Indicators coming and going?!

[wranglerguyman]

So my JL has been nothing but perfect in the 5300 miles I've driven it. However, lately its been going a tad bit funky. First, it was the Stop/Start not working. Indicated "Battery protection mode". Went away the next morning. That same day on my way home it gave me "Service Electronic Stability Control". Well, it went away this morning. I notice this both happened on my way home from work (Jersey City to Long Island).

For the first issue, I was monitoring the battery voltage level and it was at 12.7v which is low obviously. So I checked to see if the battery terminals were properly seated and I noticed an intense amount of heat coming from the fuse box. The label on the back of the cover was literally burnt to a crisp. Tried making sure all the fuses were seated properly and I couldn't even touch them as they were scorching hot. For the second issue, there was no noticeable issue with the Jeep's performance.

Anyone else experience this or know anyone who has?

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[WranglerMan]

Hmmm the battery voltage at 12.7 is a fully charged battery but the voltage does jump up and down as it only charges when it’s needed, as gas as the fuse box being hot where you can’t touch it that I am afraid is not normal and I don’t have a solution except a service visit

 

[wranglerguyman]

Hmmm the battery voltage at 12.7 is a fully charged battery but the voltage does jump up and down as it only charges when it’s needed, as gas as the fuse box being hot where you can’t touch it that I am afraid is not normal and I don’t have a solution except a service visit

Shouldn't the battery be at least at 13v at idle?

Yeah the next available appointment was July 2 at my dealership. Not sure if its "safe" to drive it daily until then.

 

[Jeepsterfreak]

Shouldn't the battery be at least at 13v at idle?

Yeah the next available appointment was July 2 at my dealership. Not sure if its "safe" to drive it daily until then.

Not sure. In the old days, yes. Modern vehicles only charge the battery as needed to save fuel. There is a thread on this subject.

You can monitor the voltage in the cluster display as you drive. You might see it increase when going downhill or braking.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

The label on the back of the cover was literally burnt to a crisp. Tried making sure all the fuses were seated properly and I couldn't even touch them as they were scorching hot.

That is not normal, and I would not drive any further than to the dealership.

From a totally unrelated forum, but on the same subject:

Heat being generated on an electrical circuit is caused by excessive current flow or high resistance.

Excessive current flow can be caused by having too many after market devices (Stereo amplifier, navigation equipment Cell phone charger, ect) connected to the circuit. Or a factory installed device that is beginning to fail drawing to much amperage.

High resistance is caused by corroded connections, wiring or again a device that is beginning to fail and is restricting normal current flow.

You (or someone) will have to isolate the individual circuits, leaving this fuse panel and test them for current flow/draw. You may find something, like a heater blower motor that is drawing twice its normal amperage.

To test for excessive resistance, I would again isolate each circuit and then perform voltage drop test across each one; including the power feed into the fuse panel.

There could be some form of corrosion that has formed inside a connection that you cannot actually see. But by performing voltage drop tests; you should be able to pin point exactly what section of wire, device or connection that is at fault.

No, it’s not a 10 minute job and you will need someone with a bit of experience to properly perform the tests.

Any more then a ¼ volt, voltage drop across any circuit, is considered high.

 

[WranglerMan]

As stated by @Jeepsterfreak the voltages we saw in the old days are gone, from my understanding chatting with a tech is the alternator or control module has some type of built in logic or program that monitors battery voltage and only charges when necessary so I’m guessing it’s battery management, my voltage runs anywhere from 12.7-14.2 depending on what I’m doing but most of the high voltages are on deceleration and or braking, if you have a meter you can measure voltage directly at the battery and it’s 12.7 it’s fully charged.

As far as the other issues I have no idea but several have commented lots of issues have come up due to issues with the secondary battery

 

[wranglerguyman]

Thanks guys, I'll see what service says about the fuse box. I'll also monitor to see if any other indicator comes on, on my drive home from work.

 

[wranglerguyman]

Think I figured out the issue. Checked the fuse box while it was cold and majority of the fuses were not fully seated. So far not lights.

 

[WranglerMan]

Think I figured out the issue. Checked the fuse box while it was cold and majority of the fuses were not fully seated. So far not lights.

Loose fuses have been discussed in another thread, it’s been a big issue.

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