cherokee starter dragging

Sounds like you may need some 'starter shims'. Check at the local auto parts store. Also, pull your starter off and have it tested while you're at it. It's not too bad in an XJ.

Carl

whell proclaimed:

Define "drags". Does it turn too slowly? If so, get a cheap digital voltmeter and put one terminal at the battery positive post and one at the other end of that cable at the solenoid post. You should see no more than 0.2 volts when cranking. Be sure to put the meter terminals on the posts rather than on the cable connector, as it could be the connectors. You really should never see anywhere near 2 tenths of a volt even when cranking, I had reason to measure mine recently and it was much more like 2 hundredths of a volt. Then measure from the case of the starter to the negative post on your battery when cranking. Again, two tenths of a volt is way too much. On your model I'd expect more problems along the ground path than along the positive path.

I'm stumped, Lon. What are you measuring with this test? Is it that resistance in the connections allows voltage leakage through the meter (as an alternate, lower resistance path)?

Resistance in the path, measured indirectly by the voltage drop on the path. Important to first measure from post to terminal stud, then if excessive drop is found, measure along the path until the spot is found. Factory manual says 2 tenths of a volt max. In actual measurement with a Fluke digital, I ran into more like 2 hundredths along most of the high current paths. Quickest way to narrow down is from positive battery terminal to positive stud on solenoid [then to the starter side stud which is exposed on most starters] and then from starter body to battery negative--which measures the bulk ground path drop.

I've seen a tenth or so drop just by measuring from the battery post to the battery terminal under cranking current... pretty good sign that cleaning and re-tightening is needed.

OK, I see now. The voltage drops due to resistance under load from say

13V at the battery post to, say, 12.8 at the starter post and the meter sees only the 0.2V difference -- because it has access to the original 13V that can't quite get to the starter.

Am I correct in guessing that this is a better diagnostic test than simply metering the voltage between the starter post and ground during cranking because while you may see the voltage drop you'd also be including all the other resistances in the system and not know where the real problem was?

Lee Ayrton proclaimed:

Close enough.

Measuring the voltage between starter post and ground only would tell you how much voltage you are able to get across the starter. Is a good thing to do, but for example if you only get 10.3 volts at the starter it could simply be feelthy or loose battery connection. The presumption is that if the bulk voltage drop is high, you simply start moving the meter across every connection point and cable until one sticks out like a sore thumb, which tends to be the case.