2014 jeep grand cherokee intermittent starting problem

Hi Jeep Fans!!!

My wife has a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee that has about 120,000 miles on it. Over the past 6 months we have started having issues with it starting. It is a push button start and here is what happens about 50% of the time when trying to start.

Press the button. It will attempt to start for 2-3 seconds before turning over. Sometime it requires hitting the button again to stop it and then trying again. It ALWAYS turns over immediately on the second attempt. We are in south Florida and does not appear to be an issue with weather or temperature of the engine. It happens when it is hot or cold.

We have had the battery checked and replaced. We replaced the spark plugs. Nothing has fixed it.

Has anyone experienced this before or have any suggestions of why this may be happening?

Which engine do you have? (V6, V8, Diesel). If you push the start button with the end of the fob instead of your finger, is it more reliable?

It’s a V8 gasoline. Honestly I have not tried using the Fob. Why would that effect anything like this?

Probably nothing, but it does isolates all the distracting passive entry type issues. When you try to start and it fails, do you hear the click of the starter relay/solenoid?

Check battery voltage before you try to start it.

Good point... even with a replacement battery, the vehicle B+ voltage could be low. There are components, like a defective electric power steering or fuel pump, that could load down the B+ bus enough to cause start issues. Sometimes these don't throw a code. Sometimes these issues are made worse by poor battery grounds.

In the case of a bad connection, the first try may weld the connection enough that there is current flow on the second try. In the case of a fuel pump, the pump runs to pressurize/prime the fuel system on the first try drawing down voltage. It doesn't run on the second try as the fuel system is already pressurized.

Some times you can press the start button without pressing the brake to get to accessory mode and stabilize the circuits, wait a couple seconds, and then put your foot on the brake and start.

I have what I think is the same issue.

Same as you its 14 with the Hemi with 91K on it. Sometimes it will fire up quick with no issue, other times it will crank for 2-3 seconds before firing up.

I have noticed if I push the stat button without pushing the brake twice to get it into accessory mode, it will fire up quick every time with no issue.

Has a newish battery (less then 2 years) so don't believe that to be the issue.

We don't have electric steering in 14, good old hydraulic, so what else might it be? Is the fuel pump itself bad?

Would measuring fuel pressure tell us anything?

We don't have electric steering in 14, good old hydraulic, so what else might it be? Is the fuel pump itself bad?

Would measuring fuel pressure tell us anything?

Yeah could be a lot of things intermittent, ignition or fuel related. It may be easier to monitor the voltage on the fuel pump circuit than to to attach pressure gauge adapters, but a gauge that indicates slow or delayed pressure build up may give you a clue that its a fuel problem.

I've read that FCA found that some fuel pumps draw an excessive amount of start up current. This exposes any weakness in the fuel pump circuit like corroded contacts, stresses components, and eventually wears the pump relay such that it doesn't always make a good enough contact the first time.

I think by 2014 they were installing TIPMs with improved relays.

So the fuel pump could be the issue. I think its more likely to be a corrosion or relay problem, the relay problem may have been caused by a faulty pump. I think the pump relay is still being soldered on, so thats a TIPM replacement job.

The shop would prefer you to be towed in with a complete no start condition as they wouldn't have to guess where to start with an intermittent. :smile2:

Yeah could be a lot of things intermittent, ignition or fuel related. It may be easier to monitor the voltage on the fuel pump circuit than to to attach pressure gauge adapters, but a gauge that indicates slow or delayed pressure build up may give you a clue that its a fuel problem.

I've read that FCA found that some fuel pumps draw an excessive amount of start up current. This exposes any weakness in the fuel pump circuit like corroded contacts, stresses components, and eventually wears the pump relay such that it doesn't always make a good enough contact the first time.

I think by 2014 they were installing TIPMs with improved relays.

So the fuel pump could be the issue. I think its more likely to be a corrosion or relay problem, the relay problem may have been caused by a faulty pump. I think the pump relay is still being soldered on, so thats a TIPM replacement job.

The shop would prefer you to be towed in with a complete no start condition as they wouldn't have to guess where to start with an intermittent. :smile2:

Ha as always your a wealth of knowledge :wink2:

I think I'll start with with the voltage check.

Would you be able to see if the relay is bad on the TIPM on a visual check? As in would there be a burnt component or corrosion itself on the board?

Corrosion would be on the pins on the external TIPM or Pump connectors, not internal to the TIPM. I don't think you can see the pump relay without ripping apart the TIPM, then they are unlikely enclosed in clear plastic so you probably can't see the contacts.

Corrosion would be on the pins on the external TIPM or Pump connectors, not internal to the TIPM. I don't think you can see the pump relay without ripping apart the TIPM, then they are unlikely enclosed in clear plastic so you probably can't see the contacts.

Got ya.

I should have mentioned this earlier, it only does the long cranking after the Jeep has sat for an extended period of time (overnight). It will start fine the rest of the day.

Could it be a leaky fuel injector? I've only used top tier fuel since new but I guess that doesn't guarantee no issues.

Does it misfire or run rough for a little bit after the cold start, is there fuel in the crankcase oil?

Even if a leaky injector drains off the fuel rail pressure, the fuel pump should quickly build it back up, unless it is weak or the is a fuel line restriction.

A cam or crankcase position sensor can sometimes give you these symptoms, so its a guess at best. So whats the easiest thing to try?

Measuring fuel rail pressure during the morning no start may help narrow things to the fuel system, but thats not that easy to do, unless you are familiar with the fittings and tools. While you are there you would also do the leak down tests.

You could also listened carefully for the fuel pump running in the morning. Another thing to try in the morning is push button through accessory and run positions for a few seconds prior to trying to start (no foot on brake).

Got ya.

I should have mentioned this earlier, it only does the long cranking after the Jeep has sat for an extended period of time (overnight). It will start fine the rest of the day.

Could it be a leaky fuel injector? I've only used top tier fuel since new but I guess that doesn't guarantee no issues.

Mine had very similar symptoms except it didn't matter if I pushed button first before actually attempting to start. First year ownership ( I have owned two years, it's a 2011) it was very intermittent and pretty infrequent. Then it seemed to get worse when colder out and almost always only the first start of the day. Then it got to the point I would let it turn over 2-3 times and then try again immediately cause pretty much never started first try. Then 2-3 months ago, would not start at all and finally dealer could definitively say the relay was at fault. Jeep footed the bill as mine has an open recall with no fix.

Since then it's 90% better and does actually start now, but I still occasionally have a no start first try or longer than normal start.

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I have (more correctly my wife has) a 2014 GC with the 3.6 Pentastar engine. We have not had any issues but it only has around 35,000 miles on it. Just a thought: is it possible the Start button has any corrosion on it? You live in a humid climate, so the system may have developed some corrosion in places you don't normally see. Years back I was having issues with starting and I took a very powerful light and checked all the wires I could find. Turned out the battery wires had corrosion internal to the plastic covering; I solved the issue by replacing both wires and put a bit of petroleum jelly on the wires and the terminals on the battery.

Does it misfire or run rough for a little bit after the cold start, is there fuel in the crankcase oil?

Even if a leaky injector drains off the fuel rail pressure, the fuel pump should quickly build it back up, unless it is weak or the is a fuel line restriction.

A cam or crankcase position sensor can sometimes give you these symptoms, so its a guess at best. So whats the easiest thing to try?

Measuring fuel rail pressure during the morning no start may help narrow things to the fuel system, but thats not that easy to do, unless you are familiar with the fittings and tools. While you are there you would also do the leak down tests.

You could also listened carefully for the fuel pump running in the morning. Another thing to try in the morning is push button through accessory and run positions for a few seconds prior to trying to start (no foot on brake).

So If I push the start button twice with no foot on the brake to access accessory mode, when I do hit the start button again with foot on the brake it will start immediately every time.

The Jeep starts ever time, just sometimes it will crank 2-3 seconds before starting but will start. I've never had a crank and then no start.

Motor runs fine with no misfires.

I've done UOA with Wix and the flash point is always well over 400 F which I would think would indicate no presence of fuel.

My other concern is if the fuel pump is going, I could run into a lean condition during high RPM full throttle conditions.

Would one of those cheap scanner tools be able to measure fuel pressure through the OBD port?

I don't see a fuel pressure sensor, so a scanner has nothing to read. There is live O2 sensor data from which you could infer a lean condition.