Another way to disable Auto Stop/Start??

[Wabujitsu]

My apologies if this has already been addressed. This is a 7-year-old video. In the photo from the video, we are looking at the hood plunger switches of a JL/JLU. The guy in the video says all one must do to permanently disable ESS/ASS is to remove the plunger on the right, and the video shows how to do that. Is this legit, and if so, why not do this instead of disconnecting the ground from the ESS/ASS battery and removing fuse #42?

Here is the video:

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[AndySpill]

It's my understanding that this technique, while effective, will generate an ESS off message in the dash and prevent remote start if equipped. It's quick, and it will keep your Aux battery, if equipped, connected, for all the benefits or downfalls of doing so. IMHO, if you've committed to not running ESS events, disconnecting the Aux battery is generally a better choice because its demise can't, unconnected, compromise the main battery. I imagine there are owners for which keeping this Aux battery charged may have other uses.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/engine-start-stop-feature.147885/post-3079732

I once here posed the idea, rather than pulling Fuse 42 and yanking the Aux battery cable, to just do the latter. Your first attempt (old 2018's possibly being stranded by this without TSB 18-092-19) to cold crank afterwards would likely fail, but all subsequent ones, provided the main battery has ample power, should succeed, the vehicle generating the ESS off message in the dash, seemingly obviating the need to buy tech to turn ESS off for you. It seemed like a win win. @Jebiruph, the father of these inventions, seemed to think that this ESS off light in the dash--and I am paraphrasing--is a bit of a canary in the coal mine diagnostic that when displayed in the dash (i.e. EVIC) can be a sign of other problems, and thus owner/operator invoking of its presence could hide other diagnostic conditions.

I mention this because the hood plunger method you describe, I understand, and as mentioned, also illuminates this light.

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Additionally, you've ask Jeff to have people compare this to the Fuse 42 and cable yank. Under this more newly discovered method the vehicle upon cold crank is tricked at this crank time, into performing its test of the ESS/Aux on the main battery. Yanking Fuse 42 denies the Power Control Relay (PCR) of the power it needs to separate the batteries, otherwise connect in parallel, and the pre crank test instead happens against all connected batteries, of which you have only one, the main.

Normally the vehicle is "very happy" with the power it sees from the main battery--thinking in this case that it is the Aux, and doesn't disable ESS (or turn on this diagnostic light). It then becomes the owner/operators task to turn ESS off by pressing the button or buying tech to do that.

I am not a fan of people running ESS events with just the main battery. Yes, other manufacturers run ESS with one battery, but I don't like the idea of the one battery that needs power to crank the engine after an ESS event also used to run appliances during that ESS event, with the engine off and the alternator not backfilling the main battery with power, particular under the perfect storm of an old main battery, a cold night, a left turn across a busy highway, and one too many power hungry aftermarket appliances so common in Wranglers running during the ESS events. Sure, ESS is designed to early terminate if battery voltage drops, but the voltage drop is designed against the Aux battery that is suppose to energize the ESS events, while the main battery, at least under the factory configuration, is sparred for the engine crank.*

But all this said, if you do run ESS events under this scenario, and manage to get to 6 of them in one cold crank, the vehicle will turn ESS off until the next cold crank. This is because it compares the voltages of the two batteries under the factory configuration in each ESS event (I'd presume at its termination point) and assumes issues if they are close enough in value: which in the cable and Fuse 42 pull are tests against the one main battery than would produce such identical voltages, going of course against the same one battery.

* Both batteries participate in the cold engine crank. It is unknown by me if the post ESS event engine crank is only effected by the main battery.

(People who find this too long are free not to read. It takes words to be comprehensive, nothing in here is excessive, and I've been patient explaining that already available on the forum. Some people, with brevity, tell you what to do here, and that's fine; I tell you also why.)

 

[X35]

OP, yes disconnecting the hood sensor closest to the left fender will disable ESS. It will case a service ESS lamp to be always be lit on the center gauge cluster behind the steering wheel. It will not disable remote start.

I ran my jeep like this from day one upon delivery on May 6th until yesterday without any problems other than the service ESS lamp being on. I got tired of seeing it always on and installed a SmartStopStart device yesterday. I reconnected the hood switch at that time. No more ESS warning on the dash and the device remembers my always off push of the ESS button below the radio.

I am now considering isolating the aux battery completely with the fuse 42 full and negative cable disconnect as mentioned in the post above.

 

[jadmt]

on my 2024 with ~17000 miles i have not had auto start work for a year or more..I have done nothing to disable it. when I scroll thru the screen it always says disabled cabin heating or cooling....says that even when I have the fan off and the a/c off and temp constant....basically has not worked since having it for warranty work where they replaced the ECM due to O2 sensor issues....I know they should not be related. Voltage on the dash always seems in the proper range.

 

[SadRobot]

OP, yes disconnecting the hood sensor closest to the left fender will disable ESS. It will case a service ESS lamp to be always be lit on the center gauge cluster behind the steering wheel. It will not disable remote start.

I ran my jeep like this from day one upon delivery on May 6th until yesterday without any problems other than the service ESS lamp being on. I got tired of seeing it always on and installed a SmartStopStart device yesterday. I reconnected the hood switch at that time. No more ESS warning on the dash and the device remembers my always off push of the ESS button below the radio.

I am now considering isolating the aux battery completely with the fuse 42 full and negative cable disconnect as mentioned in the post above.

That light drove me crazy. I lasted about a week with hood sensor pulled then bought a Tazer. I used that to disable ESS for a couple years and decided to finally delete my AUX battery while I had the battery box removed to pull the motor. No problems since removing the Aux. I removed the entire positive cable to the battery instead of just taping off the aux end.

 

[AndySpill]

It will not disable remote start.

I read otherwise but don't have remote start to test this. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[X35]

I read otherwise but don't have remote start to test this. Thanks for the clarification.

Disconnecting the other sensor closest to the engine will disable remote start and cause the hood open lamp to illuminate on the gauge cluster

 

[scootertoo]

OP, yes disconnecting the hood sensor closest to the left fender will disable ESS. It will case a service ESS lamp to be always be lit on the center gauge cluster behind the steering wheel. It will not disable remote start.

I ran my jeep like this from day one upon delivery on May 6th until yesterday without any problems other than the service ESS lamp being on. I got tired of seeing it always on and installed a SmartStopStart device yesterday. I reconnected the hood switch at that time. No more ESS warning on the dash and the device remembers my always off push of the ESS button below the radio.

I am now considering isolating the aux battery completely with the fuse 42 full and negative cable disconnect as mentioned in the post above.

X35.....You need to take a trip to the beach in No. Carolina. I suggest Sunset Beach as I live on the mainland behind the island. Sounds like you gotta be much younger than me and flexible as I was not able to get that SmartStopStart device hooked up myself. Damned near got myself "stuck" under the dash as I tried to come in from the passenger side and lay upside down over the console to get myself to that wiring. It was about 90 degrees out in my driveway and I was the only one home. Somehow I got unstuck and back out and my wiring fix is in a box in my garage and I'm stuck pushing that damn button.
My new ride is also a 2025 Willys. If you are ever in the neighborhood, and could get mine fixed up with that new harness, it could result in you getting a case of your favorite beer and/or other drink of choice. At 83 yrs old, I just can't do what I used to do when it calls for the contortions needed to do such as this.

 

[X35]

X35.....You need to take a trip to the beach in No. Carolina. I suggest Sunset Beach as I live on the mainland behind the island. Sounds like you gotta be much younger than me and flexible as I was not able to get that SmartStopStart device hooked up myself. Damned near got myself "stuck" under the dash as I tried to come in from the passenger side and lay upside down over the console to get myself to that wiring. It was about 90 degrees out in my driveway and I was the only one home. Somehow I got unstuck and back out and my wiring fix is in a box in my garage and I'm stuck pushing that damn button.
My new ride is also a 2025 Willys. If you are ever in the neighborhood, and could get mine fixed up with that new harness, it could result in you getting a case of your favorite beer and/or other drink of choice. At 83 yrs old, I just can't do what I used to do when it calls for the contortions needed to do such as this.

If I was local to you I would have no problem stopping by your place to hook it up for you free of charge. It took me less than 5 minutes to get mine installed. I removed the trim panel below the steering column for greater access. I kind of laid on my right shoulder to get in there.

Unfortunately I’m in eastern PA. The closest I’ll be to you will be Hatteras NC between Christmas and New Years later this year.

 

[Stagewex]

Other than wheels, lift kits and sometimes those ducks I believe disabling the auto start/stop must be the most popular beating-a-dead-horse thread that I sometime read here. With the success's of fuse deletes, battery deletes, etc as well as the Tazer or other after-market devices. And failures as-in "gee, now other stuff is not working correctly".
I have found the perfect no-cost and most reliable device called "my finger" to disable. It's located barely a couple inches from the factory button that turns it off. Somehow I've been able to live with it on the last 3 (of 5) Jeeps that I have owned.

 

[X35]

Other than wheels, lift kits and sometimes those ducks I believe disabling the auto start/stop must be the most popular beating-a-dead-horse thread that I sometime read here. With the success's of fuse deletes, battery deletes, etc as well as the Tazer or other after-market devices. And failures as-in "gee, now other stuff is not working correctly".
I have found the perfect no-cost and most reliable device called "my finger" to disable. It's located barely a couple inches from the factory button that turns it off. Somehow I've been able to live with it on the last 3 (of 5) Jeeps that I have owned.

 

[AndySpill]

Other than wheels, lift kits and sometimes those ducks I believe disabling the auto start/stop must be the most popular beating-a-dead-horse thread that I sometime read here. With the success's of fuse deletes, battery deletes, etc as well as the Tazer or other after-market devices. And failures as-in "gee, now other stuff is not working correctly".
I have found the perfect no-cost and most reliable device called "my finger" to disable. It's located barely a couple inches from the factory button that turns it off. Somehow I've been able to live with it on the last 3 (of 5) Jeeps that I have owned.

I both can respect what you say and find fault with it.

I too believe that the need for aftermarket tech to turn ESS off, and the complaints about doing so manually to be overrated. Years ago I wanted to come up with a lever of sorts that attached to the start stop button, and about a second after engine crank pressed the ESS off button you refer to.

With my recent discovery of these aftermarket devices https://www.amazon.com/Agamino-One-Button-Joystick-Decorative-Accessories/dp/B0D8GY1WSN I've contemplated if someone could extend them to effect this very task.

But Michael, do appreciate that turning ESS off and "turning off" the problems the system can present are two entirely different things that aren't addressed at the console ESS off button.

In addition to people's dislike of this system is its design with a dissimilar size, in parallel dedicated battery to run ESS events, that has, with an often shorter (MTBF) mean time between failure than the main battery , also taken out an otherwise good main battery through the cannibalistic draw that can happen under the parallel connections that the two batteries are always connected with but for an instant at cold crank and active ESS events themselves

 

[Wabujitsu]

Other than wheels, lift kits and sometimes those ducks I believe disabling the auto start/stop must be the most popular beating-a-dead-horse thread that I sometime read here. With the success's of fuse deletes, battery deletes, etc as well as the Tazer or other after-market devices. And failures as-in "gee, now other stuff is not working correctly".
I have found the perfect no-cost and most reliable device called "my finger" to disable. It's located barely a couple inches from the factory button that turns it off. Somehow I've been able to live with it on the last 3 (of 5) Jeeps that I have owned.

Michael, I have to agree, but I won’t apologize for starting this thread

I have been a member of this forum for years, and have never seen the “hood switch method” posted anywhere, so it seemed like a worthy inquiry.

At this time I have no desire to neutralize the ESS systems in our Jeeps (my wife’s Jeep has eTorque anyway), but others are obsessed with the idea of doing so in their Jeeps. Due to that deep-seated, rabid obsession, and being concerned with the mental health of other Jeep drivers, I also felt compelled to start this thread for that reason too, with the hope of having some small - but positive - impact on the world-wide mental health crisis.

I’m just a compassionate guy who channels Mother Teresa, I guess…

 

[Terrymo]

Other than wheels, lift kits and sometimes those ducks I believe disabling the auto start/stop must be the most popular beating-a-dead-horse thread that I sometime read here. With the success's of fuse deletes, battery deletes, etc as well as the Tazer or other after-market devices. And failures as-in "gee, now other stuff is not working correctly".
I have found the perfect no-cost and most reliable device called "my finger" to disable. It's located barely a couple inches from the factory button that turns it off. Somehow I've been able to live with it on the last 3 (of 5) Jeeps that I have owned.

Member since April 2025. You have a low tolerance for nonsense. I suggest you stay out of the battery talk subforum and wish you the best of luck here

 

[Wabujitsu]

I both can respect what you say and find fault with it.

I too believe that the need for aftermarket tech to turn ESS off, and the complaints about doing so manually to be overrated. Years ago I wanted to come up with a lever of sorts that attached to the start stop button, and about a second after engine crank pressed the ESS off button you refer to.

With my recent discovery of these aftermarket devices https://www.amazon.com/Agamino-One-Button-Joystick-Decorative-Accessories/dp/B0D8GY1WSN I've contemplated if someone could extend them to effect this very task.

But Michael, do appreciate that turning ESS off and "turning off" the problems the system can present are two entirely different things that aren't addressed at the console ESS off button.

In addition to people's dislike of this system is its design with a dissimilar size, in parallel dedicated battery to run ESS events, that has, with an often shorter (MTBF) mean time between failure than the main battery , also taken out an otherwise good main battery through the cannibalistic draw that can happen under the parallel connections that the two batteries are always connected with but for an instant at cold crank and active ESS events themselves

Andy, in-short and simplified, it sounds like the ”hood switch method” is a gloriously craptastic idea.

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