ESS and managing expectations

[Gee-pah]

Same here, mine stopped working, took it in for an oil change right before covid and they fixed it, worked for a week, and then it stopped working again.

I just took a 1,500 mile round trip this weekend and it started working on the way back. Let's see how long it lasts. I'm due for an oil change anyway, so I'll get them to look into it.

And I actually like the ESS... I notice a slight mileage increase, even though I live in the hot Texas heat.

Hi Abraham:

You're story sounds familiar. Are you by any chance a frequent short trips user?

I'd want to guess that the dealer simply put your main battery (3.6L JL I am presuming) up to a charger. This engine type has both batteries connected in parallel at all times but ESS events and an instant pre-crank (cold or post ESS event). So applying a charging current to your main battery's terminals also likely charged the ESS battery.

I found that hooking up the vehicle to a trickle charger when at rest gets ESS to work more frequently. Perhaps both of our ESS batteries are running less than ideally, but what I suspect is happening is that ESS doesn't engage because it sees charge, but not enough charge in the ESS battery, barring things like your longer trip in which charge could be applied to the battery by the alternator over longer periods of time, to allow the vehicle to have ESS events.

Of course I can't speak to where you park your vehicle, and whether shore power is available to run a trickle charger. And yes, I wish this wasn't necessary, but it's become part of my routine anyway given the infrequency with which I use motor vehicles in COVID, and commensurate motivation to keep them on trickle chargers anyway.

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[HardSell]

So of course the smaller power output will yield better fuel economy, but today's drivers (maybe not all) want both decent acceleration and fuel mileage.

The point of my post is it has been 60+ years, man!