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ESS problems need input.

WranglerMan

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@Gee-pah i think that if one tends to park there Jeep for a long period of time a smaller charger is ok but there is a limit as one has to get one that puts out enough to overcome the normal parasitic demands these vehicles put on batteries plus just cranking the engine and taking a short ride usually results in pulling more from the batteries than what’s put back in with these smaller “ tricklers” over the short term.

I say buy what the vehicle and battery needs are based on demand and not your wallet, just stepping up from say. 1-2 amp one to a 5 amp one for a stock setup is a huge increase in performance and if you swap out the original stock to something beefier but still keep the stock setup you need to step it up IMHO.
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@Gee-pah i think that if one tends to park there Jeep for a long period of time a smaller charger is ok but there is a limit as one has to get one that puts out enough to overcome the normal parasitic demands these vehicles put on batteries plus just cranking the engine and taking a short ride usually results in pulling more from the batteries than what’s put back in with these smaller “ tricklers” over the short term.

I say buy what the vehicle and battery needs are based on demand and not your wallet, just stepping up from say. 1-2 amp one to a 5 amp one for a stock setup is a huge increase in performance and if you swap out the original stock to something beefier but still keep the stock setup you need to step it up IMHO.
So if I read this right, a 5 amp trickle charger should be sufficient enough to ''bring it back'', and then maintain it. right ?
 

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Wow, that is quite fancy, but such a good install would most likely cause someone at one point to actually leave with the trickle charger connected to the wall..... really kicking myself cause I just recently sold a trickle charger that I wasn't using.

Any make particularily recommended ?
As to your fear of leaving the trickle charger plugged in, I run my extension cord around my driver's door handle so I don't forget that it's attached.

If you prefer, for about another $300 I'll offer this solution "tongue in cheek," to wit: the automatic plug push out devices common on municipal fire equipment:

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/tender-or-batt-disconnect.52919/post-1523984

I like NOCO and Deltran products. There are many good/adequate trickle chargers.
 

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@Gee-pah i think that if one tends to park there Jeep for a long period of time a smaller charger is ok but there is a limit as one has to get one that puts out enough to overcome the normal parasitic demands these vehicles put on batteries plus just cranking the engine and taking a short ride usually results in pulling more from the batteries than what’s put back in with these smaller “ tricklers” over the short term.

I say buy what the vehicle and battery needs are based on demand and not your wallet, just stepping up from say. 1-2 amp one to a 5 amp one for a stock setup is a huge increase in performance and if you swap out the original stock to something beefier but still keep the stock setup you need to step it up IMHO.
Well said, Will.
 

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So if I read this right, a 5 amp trickle charger should be sufficient enough to ''bring it back'', and then maintain it. right ?
Steph1: if you have defective batteries/dead batteries, no rated amperage charger will bring them back.

If you have batteries with life in them, defined as still able to accept and deliver reasonable amounts of charge, then the answer to your question is highly likely yes.

If you have defective batteries I'll argue though that in addition to replacing them, trickle charging is still a good idea, hence monies are not wasted on this route, which may very restore your ESS into service without having to buy new batteries. : - )

ESS not engaging on low use 3.6L JLs is a common problem. Let's go with the most obvious solution first, whose monies won't be wasted regardless if whether you have a battery or electrical issue as well.
 

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Steph1

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As to your fear of leaving the trickle charger plugged in, I run my extension cord around my driver's door handle so I don't forget that it's attached.

If you prefer, for about another $300 I'll offer this solution "tongue in cheek," to wit: the automatic plug push out devices common on municipal fire equipment:

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/tender-or-batt-disconnect.52919/post-1523984

I like NOCO and Deltran products. There are many good/adequate trickle chargers.
I'm looking at the NOCO genius right now, wondering if a 2V is enough, or I should get the 5V ???
 

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I'm looking at the NOCO genius right now, wondering if a 2V is enough, or I should get the 5V ???
We can both concur Steph1 that your intended metric was amps not volts correct?

I like what Will said above. The amperage difference rates how much the device can deliver, but delivery of current is by demand such that a 5 amp device isn't one that you should fear will over-deliver current.

If the price difference isn't much, spend money on current and/or quality I say. Read Will's post above.
 
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Steph1

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We can both concur Steph1 that your intended metric was amps not volts correct?

I like what Will said above. The amperage difference rates how much the device can deliver, but delivery of current is by demand such that a 5 amp device isn't one that you should fear will over-deliver current.

If the price difference isn't much, spend money on current and/or quality I say. Read Will's post above.
Yes my bad, Amps..... OK, then NOCO 5amp it is..... Amazon should deliver it by tomorrow. $25 difference is a joke... was just worried the 5A would be too powerful.

Thanks again, hopefully this solves that ESS problem. Will let you know when I'm ready to connect it. That 2hour trip is tomorrow.... NHL draft...whoohoo!
 

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Just put a jumper on it, move the ESS positive and negative and jerk out that BS baby battery and be done….ESS is a total BS design.
@Steph1 I want to add some color commentary to this post, which by no means is a bad idea. Will knows his stuff.

As a self admitted new comer Steph, Will's ideas might best be served with an explanation.

With 99% certainty I believe Will is proposing that you attach thick, low gauge wired, with a fuse in the middle (30 amps/ 50 amps) between the N1 and N2 points on the high amp fuses, and call it a day.

@Jebiruph , who IMHO is our resident guru on this stuff, first brought this idea to our attention. What is does is parallel connect both batteries 100% of the time. If you'll recall, there were two times I wrote of prior where the batteries weren't in parallel: an instant at cold crank, and ESS events.

While this is an excellent remedy for frustration with ESS batteries, and especially had merit IMHO in the 2018 3.6JLs, which would be stranded with a dead ESS battery baring the TSB I wrote of near the top or this jumpering, I don't love this solution unless ESS is disabled by pressing the button to turn it off, or acquiring tech do it automatically.

I say this because by hard wiring both batteries you can give the vehicle's computer a false sense that the ESS battery is more energized that it truly is, as the vehicle reads a composite voltage of both batteries when it attempts to read the ESS batteries voltage in isolation of the main battery. This could result in ESS events being engage when perhaps they wouldn't be without this jumper.

Additionally, voltage drops during ESS events will trigger premature re-cranking of the engine to get the alternator back in the business of recharging the batteries. With both batteries connected with this jumper, in theory, ESS events could run longer than Stellantis engineers designed for, draining both batteries and possibly robbing the main battery from post ESS event cranking power, that by factory design isolates the main battery during ESS events precisely so as to preserve this cranking power.

If you hate ESS and would as soon disable it....this is a solid suggestion IMHO. If you want to get ESS back and try using it, opt for trickle charging over jumpering for now.
 
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Steph1

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@Steph1 I want to add some color commentary to this post, which by no means is a bad idea. Will knows his stuff.

As a self admitted new comer Steph, Will's ideas might best be served with an explanation.

With 99% certainty I believe Will is proposing that you attach thick, low gauge wired, with a fuse in the middle (30 amps/ 50 amps) between the N1 and N2 points on the high amp fuses, and call it a day.

@Jebiruph , who IMHO is our resident guru on this stuff, first brought this idea to our attention. What is does is parallel connect both batteries 100% of the time. If you'll recall, there were two times I wrote of prior where the batteries weren't in parallel: an instant at cold crank, and ESS events.

While this is an excellent remedy for frustration with ESS batteries, and especially had merit IMHO in the 2018 3.6JLs, which would be stranded with a dead ESS battery baring the TSB I wrote of near the top or this jumpering, I don't love this solution unless ESS is disabled by pressing the button to turn it off, or acquiring tech do it automatically.

I say this because by hard wiring both batteries you can give the vehicle's computer a false sense that the ESS battery is more energized that it truly is, as the vehicle reads a composite voltage of both batteries when it attempts to read the ESS batteries voltage in isolation of the main battery. This could result in ESS events being engage when perhaps they wouldn't be without this jumper.

Additionally, voltage drops during ESS events will trigger premature re-cranking of the engine to get the alternator back in the business of recharging the batteries. With both batteries connected with this jumper, in theory, ESS events could run longer than Stellantis engineers designed for, draining both batteries and possibly robbing the main battery from post ESS event cranking power, that by factory design isolates the main battery during ESS events precisely so as to preserve this cranking power.

If you hate ESS and would as soon disable it....this is a solid suggestion IMHO. If you want to get ESS back and try using it, opt for trickle charging over jumpering for now.
Yes, before attempting anything, I wanna try to make it work as intended. I did quite a bit of reading and might be mixing information I gathered within a short period, but isnt it by jumping N1 and N2 that cause ESS to only work 5-6 consecutive times and then wont work until the next power up of the engine ?
 

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@Steph1 if you were local to the CONUS I would gladly send you a 40amp fused jumper for free along with the wing nuts to secure as I no longer need them since going to my dual system that moves the ESS positive to the main crank and disconnects the ESS negative at both ends, my factory batteries and tray are long gone and I have no desire to ever go back to that setup.

If you are using the stock batteries I would add up the combined amp hours and take the number times .20% to come up with the required minimum charge for the initial bulk charge but be advised that this number may be over what the charge is needed if you decide to charge the batteries separately, I think if you went with a NOCO 10 and charged the batteries separately it would be over kill for the smaller ESS but be fine for the main crank battery but the NOCO 5 would be suited for both as its sized about right for ESS but under for the main crank and as we all know the different ah rated batteries is poor design.

I won’t beat a dead horse but I sincerely wished FCA had at minimum put in two batteries that were identical in size as it would have made it easier to maintain.

@Gee-pah thank you for the kind words but @Jebiruph has forgotten more about this design that I will ever know and I learn from reading his knowledgeable posts on this all the time and since I went to my new setup I don’t keep up much with jumping terminals and dealing with the ESS battery anymore, I just do my biweekly upkeep and it’s been working fine so far as my recent load testing of my batteries are at or above 97%
 
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WranglerMan

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Yes, before attempting anything, I wanna try to make it work as intended. I did quite a bit of reading and might be mixing information I gathered within a short period, but isnt it by jumping N1 and N2 that cause ESS to only work 5-6 consecutive times and then wont work until the next power up of the engine ?
If you jumper N1 to N2 and disconnect the ESS negative off the main crank battery you are correct ESS will be disabled and flag a msg in the EVIC but it only disables ESS after (6) cycles but causes no harm other than the msg displayed and ESS being disabled until an ignition cycle but those that have done this have already turned off ESS and don’t use it, if you like ESS then my suggestion is to use it as designed and when the batteries give you problems replace as needed.
 
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If you jumper N1 to N2 and disconnect the ESS negative off the main crank battery you are correct ESS will be disabled and flag a msg in the EVIC but it only disables ESS after (6) cycles but causes no harm other than the msg displayed and ESS being disabled until an ignition cycle but those that have done this have already turned off ESS and don’t use it, if you like ESS then my suggestion is to use it as designed and when the batteries give you problems replace as needed.
OK thanks. Yes, as much as I disliked ESS when I first got the Jeep because I am from a generation that an engine that shuts-off suddenly is definitely not a good thing, I found myself pushing the brake pedal deeper to trigger it as I learned to appreciate it in traffic. So as said in an earlier post, I will definitely try the trickle charger that I just ordered and see if I can bring it back to life.

Cant wait to tell my brother that just got a 4Xe just a few months ago, that I too, plug my jeep at night :)
 

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OK thanks. Yes, as much as I disliked ESS when I first got the Jeep because I am from a generation that an engine that shuts-off suddenly is definitely not a good thing, I found myself pushing the brake pedal deeper to trigger it as I learned to appreciate it in traffic. So as said in an earlier post, I will definitely try the trickle charger that I just ordered and see if I can bring it back to life.

Cant wait to tell my brother that just got a 4Xe just a few months ago, that I too, plug my jeep at night :)
The irony that you are saving one form of energy (gasoline) at the expense of another (trickle charging A/C current) Steph1, is lost on none of us! Trickle charging though I think will maximize your batteries; so there's that.
 

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OK thanks. Yes, as much as I disliked ESS when I first got the Jeep because I am from a generation that an engine that shuts-off suddenly is definitely not a good thing, I found myself pushing the brake pedal deeper to trigger it as I learned to appreciate it in traffic. So as said in an earlier post, I will definitely try the trickle charger that I just ordered and see if I can bring it back to life.

Cant wait to tell my brother that just got a 4Xe just a few months ago, that I too, plug my jeep at night :)
If you like ESS and understand what it takes to manage it then yes I would attempt to smart charge the batteries and I would start off by charging them separately to determine if each one is cable of being charged to 100 % and after charged you can take it a step further by keeping the battery disconnected for 4-6 hrs hrs to see how far the voltage drops with zero load and if there is a drop to say 12.5 or lower with no load I would say there is a battery issue.

The Jl or at least my 2018 is designed to charge to 12.9 but but If you meter it just after driving a good distance it will be 13+ but after the surface charge drops it will be in the 12.8 range +/-.1 and will slowly continue to drop from there but it’s a sloooow drop and it’s not uncommon for it to be in the 12.4-12.6 range after being parked for awhile and is worst as the weather gets colder.
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