No Starting Situation

1. Per Jeep instructions, I removed the negative side of the battery connector to prevent an airbag mishaps.
   1. When I plugged it back together nothing seemed to work.
   2. I still have radio, headlights, cabin lights, odometer, and power windows and locks.
   3. Most other things not working, including the cigar lighter. The key would not ding when inserted for a while but now does.
   4. When I turn the key to ignition, no lights pop up on the dashboard (absolutely none) and fans for cabin temperature control do not pop on.
   5. The first three times the motor turned over and started but stalled out/died after about a second. Now there is no action in the ignition.
2. The battery is good - took it in and had it tested and recharged.
3. Just removed the ignition cylinder and looked in and everything appears okay. Stuck a screwdriver in there and tried to turn it and still no dash lights or cabin temperature.

Billwill said:

Probably blew a major fuse somewhere...under the hood or inside the cabin. You need to physically pull each fuse and measure it with a meter...it may look OK to the eye but be faulty. Check that relays are in their correct position as per the decal on the relay panel cover.

What voltage do you have across the battery?

Remove the connectors on the battery and clean the mating surfaces well and tighten firmly.

Check the negative battery lead going to chassis is clean and tight where it bolts to chassis.
Likewise there is an engine grounding strap grounding the engine to chassis...this must be clean and tight both ends.

Lets just confirm what you need to do as regards the ignition switch....you may have caused a problem while working in that area!

Remove the plastic covers over the steering column...two female Torx screws.
Remove the smaller Female Security Torx screw holding the Ignition Switch to the end of the Actuator Pin assembly....watch out for bits of debris falling from the end of the actuator pin assembly.

With ignition key sitting inside its normal slot and turned to unlock steering wheel and to enable the SKIS anti-theft system..place drive in Park and Neutral in case one of these interlocks has failed.

Take a small flat screwdriver and rotate the Ignition Switch all the way to hopefully turn ON all ignition lights and turn over the engine and hopefully start it up....make sure the electrical connector on the ignition switch is firmly in place!

Should turn over and start provided that fuse #8 40 Amps under the hood is OK.

The Actuator Pin Assembly is a hollow rectangular tube with a thin sliver going down its center which protrudes when the key is fully inserted. When protruded this sliver presses on a separate switch inside the ignition switch to tell the BCM that a key is fully inserted so as to Ping when the door is open. This sliver sometimes is too short to do its job or sometimes too long so it acts as if key is there when it is not!

There can also be problems with the orientation of the ignition switch with respect to the Actuator Pin Assembly...can be fitted slightly to far clockwise or anti-clockwise due to play in the single mounting hole...I and other owners have had to enlarge the hole a bit and fix the Security Torx screw tightly with the ignition switch slightly advanced or ********.

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