another ess question

[Nibis]

I second this... why ? Because it's exactly what I do. ?
I will add, mine is not daily driven, closer to 3-4 times a week and usually short trips. I agree, for more lengthy periods, definitely a battery maintainer is needed.

One thing I do(and I'm not sure if it really matters) is if I know my trip will be lengthy without stops (think highway) I will rengage the ESS, it usually says "charging ESS not available". I will leave it on until it says "ready" and then I will turn it back off.
*noted, the aux battery is still being charged without doing this, but it makes me feel good knowing that the aux battery is charging normally and holding enough charge to properly function the ESS.

So far it has been enough to keep my batteries happy.

Pretty sure I drive enough, at least 70 miles 3 times a week. I actually don't want the ESS, just thought it was strange it didn't work, and I don't have any warnings

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[Mguy]

My comments were solely based to address the OP 's concern(s)/comments.

The water is getting a little to deep for me
But
There are many more qualified people here that can answer your questions, hopefully someone else will chime in.
@AndySpill

Your comments are on target. My questions were intended as non-sarcastic emphasis.

 

[SargeDiesel]

Your comments are on target. My questions were intended as non-sarcastic emphasis.

Thanks for the clarification... I'm a little brain dead today... hell maybe everyday ?

I re-read... gotcha, I agree 100%.

 

[Paddy_DJM]

I'm respectfully in a different camp than the prior posters on this thread, who I respect and are not wrong.

My feeling is that if you are not going to run ESS events, the pros of keeping the ESS battery connected are statistically outweighed by the negatives. I believe, at minimum, that its negative cable should be removed from the main battery's negative post, insulated, Fuse 42 yanked, and ESS events turned off.

Having this battery attached aids in cranking the engine, a task done with both batteries if connected and one the main battery, provided it is not on its way out, is more than capable of handling, H6 or H7 size. But having this battery attached is also, I believe the weak link of an electrical system in which this smaller battery is more likely to fail than the larger one, and in so doing, potentially cannibalize the main battery as well given its parallel connection to it.

Regardless of the number of batteries you run, the aforementioned trickle charging though can do nothing but good.

I want to use ESS. But just having the door open for 20 minutes to install an interior mod was enough to to force the ESS from ready to ESS Battery Charging

It seems the battery voltage on the display need to read above 14.3 for ESS to work.

Would a battery charger connected continuously between drives work with the batteries paralleled? I have an older charger and I don't think it outputs 14 volts on slow charge. Not sure about the fast charge mode. But I'm concerned about the charger harming the ECM or some other component.

 

[AndySpill]

I want to use ESS. But just having the door open for 20 minutes to install an interior mod was enough to to force the ESS from ready to ESS Battery Charging

It seems the battery voltage on the display need to read above 14.3 for ESS to work.

Would a battery charger connected continuously between drives work with the batteries paralleled? I have an older charger and I don't think it outputs 14 volts on slow charge. Not sure about the fast charge mode. But I'm concerned about the charger harming the ECM or some other component.

Hi Donnie:

You're gauging when ESS might be ready based the dash's (EVIC's) voltage meeting a certain threshold may be a bit of a misnomer with opposite effect of what you hoped.

Restated: that voltage number may be bigger if the smart alternator is trying to charge batteries whose voltage fails to meet thresholds for ESS to occur.

Yes, a trickle charger battery charger designed for use with AGM chemistry batteries, hooked up to the terminals of the main battery would help batteries not otherwise on they way to the junk yard, that are capable of accepting charge, while you are parked, to effect ESS events when you're driving. At rest the batteries are in parallel so hooking it up to the main battery's terminals will charge both batteries.

The nature of a trickle charger, and I recommend one from NOCO although there are other good brands, will not damage the batteries or other components. It may not help them much if they're in need of replacement, but such a device will not effect harm.

 

[HipCheck]

My ESS has never activated, I assume the Aux battery is toast, the only message I get, is ESS Unavailable, Battery Charging

My 2018 JLU I just traded in was like this. At some point, ESS stopped working and I never noticed it. Eventually, it had trouble starting occasionally and then I had to replace the main battery. Oddly the ESS started working after that.

On my new one, I just installed the autostart eliminator today. Super easy to do. Just keeps memory of your desired setting for ESS.

 

[AndySpill]

My 2018 JLU I just traded in was like this. At some point, ESS stopped working and I never noticed it. Eventually, it had trouble starting occasionally and then I had to replace the main battery. Oddly the ESS started working after that.

On my new one, I just installed the autostart eliminator today. Super easy to do. Just keeps memory of your desired setting for ESS.

....and to reiterate a point already made on this forum that you may appreciate, disabling the ESS system from engaging--as you've just done--and disabling the ESS/Aux battery, which then eliminates its risk of cannibalizing the main battery are two separate and independent steps.

You can turn off the ESS system but keep its battery connected, disconnect the ESS battery and run the ESS system with one battery (which I don't recommend on dual AGM battery JLs) or do both.

 

[Nibis]

So I pulled fuse 42 and disconnected the negative cable from the battery, now I get Aux Switches Temporarily Unavailable, battery charging

 

[AndySpill]

So I pulled fuse 42 and disconnected the negative cable from the battery, now I get Aux Switches Temporarily Unavailable, battery charging

Provided you disconnected the black factory cable off the negative post of the main battery, whose distal end is NOT the body ground, (which would make its distal end the negative terminal of the Aux battery) and you're running a dual AGM battery JL, if I were you I'd load (not multimeter volt) test my main battery.

I presume you did not get this message prior to the Fuse and cable pull.

 

[Nibis]

Provided you disconnected the black factory cable off the negative post of the main battery, whose distal end is NOT the body ground, (which would make its distal end the negative terminal of the Aux battery) and you're running a dual AGM battery JL, if I were you I'd load (not multimeter volt) test my main battery.

I presume you did not get this message prior to the Fuse and cable pull.

No, my ESS hasn't worked since I got it, about 2 months, just says system not ready, battery charging. So I thought I would just pull the fuse and the neg cable. Today when I got in, I get the same message ess not available, battery charging, and the aux switches were working.
Main battery seems fine, starts the jeep just fine, no lag or slowness. I don't want the ess, so if this is normal behavior when the fuse is pulled and neg disconnected, then I'm fine, but I do want my Aux switches to work, Incase I ever use one, LOL

 

[Yawnie'sPapa]

I have proven that during an ESS stop, voltage on both batteries drops, almost in lock-step. The load during an ESS stop is split, not just tossed onto the aux battery.
And, a lot of Jeep people have had the main fail and the aux battery still be ok - even though they let ESS keep working.
But those people never speak up because they are drowned out by the others who claim it's always the other way, and they have no need to speak up because they know both Jeep batteries are crap, aux and main.
We've have a half dozen Jeeps with ESS - Grand Cherokee, JT, and allow ESS to work any time it wants, and haven't have an aux battery kill a main battery. We did have a main battery fail in a Grand Cherokee, though.

The problem is that those who have problems speak up, those who hate speak up, others don't, so you don't see those with main battery issues first unless you ask or look.

 

[AndySpill]

I have proven that during an ESS stop, voltage on both batteries drops, almost in lock-step.

Bill, are you describing an ESS event with both factory batteries connected and Fuse 42 pulled so that the two batteries remain in parallel during ESS events? If not, I don't see how both battery's voltage drops in lock step during the ESS in event as the ESS battery is providing the power while the main battery is spared provided Fuse 42 is intact and the Power Control Relay (PCR) can be energized to separate the two batteries.

(I think Jebiruph found some things continuing to be powered by the main battery during an ESS event like power steering.)

The load during an ESS stop is split, not just tossed onto the aux battery.
And, a lot of Jeep people have had the main fail and the aux battery still be ok - even though they let ESS keep working.
But those people never speak up because they are drowned out by the others who claim it's always the other way, and they have no need to speak up because they know both Jeep batteries are crap, aux and main.
We've have a half dozen Jeeps with ESS - Grand Cherokee, JT, and allow ESS to work any time it wants, and haven't have an aux battery kill a main battery. We did have a main battery fail in a Grand Cherokee, though.

The problem is that those who have problems speak up, those who hate speak up, others don't, so you don't see those with main battery issues first unless you ask or look.

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