Drive your JL during shelter-in-place to charge batteries

[viper88]

There might be a run on car battery chargers. It looks like the rest of the population is starting to realize their batteries are running down from not driving. I was going to pick up another Noco charger-maintainer and a lot of items are OUT OF STOCK now.

https://no.co/products/charging/multipurpose

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[jeepdabest]

I love BatteryMinder. Both batteries will charge when hooked up to main just like the alternator does.

 

[Yngwie]

If you get a battery tender that plugs into a cigarette lighter, make sure you plug it into an unswitched one (although, I do not know whether they work with the JL or not).

Anecdotally, my other vehicle uses a cig lighter battery tender. My wife used it and plugged it back in, but plugged the tender into the wrong lighter, a switched lighter. After the car sat for a while, I went to move it to take my cycle to the shop, but found the battery dead. Oops. Had to jump start it with the Jeep.

 

[Kluk Ztopolovky]

Many if not most communities are Shelter-In-Place now. It's a good idea to drive your rig one a week to keep the batteries charged up. The last thing you want is for the rig to sit too long and have a drained battery.

Another great option is connecting a smart battery maintainer / conditioner. I highly recommend a battery maintainer / conditioner over a basic trickle charger. I like the Noco products and they have some new models that are very reasonable in cost. Here is a link to their products. Shop around for the best price.

https://no.co/products/charging/multipurpose

I am not liking what I am reading here about the JL poor battery battery performance. I always though it is pretty idiotic to install such a complicated electrical system on an all terrain vehicle . Plus that silly push button with a door key that nobody can replicate but the shadow government for hundreds of dollars . Some smart ass somewhere in twilight zone thought it would be a wonderful idea to over design few things here and there.

 

[Kluk Ztopolovky]

My Jeep just sat 5 months over winter. Battery was still fine.

If your battery gets weak after a week or 2 of sitting, you need a new battery.

thank you, that's common sense but that's so very rare these days too : )

 

[Gropax]

well i haven't been driving much and i can tell all ready that my aux battery is low it doesn't do ESS when i get to stop signs anymore. i have my moms car on my battery minder and i might just end up buying a second one. it seems trips to the store every 2 weeks for supplies isn't enough to keep both batteries charged. also been looking at a Genesis dual battery kit and go with 1 red top and 1 yellow top and get rid of that aux battery all together.

 

[sf5211]

Not trying to fire this up again and I know there’s 18,000 threads on this but I’ll say it again......ESS IS GARBAGE!!!

 

[viper88]

I don't have access to my Wrangler now to check. Anyone know if the 12V cigarette lighter is switched? Does it stay on and work with the JL OFF? Thanks.

 

[chris4prez]

I installed an on board charger to keep both batteries topped off and the ESS working. Not my DD so it sits a lot.

I’d love todo something like this can you let me know what your setup is?

 

[BrntWS6]

I’d love todo something like this can you let me know what your setup is?

Here ya go....

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...arger-mount-inlet-install-lots-of-pics.44466/

 

[Gee-pah]

If you get a battery tender that plugs into a cigarette lighter, make sure you plug it into an unswitched one (although, I do not know whether they work with the JL or not).

Anecdotally, my other vehicle uses a cig lighter battery tender. My wife used it and plugged it back in, but plugged the tender into the wrong lighter, a switched lighter. After the car sat for a while, I went to move it to take my cycle to the shop, but found the battery dead. Oops. Had to jump start it with the Jeep.

...which would be the cigarette lighter plug in the cargo area of the rig, if equipped, AND, consistent with the owner's manual, the fuse that controls this cargo area plug NOT being changed from the factory settings to be un-switched like the dash cigarette lighter.

Less fancy speak: The front cigarette lighter only works with the rig is on. The one in the back works, by default from the factory, all the time--rig on or off.

I presume then that the front cigarette lighter can't accept a charge with rig off.

 

[Gee-pah]

I love BatteryMinder. Both batteries will charge when hooked up to main just like the alternator does.

True...but to point, in the 3.6L JL, when the rig's at rest, both batteries are connected in parallel. This means that if your charger (BatteryMinder brand or not) is hooked up to one battery (presumptively the easier to reach main one) both batteries will be charged.

For argument sake though you could hook your charger up to the hard to reach ESS battery, or its direct connections in the PDS box (Power Distribution Center) just in front of the firewall on the passenger's side under the hood, or the positive of one battery and the negative of the other...it's all good and not a function of the brand of charger one uses to effect this.

 

[Gee-pah]

I installed an on board charger to keep both batteries topped off and the ESS working. Not my DD so it sits a lot.

Awesome place to situate the interface.

Here's @BrntWS6's male weather protected plug:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009ANV81S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[jeepdabest]

True...but to point, in the 3.6L JL, when the rig's at rest, both batteries are connected in parallel. This means that if your charger (BatteryMinder brand or not) is hooked up to one battery (presumptively the easier to reach main one) both batteries will be charged.

For argument sake though you could hook your charger up to the hard to reach ESS battery, or its direct connections in the PDS box (Power Distribution Center) just in front of the firewall on the passenger's side under the hood, or the positive of one battery and the negative of the other...it's all good and not a function of the brand of charger one uses to effect this.

Yes. That's obvious. Someone earlier had said that maybe they should charge separately.

 

[Gee-pah]

I don't have access to my Wrangler now to check. Anyone know if the 12V cigarette lighter is switched? Does it stay on and work with the JL OFF? Thanks.

The one in the dash is switched. The one in the cargo area, if equippped is not switched (on all the time) by factory default...

...changeable to switched, as per the owner's manual, by moving a fuse one slot over....

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