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Be Cautious with ESS

Sean L

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Hi Sean. Thx for the post. That is what I did. My foot was on the gas for at least a second or two. Engine stayed off and my rig started rolling slowly. Didn’t start up until I activated the brake again and released it. I’ve done this same thing 40x since and it’s been flawless. I think the timing is key and seems hard to reproduce. Time will tell if anyone else sees this.
Very confusing now. It was Immediate for me. Is yours a Manual or an Auto?
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Sean L

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rallydefault

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I think, like with any technology, you shouldn't be afraid of it but you also shouldn't trust your life to it. Personally, I just turn the thing off, but I understand that in certain situations/driving environments it could eventually add up to some kind of fuel savings, and that's great. But I do also recognize the possibility to malfunction or deviation from intended operation, so I would never have this on in situations where a quick merge from a dead stop or something like that is a possibility.

Just like with my computers at home or the devices we all carry with us every day: they malfunction from time to time. ESS may work for you hundreds or thousands of times with no issue, but all it takes is one little hiccup at the wrong time to produce an unfortunate result. So again, don't discount new tech just because it's new, but don't give yourself to it fully just because it's new. Nothing will ever equal excellent driving sense and skills.
 

garfieldtcat

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I hate ESS too. I really, really hate it when I'm trying to park somewhere! It definitely needs some sort of delay. Even a few seconds would make a big difference.

I have an Audi A6 that has it, but once it's turned off it stays turned off forever. I turned it off during the test drive and never turned it back on. Having to turn it off in the Jeep every time is a pain but I've gotten used to it. Once in a while I forget to turn it off though. I don't want to deal with any potential warranty issues from using a TazerJL until I know this thing isn't a lemon, so for now I just hit the button all the time.

During the relatively limited time I've driven around with it enabled, I have had the same issue where the engine doesn't shut down when I have my foot on the brake. Then as soon as I touch the accelerator, the engine shuts off. I've never tried to figure out what causes it, or tried to reproduce it. When it happens, it's more of a reminder that I forgot to turn it off when I started the car, so I just hit the ESS off button and get on with my life.

It's only ever happened to me when I was stopped at a light though, so it was never dangerous when it happened.

Edited for clarity: When this has happened to me, it has always been at the same traffic light (about a mile from my house) along a route I drive very regularly. So it could be some magic set of circumstances I happen to replicate on this trip. Also my foot was firmly on the brake each time. Taking my foot off the brake did not cause the engine to stop. Touching the accelerator pedal is what caused it to stop. Unlike the OPs video though, my Jeep never moved before it shut off. I guess I had assumed it was just a timing thing, where the Jeep had decided it had enough battery charge and conditions were right to start engaging ESS right as I was going to press the accelerator pedal. Now I'm thinking it probably is a glitch.
 
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NFRs2000NYC

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I have no doubt that given the right circumstances, this ESS crap is going to get someone killed. There are often times where that second or two is what's needed to get out of the way of something, and ESS removes that ability. It is probably the dumbest feature ever fitted to a vehicle. The gas savings is essentially zero, it's actually a negative savings as it wears the components faster, coupled with the fact that it adds complexity with stupid and terribly designed dual battery systems, AND the fact that it CAN potentially get you killed, there is no way in hell I will ever have that crap running in any vehicle I own. Thank the politicians.
 

allieboy

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I like ESS if it saves me 1 gallon of fuel a year a gallon saved, if it helps save the Earth by 1 day I'm happy. Just maybe my grandkids kids will have a planet to live on.
Don't LIE about it not being a Global Warming issue. Follow a fool be a fool.

It's just a darn button if you don't like it sell the vehicle and buy a techless 1979 vehicle.
Doesn't matter anyway. The earth is over in 12 years. Bet a 2031 final edition Jeep will be COOL.
 

smithrd65

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Doesn't matter anyway. The earth is over in 12 years. Bet a 2031 final edition Jeep will be COOL.
Sounds of a Elementary school scholar.
 

Capt-Zoom

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Hate ESS as well but am also thankful that we don't have skipshift....that system nearly got me killed in my Challenger several times before I got a tuner to disable it.
 

nerubi

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Doesn't matter anyway. The earth is over in 12 years. Bet a 2031 final edition Jeep will be COOL.
Won't happen. The Green New Deal will get rid of all vehicles (except trains) by 2030.
 

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pablo_max3045

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Like most others, I am not a fan of the ESS system. Though, I have to say I was shocked by how quickly it started back up with the 2.0T relative to my wife's Audi. Way faster. My Rubicon is the 2.2 diesel so it is slower. I normally turn it off, but sometimes forget. This thing isn't a rocketship anyhow so I always leave myself plenty of room before making turns or pulling in. Especially give the aggressiveness of the average German driver.
I know it comes up a lot where people mention additional wear and tear on the engine. This simply is not true. This is not the 1970's. Modern engines are vastly better than old one, as is modern oil.
Once up to temp, there is no difference at all with ESS to wear and tear, literally none. The engine is already properly lubricated. Cold starts are another story, though even those are massively better than in the 70's.
One of my buddies works for a large car maker and worked on the ESS stuff. They definitely tested this stuff out.
The real reason for ESS is to "game" the system. Both in terms of reported economy and emissions. By using the ESS system, they are can report better results than what the car can actually achieve without it.
Of course, in the real world, you will never see any net gain. Modern engines use very little fuel while at idle and produce very little emissions. I would suspect that most of us, if we found ourselves sitting in traffic where we don't move for 5 or 10 minutes would shut out engine off anyways. Unless you're in Texas or something where it's super hot and you need the AC.
To sum up.. ESS does no harm at all to your engine. It does give you a more powerful starter and battery, but other than that offers no actual benefit.
 

Niteshooter

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I've had my JLUR for nearly a year, and my ESS has engaged less and less frequently over time, stopping entirely months ago. Anyone else have this experience? I actually didn't mind the feature.
That is interesting. Is it possible there is some form of ‘learn mode’ in the ess system?

What the OP posted does sound like a safety issue, having to do a right foot dance to engage/disengage the system does not sound optimal and as the brakes wear will peculiarities in the system start to show up more often?

Don’t own a JL yet but the Jeeps I have test driven didn’t give me a confident feeling when the engine shut down when I stopped at a stop sign. Maybe it’s not as bad if you rolled the sign like most drivers do....

I was wondering how this system was working out on diesel equipped vehicles but stumbled on this article instead which was interesting.

https://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/features/do-stop-start-systems-really-save-fuel.html
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