ESS, Aux Battery Help Needed……. Thank you…..

[rohdawg]

The correct answer is absolutely not go out and buy an aftermarket dual battery set-up.
Dual battery set-ups have an intended use and are not for everyone.
Why has that become the default response every time someone posts about a battery issue?

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[DWaX]

The correct answer is gather detailed information from all sources, personally weight the pros and cons of each and make the choice yourself. It's your Jeep!

Anyone who says DO THIS or NOT THAT, is usually not part of the solution.

WaX

 

[rohdawg]

The correct answer is gather detailed information from all sources, personally weight the pros and cons of each and make the choice yourself. It's your Jeep!

Anyone who says DO THIS or NOT THAT, is usually not part of the solution.

WaX

He’s still well within warranty. Make the dealership do their job. Troubleshoot, diagnose and repair the problem.

No need to purchase a $600 set up, plus two batteries, that is most likely overkill for most owners.

 

[aldo98229]

Sorry, but I wouldn’t take the Jeep to the dealership for this.

Dealers have a time and a place, but having them chase electronic gremlins that are hard to replicate will be an exercise in futility.

The dirty little secret is that dealers DO NOT want to replace batteries. It is too time consuming and to them, time is money.

Instead, dealers will keep the vehicle for days at a time, trickle charge the batteries, replace modules left and right and fix nothing. They will have you bring the Jeep back time after time over a span of weeks so that they can continue charging Stellantis for warranty work. You or your loved ones might even get stranded and need to have the Jeep towed.

Over the years we have seen many posts from fellow forum members throw the towel after weeks and months of this nonsense. It is completely unnecessary, but dealers continue to do it out of incompetence, greed, or both. The biggest danger is that you and your family might end up losing trust in your Jeep.

What I’d do:

I’d reset the Jeep first and see if that makes the electrical issues go away. If it doesn’t, then I’d replace the batteries myself and see if that solves the issues. I’d say chances are better than two-thirds that it will. If it does you are good to go. If it doesn’t, then I’d look at other options, including taking it to the dealer.

Deleting the dual battery setup at this juncture should be the absolute last resort.

It is very unfortunate but dealers have turned these mundane electrical problems into a minefield that we need to navigate.

Good luck.

 

[SoCalDriver]

Does your Jeep sit for long periods? What are you driving habits like? I’m trying to figure out how this happened so soon.

 

[DWaX]

He’s still well within warranty. Make the dealership do their job. Troubleshoot, diagnose and repair the problem.

No need to purchase a $600 set up, plus two batteries, that is most likely overkill for most owners.

Yes, he is under warranty. The OP's concern was

I have read up a little bit and what the solution is and I am very very confused through all the choices. So what is the hot set up eliminate this for the future?

So 'most' here are attempting to dispel the confusion of choices and eliminate his problem going forward.

I am simply one of those with an 'opinion' that the dealer route is a waste, long diagnostics time, followed by the installation of another suspect riding lawn mower battery. Before setting foot in the dealer I would personally replace the $99 battery myself as it takes about 30 minutes to do.
My opinion is a robust solution that for 1k is more that worth it for piece of mind, mitigating a like break down in the middle of no where, where recovery will like be 50% or more of the 1k not to mention the loss of fun which has value.

Again all information is based on my personal experience, as I do not ultimately care what the OP does , But I certainly wont be telling another grown man or woman what is right or wrong...

WaX

 

[The Last Cowboy]

Going the dealer route. Make appointment. Two weeks later you drive 30-45 min to the dealer. When you get there you will be be asked to leave it. You ask when it will be done and they say they will call you. 3 days later they call and say it’s ready, batteries needed bench charged. You get a ride (or maybe they actually gave a loner), drive back, wait to pick it up, then leave. 3 days later it wont start or slow cranks. Repeat process again. This time, at the appointment time you are asked once again to leave it. 3 days later they call and say that there are no replacement batteries for 2 weeks due to “supply chain issues/covid/lack of interest/etc)”

Or, you go to you local parts store, maybe a 10-20 min drive, buy two new batteries that are better quality than OEM (research who has batteries made by Deka/East Penn), take them home, put them on a charger until 100% and install them. This takes half a day and costs about $250, but the issue is taken care of for another 3-5 years.

If you don’t have a charger, call ahead and ask that they be fully charged before you pick them up. Most new batteries will be around 80-90%.

 

[KHR Racing]

Does your Jeep sit for long periods? What are you driving habits like? I’m trying to figure out how this happened so soon.

Daily driver…… 6 to 7 days a week.

 

[Stuckinthesand]

Third option. If you don't use or care for the start / stop system just disable it. Pull fuse F42 for ESS(PCR), disconnect the negative terminal for the aux battery at the main battery negative terminal and tape it off. That is it nothing else needs done and no more aux to worry about. Just make sure to either hit the disable ess button, buy a tazer or buy a smart start stop eliminator. There is a reason you don't hear from us that have done this. We have no more issues relating to the aux setup.

 

[KHR Racing]

So many super great wonderful replies, I appreciate everyone’s help, and I will get back to most of you as soon as I can, at work right now, and very difficult to reply but thank you big time to everyone!!!!!!

 

[jaymz]

Or, you go to you local parts store, maybe a 10-20 min drive, buy two new batteries that are better quality than OEM (research who has batteries made by Deka/East Penn), take them home, put them on a charger until 100% and install them. This takes half a day and costs about $250, but the issue is taken care of for another 3-5 years.

I don't know who makes the current factory batteries, but the OEM in my 2018 was manufactured by Deka/East Penn. I replaced it with a NAPA 9894R which is also made by East Penn. I don't recall off the top of my head who built the OEM aux battery, but I used NAPA AUX12 which is also an East Penn product.

 

[Fudster]

2022 2 Door Wrangler 5,962 miles, almost 9 months old. First time today our jeep would not start with a battery symbol lighting up on the dash….. Ran a battery charger to the main battery and it still would not start……Ran the positive of the battery charger to the first small post in the small post row ( N1 ? )to which I believe is the secondary battery and it started right away. I have read up a little bit and what the solution is and I am very very confused through all the choices. So what is the hot set up eliminate this for the future? Thank you again very much.

I'm going to tell you why much of this thread disgusts me Robert, having just read it--having nothing to do with you.

With the exception of those who felt that buying the Genesis Offroad system, while a wonderful product, was overkill in this situation (and they're right and I support them,) everyone else, barring Jerry, who provided you with a link, sought to tell you what to do while nobody, and there are some here that I know, know what I'm about to say, sought to explain to you. So here goes.

Your two batteries are connected in parallel at all times but a instant at cold crank (not post ESS event crank but cold crank) and during ESS events. Think of this as two cables: one that connects the positive terminals off both batteries, and one for the negative terminals: those two cables not touching.

Not precisely correct, but think of parallel connections as combining battery amp-hours while keeping voltage constant, and series connections (positive of one battery to negative of next, i.e. Christmas lights) doing the opposite.

When you crank, for an instant your JL isolates the ESS/Aux battery to test it. If dead, the vehicle won't crank. Your main battery could be perfectly fine, it won't matter.

In early 2018 JLs, you were stranded. Since then, Stellantis changed the start logic (and offered a dealer downloadable TSB to early 2018 customers) such that a subsequent attempt to crank on your part will go against the main battery. If successful, the vehicle will disconnect from the ESS battery, crank on the first try thereafter, using only the main battery for cranking and operation--put an ESS off light on your dash, and continue with the behavior until the next, if any, cold crank where an energized ESS battery is detected.

Of course if the main battery is shot too, which I think was your case, you're stranded.

So you ran a charger to the main battery. At rest, as discussed, your JL parallel connects the main battery to the ESS/Aux---so effectively you ran your charger to both batteries.

Then you attempted to crank. And as discussed, the ESS/Aux battery was isolated for an instant for pre-crank testing, disconnecting it from the main battery, and yes, your charger. It had inadequate power, and a crank wasn't attempted.

This is why, very mysteriously IMHO, I feel that the owner's manual would have you keep your charger running for several minutes before attempting the crank. The purpose IMHO is to charge the ESS/Aux battery sufficiently enough during this time that it can, all on its isolated lone self, pass the pre engine crank ESS/Aux battery test.

Hooking your charger up to N1 is a direct connection to the ESS/Aux battery not broken by the vehicle during the pre crank ESS/Aux battery test. That's while I believe such action on your part succeeded in getting your Wrangler started.

All that said, you wish guidance regarding what to do going forward in a situation like this.

Getting your batteries independently load tested, and swapping out both if so much as one is bad notwithstanding, if faced with this again, considering that you have a 2022 (not a 2018), if the main battery has power, a subsequent attempt to crank should work. Barring that you can do as you did connecting directly to N1, or keep the charger on the batteries for a few minutes to get the pre-crank test of the ESS/Aux battery to pass, not fail, under the presumption that your charger has given it enough juice to, all on its own, pass this test.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

I last replaced a battery in my F150. The OEM Motorcraft lasted 2 years. The O'Reilly's Super Start (East Penn) has been going strong for 5 years now, that's a record for me on a battery, especially here in the South Texas heat.

Yesterday I got got it my Jeep and the fob wasn't recognized. Pushed the start button with the fob and got a slow crank. I knew this was coming, as the stop/start quit working over a year ago. My Jeep sat on the lot for several months before I bought it, so I always knew from the start that the batteries were not going to live long. 2.5 years and 18k miles is where I'm at. So this week it's off to NAPA or O'Reilly's for 2 new batteries.

I will fully charge them before install, that has always seemed to make a difference when replacing batteries in the past. I don't drive 70k miles a year anymore. I may even get a trickle charger like I've used on my motorcycles in the past, but not 100% sure on that.

 

[aldo98229]

I last replaced a battery in my F150. The OEM Motorcraft lasted 2 years. The O'Reilly's Super Start (East Penn) has been going strong for 5 years now, that's a record for me on a battery, especially here in the South Texas heat.

Yesterday I got got it my Jeep and the fob wasn't recognized. Pushed the start button with the fob and got a slow crank. I knew this was coming, as the stop/start quit working over a year ago. My Jeep sat on the lot for several months before I bought it, so I always knew from the start that the batteries were not going to live long. 2.5 years and 18k miles is where I'm at. So this week it's off to NAPA or O'Reilly's for 2 new batteries.

I will fully charge them before install, that has always seemed to make a difference when replacing batteries in the past. I don't drive 70k miles a year anymore. I may even get a trickle charger like I've used on my motorcycles in the past, but not 100% sure on that.

Same here. I swapped out both crappy OE batteries two years ago with a pair of Super Start batteries from O’Reillys; all the electrical problems went away in one swoop. And the Jeep has been running without issues ever since.

It cost me —back then— $306 to replace both batteries: $199 for the main one, and $107 for the auxiliary battery. It took a 10mm socket and 3 hours on a Saturday morning to drive to O'Reillys, buy both batteries, drive home, swap out the batteries, drive back to O’Reillys, get refunded for the old cores, and drive back home.

If I have to do that every 3-5 years, I don’t have a problem with it.

 

[alleycat]

My dealer replaced my 2020 JL aux battery under warranty at 8900, no question, no problem at all, same day service. Three months ago.

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