It’s not the alternator, or battery or starter issue but I am betting it’s the starter, my jeep has had all 3 of what I mentioned replaced in the last 3 years and the starter was replaced 2 times “had a warranty on it and it went bad” now I’m out of state for work, but my father whose borrowing my vehicle states that it starts up fine but once turned off and couple hours later try’s to start back up nothing happens you hear the fuses clicking on dash lights up after couple days of sitting it starts like nothing happens. without examining it for myself and knowing the symptoms I’ve experienced in the past I believe it’s my starter again, he thinks it’s the ecu. What do you guys think? Starter again? Or ecu? Or something completely different?
Replacing parts is not always the best method to diagnose things. The first thing to do is to clean
all battery cable connections. It may not be any of the parts you mentioned, but everything in between. Then fully charge the battery and have it tested. Then have the charging system tested. Then test the starter. These are simple tests an auto shop can perform. Or you can have these tested at many auto parts stores. You can also test the battery cables for integrity. Sometimes they get damaged or corroded. After all these tests pass the only thing left is a parasitic draw test which identifies something that is using up the battery when it’s not supposed to.
I don’t think a parasitic draw is the problem.
Without doing anything, it starts 2 days later.
You’re right. I was just outlining a complete test procedure so that parts aren’t unnecessarily changed. By the time OP gets that far he should have identified the problem. If I was to make a guess, it would be a bad cable, wire or connection. But my guesses sometimes gets expensive.
Try shifting into neutral and see if it starts. If it does then it sounds like the neutral safety switch (a.k.a. as a range selector) has failed.
This is not a rare type of problem with any make of car and at 13 years old with who knows how many key cycles and shifter movements it’s entirely possible the switch is going belly up.
Doubtful that it’s any of those things. If the problem was a dead battery, it would not start again after sitting, and it would start immediately with a jump, or a different battery. If the problem was with the starter itself, you wouldn’t hear a bunch of relays clicking under the dash.
This sounds more like a problem with the transmission range sensor, ignition switch, fuse/relay panel, or security system. When it does not start, turn the key to “on” and see if the instrument cluster shows the “P” gear selected. If it does, you can assume the transmission range sensor is fine. If no gear is selected, this could be the problem. When it does not start, does the “security” light come on and go off?
These vehicles also have a known problem with the TIPM, however that typically results in strange behavior of the power windows/locks, stalling due to the fuel pump losing power, and/or failure of the fuel pump due to the fuel pump running even when the engine is turned off. I do not know if the TIPM can prevent the engine from cranking, however someone who knows about these vehicles could chime in.
How do you know its the TIPM? Here are some signs of what causes a TIPM to go bad.
If your windshield wipers are not working, it CAN be a problem with the TIPM, or it CAN be something else. If your windshield wipers go on by itself, or sometimes do not respond when you try to turn them on, this is commonly a problem with TIPM. Typical TIPM issues will look like your car has a mind of its own, the car will have difficulty starting, or won’t start, the doors may lock themselves for no reason, the car horn or alarm may go off when nothing set it off, your blinker will go on by itself etc. If random electrical devices in your car are out of whack, this is usually a sign of a faulty TIPM. Difficulty starting the engine or the engine not starting at all, is usually a bad fuel pump relay within the TIPM.
Tester