Aux. battery, ESS System

[OldGuyNewJeep]

I can Tazer it, which is fine except for the warranty.

All Tazer does is remember state of the button on the dash. It’s a great device and I am an early adopter from 2018.

SmartStopStart is another great device. Cheaper, and does just this one function.

Warranty is not a consideration. Tazer is a programmer, not a tuner. Unmarry and unplug and you’re back to stock.

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[dchemphill1]

My Jeep is in the shop today because Ess quit functioning and message said battery charging...my guess is the little battery is shot. Should be covered under warranty...they will try and say that my winch is the cause....however it has been on there for over a year and never a problem. Waiting to hear from dealership on what the problem is???

 

[patternman]

I know this has been talked about on & off on here, and I know people have had issues with the ESS and puny ass Aux. battery, some almost right out of the box. However it seems like there is a new rash and more and more people are starting to have issues as mileage climbs. I have done a little research and I don't like what I am seeing. I am not an engineer but the puny Aux. battery just seems to be doomed for early failure.

I have recently been educated on the Genesis battery system and it looks like a all be it pretty expensive fix to the Wrangler Aux. battery ESS failure issues it might be well worth it.

So my question is, what do you all think? is the Genesis system a good alternative? and fix for the Jeep system? For me it looks like it would give me a lot more piece of mind when out of state, out on trails, and when running any Aux. items, lights etc.

Last thing I want is to be in TN, NC area or any trail and become stranded because of this issue.

Thanks

The Aux battery can be replaced through the fender well. There are three bolts holding the aux battery portion of the main battery tray that can be accessed from the bottom. I have not done this but removed my batteries doing the Genesis aftermarket install.

Battery tray from top.

Battery tray from bottom showing the three bolts.

 

[longfiredragon]

Tommywear so if I understand you correctly this was more of a first year, 2018 3.6L issue. And has since been addressed with the SB and then fixed on newer years, correct?

My Jeep goes in my garage every night and I have multiple chargers if I need to charge. I have one charger that is wall mounted and does all kinds of diff. batteries, at diff. charge levels, it does so much I haven't even read all the way through the manual yet. I can wall mount it, it stays plugged in, in a standby mode and all I would have to do is pull in, and plug in. So shore charging is not an issue.

But do I really need to?

Thanks

 

[slainte06]

Picking up Jeep in an hour, both batteries being replaced under warranty, 2019 , 17700 miles. Good news is, they failed in my driveway.

 

[longfiredragon]

I get it, thanks for all the Info. and suggestions.

 

[No IFS]

There’s so many threads it’s confusing. I read the links and I’m still a little confused. All I want to do is delete the aux battery. I’m going to remove it throw it in the trash. But it seems like there’s 100 Ways to do it and 100 different opinions. What’s the absolute simplest cleanest way. Yes I’m going to remove the battery and recycle it. But the wiring what’s the simplest way can you just remove the battery and do nothing else?
Is there anyway to do without that jumper wire with the fuse that people keep blowing?
Can I remove the PCR completely?

 

[Rhinebeck01]

There’s so many threads it’s confusing. I read the links and I’m still a little confused. All I want to do is delete the aux battery. I’m going to remove it throw it in the trash. But it seems like there’s 100 Ways to do it and 100 different opinions. What’s the absolute simplest cleanest way. Yes I’m going to remove the battery and recycle it. But the wiring what’s the simplest way can you just remove the battery and do nothing else?
Is there anyway to do without that jumper wire with the fuse that people keep blowing?
Can I remove the PCR completely?

@No IFS

Not sure where you are coming up with this comment ..... "without that jumper wire with the fuse that people keep blowing? "

People are not having issues with the Fused N1-N2, Bypass Jumper ... with it's 40 amp fuse blowing...

Yes, clueless people are blowing a fuse in the High Amp Fuse Array.... again because they are clueless/careless.

....And this has no relevance in regard to the Fused N1-N2 Bypass Jumper that guys/gals use to enable the JL/JLU/JT to be able to run with just the Main battery.

 

[Roky]

There’s so many threads it’s confusing. I read the links and I’m still a little confused. All I want to do is delete the aux battery. I’m going to remove it throw it in the trash. But it seems like there’s 100 Ways to do it and 100 different opinions. What’s the absolute simplest cleanest way. Yes I’m going to remove the battery and recycle it. But the wiring what’s the simplest way can you just remove the battery and do nothing else?
Is there anyway to do without that jumper wire with the fuse that people keep blowing?
Can I remove the PCR completely?

I just did it as easily as I know of ……. Just bolt the positive cable from the auxiliary battery onto the main battery positive cable and disconnect the auxiliary negative cable from the main battery cable and tape it up , your done…….hardest part is fishing aux positive cable up to the main battery……

 

[patternman]

George:

I'm glad you showed these pictures.

When I popped my head under the JL and looked up, it seemed that there was room to make the battery compartment of your second picture (the picture showing the battery tray upside down) bigger..much bigger, like big enough for another battery equally sized to the main one....those 3 bolts and the extra weight of such a replacement for the ESS battery notwithstanding.

I'd like to replace my ESS battery with one identical in size to my main battery, and using battery switches, every so often switch which of the batteries plays the role of the main one and which plays the role of the ESS one....assuming the alternator can provide enough current to charge them both.

Equally sized and battery type dual batteries, periodically switching the battery's roles: that's what I call a Wrangler ESS system, not what Stellantis designed.

Stellantis talked of the extensive testing in all climates they did before rolling out the JL. Really...and ESS never failed on them? I'm sorry, I don't believe that, or that Stellantis didn't know that their solution was less than robust. It is simply impossible to believe otherwise.

I suppose you could fab something to do that, but why bury the second battery. It would be uncomfortably close to the exhaust if much larger than the small battery.
Fabricate a tray that permits dual batteries like Genesis did.
Genesis sells just the tray alone, I had thought about doing something similar but decided I have too many projects already. There is a thread here where @SpookyXJ used the Genesis tray to build his own system. The tray alone is still rather pricey though but what isn't for a Wrangler.
@SpookyXJ's Do it yourself dual battery system.
To keep the cost of my Genesis install down I used Group 25 Duracell's from Sam's Club
at $120 nearly 1/3 the cost of the Full River batteries. The Duracell specs while not as nice as the Full River batteries are still rather good.

 

[JEEF]

I have researched this quite a bit and I have completely removed my auxiliary battery and all of the associated wiring. I did this for other reasons, but I did have to replace the auxiliary battery twice under warrantee and the main battery once.

The simplest way is to just disconnect the smaller of the two cables on the negative post of the main battery and make a 10 or 8 gauge non-fused jumper from N1 to N3.

The ESS will function as normal and it actually worked better than before I bypassed the auxiliary battery because the dash always said the ESS was unavailable because of battery charging, or something like that. Even though I always turned the ESS off. I hate it and refuse to use it.

The smaller of the two cables on the negative post is the negative for the aux battery. I've read the entire post on bypassing the auxiliary system and there's some good info on there, but also a lot of clutter.

Yes, I said N1 to N3. That thread seems to promote N1 to N2.

N1 to N2 will also work, but the proper way is N1 to N3.

Also, the jumper does not need to be fused. No, it's not better to be safe than sorry. It does not need to be fused.

I'm not trying to say that someone shouldn't use the Genesis system, because it looks like a great system if you need an auxiliary batter for other things, but it is serious overkill if you just want to clean up the auxiliary battery mess FCA gave us.

I researched this because I am building my own coilover system and needed to eliminate the auxiliary battery and raise the main battery so I could fit longer travel coilovers and to not have a 6 inch lift, or no up travel.

I built a new battery tray and I removed all of the cabling for the aux battery, even though you can leave it all in place and just disconnect the aux negative and jumper N1 to N2.

If you want to return to stock for warrantee worries, you can just remove the jumper and hook the negative back up.

This method will NOT throw any codes once any codes are cleared and the ESS works as normal.

 

[Roky]

That positive cable on the auxiliary battery that's a challenge to get to is essentially N2 on the high amp fuses in the PDC.

Yes it is…I am aware…..there’s different ways to do what I did, I’m simply sharing how I did it…….

 

[No IFS]

I just did it as easily as I know of ……. Just bolt the positive cable from the auxiliary battery onto the main battery positive cable and disconnect the auxiliary negative cable from the main battery cable and tape it up , your done…….hardest part is fishing aux positive cable up to the main battery……

I have researched this quite a bit and I have completely removed my auxiliary battery and all of the associated wiring. I did this for other reasons, but I did have to replace the auxiliary battery twice under warrantee and the main battery once.

The simplest way is to just disconnect the smaller of the two cables on the negative post of the main battery and make a 10 or 8 gauge non-fused jumper from N1 to N3.

The ESS will function as normal and it actually worked better than before I bypassed the auxiliary battery because the dash always said the ESS was unavailable because of battery charging, or something like that. Even though I always turned the ESS off. I hate it and refuse to use it.

The smaller of the two cables on the negative post is the negative for the aux battery. I've read the entire post on bypassing the auxiliary system and there's some good info on there, but also a lot of clutter.

Yes, I said N1 to N3. That thread seems to promote N1 to N2.

N1 to N2 will also work, but the proper way is N1 to N3.

Also, the jumper does not need to be fused. No, it's not better to be safe than sorry. It does not need to be fused.

I'm not trying to say that someone shouldn't use the Genesis system, because it looks like a great system if you need an auxiliary batter for other things, but it is serious overkill if you just want to clean up the auxiliary battery mess FCA gave us.

I researched this because I am building my own coilover system and needed to eliminate the auxiliary battery and raise the main battery so I could fit longer travel coilovers and to not have a 6 inch lift, or no up travel.

I built a new battery tray and I removed all of the cabling for the aux battery, even though you can leave it all in place and just disconnect the aux negative and jumper N1 to N2.

If you want to return to stock for warrantee worries, you can just remove the jumper and hook the negative back up.

This method will NOT throw any codes once any codes are cleared and the ESS works as normal.

Thank you

 

[No IFS]

If I’m eliminating the aux battery and cables would you recommend I take it out through the top or bottom?

 

[Heimkehr]

To keep the cost of my Genesis install down I used Group 25 Duracell's from Sam's Club
at $120 nearly 1/3 the cost of the Full River batteries.

If or when I purchase the Genesis tray/wiring kit, I had intended to purchase two matching Interstate batteries at Costco. Like you, I want to avoid the [additional] cost of the Full River batteries.

My Costco doesn't sell motorcycle [size] batteries, so I'm wondering if they would provide a core charge credit for the small factory ESS battery, insomuch that I'm purchasing a much larger battery to replace it. I might call the store to make inquiries.

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