 jeep grand cherokee limited v8

[Jeremy airjer W]

I just noticed that in the title. It was a long late night last night!

[MattWtech]

battery could be going bad, that clicking noise could be just the fuel pump coming on, their all electrical nowadays and they turn on and prime the system when the key is on. but if its clicking it possibly could be going bad, another guess is your battery isnt putting out enough amporage to turn the starter, or you got a bad starter or starter solenoid. cause when starters dont get the voltage or amperage they want they just click then die.

a flag flipped in my head when you said it didnt start, didnt start, then started...if that keeps happening its definetly a bad ground somwhere in either the fuel pump circuit or starter circuit. " weird (Contact Us Please)= bad grounds" as my electrical instructor would say, so if its an intermitant problem its a bad ground

just some ideas, goodluck, sorry i couldnt be more specific but thats all i can say from not seeing it myself.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Heres what I got. Next time it happens see if the brake lights are working. If not than there is a ground that a lot of stuff uses behind the drivers front seat. It may not be a bad idea to just take a peak at it and/or clean it up to see if that resolves the issue.

That rubber tube that is in between the hatch and the body of the car at the top of the hatch is where the harness runs to power all the accesorries in the hatch. I'm guessing that you may have a bunch of broken wires in there. repairing those wires may resolve the issue as well as get the wipers and defrost workin again also.

The only other thing I can reccommend is to remove the inside trim pannel of the rear hatch and wait for the click. While its doing it try to isolate the source. Unplug it and then try to start the vehicle. If it starts than you know your on to something and/or you have some valuable knowledge to share with a service facility if you decide to bring it in.

[fish2live]

i will give that a try. thank you very much for the good ideas i will let you know if one of them was the problem.