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ESS stopped working

WXman

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Since last week, my ESS function has quit working. I get two messages on my screen as to why. One reads "Battery Protection Mode" and the other reads "Battery is Charging". Those messages alternate. At all times, my voltage is at 14.3 to 14.6 volts. I have tried unmarrying the Tazer with no change. ESS is just dead.

Everything else on the Jeep is working normally as far as I can tell. Any ideas before I ask the dealer about it?
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Rhinebeck01

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@WXman

Do suggest you leave the Tazer JL unmarried and the Tazer JL hardware removed until you get this issue taken care of.

The Tazer JL is not causing the issue but for sure you do not want it in the picture so to speak until you remedy the issue.

I had a similar occurrence a couple of months ago.. Got the same two messages plus a message saying my Aux switches were being disabled temporarily. I placed the JL on a trickle charger for 16 hrs./until trickle charger indicated "Fully Charged" and then I started the JL. All messages were gone and all well again.

.
 

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My battery voltage always reads about 14 but no error messages and has never not started, it does this with or without my Tazer installed, I mentioned the voltage thing to the dealer service folks once and they said after checking all was normal but then these are the same idiots that put the wrong type and amount of oil in my Jeep.

I do plan on having them check it on my next visit and see what they say.
 

Eloib

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My battery voltage always reads about 14 but no error messages and has never not started, it does this with or without my Tazer installed, I mentioned the voltage thing to the dealer service folks once and they said after checking all was normal but then these are the same idiots that put the wrong type and amount of oil in my Jeep.

I do plan on having them check it on my next visit and see what they say.
This just means the alternator is charging it. Measure the battery voltage when there is no load on the battery and determine its state of charge from it.
 

WranglerMan

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This just means the alternator is charging it. Measure the battery voltage when there is no load on the battery and determine its state of charge from it.
Well it must be charging all the time then as it never changes, well maybe .2-.3 volts, I have read the display when the Jeep is off and nothing on like lights or radio and it reads 12.5-12.7

I need to get a digital meter for checking voltage so currently all I have t go by is what the display says
 

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WXman

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Apparently there is a relay that can blow, and the aux. battery commonly dies too. From what I understand, the aux battery is similar to a motorcycle battery, and in my experience those are horrendous and do not last long.

I have a service appt. set up for Monday of next week. I'm going to make them get me a rental to drive and keep it until it's repaired. Use that Jeep Wave Program while I can!
 

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Well it must be charging all the time then as it never changes, well maybe .2-.3 volts, I have read the display when the Jeep is off and nothing on like lights or radio and it reads 12.5-12.7

I need to get a digital meter for checking voltage so currently all I have t go by is what the display says
I am honestly surprised by the parasitic load the batteries are submitted to (probably due to Uconnect - just my guess, but the fact that the car is always reachable means it must have a watchdog timer scanning periodically for requests). I have read around of plenty of people getting batteries drained. In fact, my car was dead after not driving it one day. My winch might have shorted, or maybe it was the 12v charger plugged inside along with having low charge from not taking long drives, but damn. With a 240 amp alternator I never expected to be low on battery...
 

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The 14.3 to 14.6 volts is the alternator output, mine reads the same as yours. The IBS (Intelligent Battery Senor) on the Main battery negative terminal is how the system monitors for the battery charging. Others have reported mysterious battery draining, it looks like that may have happened to you or you may have a battery going bad. If you want to get the true status of both batteries, you need to (with the engine off) pull the positive terminal off of the Main battery, then measure the Main battery voltage directly from the battery and the Aux battery voltage from the disconnected battery terminal. Each should be around 12.5.
 

DirtRoad

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Since last week, my ESS function has quit working. I get two messages on my screen as to why. One reads "Battery Protection Mode" and the other reads "Battery is Charging". Those messages alternate. At all times, my voltage is at 14.3 to 14.6 volts. I have tried unmarrying the Tazer with no change. ESS is just dead.

Everything else on the Jeep is working normally as far as I can tell. Any ideas before I ask the dealer about it?
If you can hook up a battery charger to it, do that until the batteries are fully charged and then see if ESS works again. That little aux battery doesn't hold much juice. After a 6 hour drive, my ESS only lasted through about 3 stop lights, and a total of a few minutes before the aux battery got too low for ESS to work.

You can hook up a charger just like with any other car. Hook it up to the main battery and it should charge both batteries.
 

WranglerMan

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I am honestly surprised by the parasitic load the batteries are submitted to (probably due to Uconnect - just my guess, but the fact that the car is always reachable means it must have a watchdog timer scanning periodically for requests). I have read around of plenty of people getting batteries drained. In fact, my car was dead after not driving it one day. My winch might have shorted, or maybe it was the 12v charger plugged inside along with having low charge from not taking long drives, but damn. With a 240 amp alternator I never expected to be low on battery...
The 14.3 to 14.6 volts is the alternator output, mine reads the same as yours. The IBS (Intelligent Battery Senor) on the Main battery negative terminal is how the system monitors for the battery charging. Others have reported mysterious battery draining, it looks like that may have happened to you or you may have a battery going bad. If you want to get the true status of both batteries, you need to (with the engine off) pull the positive terminal off of the Main battery, then measure the Main battery voltage directly from the battery and the Aux battery voltage from the disconnected battery terminal. Each should be around 12.5.
My plan is to bring it up to the dealer service folks again on my next visit, currently I have no aftermarket items wired into the system other than my Tazer and it was doing it before I plugged that into the system, the voltage will rarely drop to 13.7 but runs 14.1-14.2 99% of the time and has never left me stranded also I have never received any error messages or indications that anything is wrong also currently I have ESS disabled thru the Tazer.
 

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I checked my batteries separately yesterday. Main battery was at 12.52 volts. Aux. battery was at 12.63 volts.

I suppose the PCR relay could be dead, but I have NOTHING connected to my fuse box that's aftermarket. I do have a single wire connected directly to the main battery for my trailer wiring, but that's it and it's been fine for 7,200 miles. So if this is a persistent issue, it's going to end up getting really annoying.
 

Jebiruph

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I checked my batteries separately yesterday. Main battery was at 12.52 volts. Aux. battery was at 12.63 volts.

I suppose the PCR relay could be dead, but I have NOTHING connected to my fuse box that's aftermarket. I do have a single wire connected directly to the main battery for my trailer wiring, but that's it and it's been fine for 7,200 miles. So if this is a persistent issue, it's going to end up getting really annoying.
Batteries look good, seems like a bad IBS.
 
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WranglerMan

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I plan on having them look at mine on my next visit, not getting any error messages and it’s never not started but voltage output on the EVIC runs 13.9-14.2 but mostly 14 all the time so guessing maybe the IBS is out and it’s constantly charging ? I may pull the connector and clean it and see if that fixes the issue as I truly hate going to the dealer, so for now I don’t look at the voltage ....lol
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