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Problem with 2018 JL ESS battery is real

Gee-pah

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Just to clarify, you're not talking about an actual trickle charger, right? Do you mean that naturally one battery will charge the other other based on the difference in potential?

And I just looked over my paperwork and there is no mention of a TSB or any kind of software update. I should have known. Grrrr.

Regardless, if the problem was a bad battery and replacing it with a working one from a (hopefully) better batch fixes the issue, I'm happy. I see all the other threads where people were stranded due to both batteries going out so I'm glad I was able to catch it when I did.

Thanks for all the input!
I am talking about your purchase of a trickle charger, provided shore power (120V A/C) is available where you park, and plugging one end of it into such A/C, power after hooking the other end of the trickle charger up to the terminals on the main battery.

You need not work on doing this as vigorously has here https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...arger-mount-inlet-install-lots-of-pics.44466/ , but this is the idea.
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DKAwildcat

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Much has been written on the forum about the ESS battery, the difficulty for ESS to engage, and the ability for it to strand JL's, particular 2018 3.6L engine ones.

TSB 18-092-19 will get a 2018 3.6L to behave like the 3.6L in model years 2019 and beyond such that a dead ESS battery will not prevent the vehicle from cranking.

JL's, particularly 3.6L ones test the ESS battery prior to attempting a cold crank. In factory 2018's if this battery lacks adequate charge the crank won't be attempted: even if your main battery is fully charged. In 2019's and beyond, or 2018's with this TSB, the vehicle switches to the main battery and, upon the user's second crank attempt and beyond, it attempts start the engine from the main battery.

Both batteries are in parallel 99.9% of the time. It's only this instant during pre-crank, and ESS events when the batteries are isolated. Accordingly, placing a trickle charger on the main battery's terminals while it's parked, if access to shore power is available, will charge both batteries and likely get ESS to return.

It's not an ideal solution: this trickle charging, but it does work.
I took my Jeep in to the dealership the other day for an oil change, tire rotation, and to have the TSB 18-092-19 update so I wouldn’t get stranded. They wouldn’t do the TSB since I haven‘t had any problems. Needless to say, they pissed me off.

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I had TSB 18-058-18 Rev B for the same issues; fan and surge. It included a PCM update. Not sure if the TSB 18-092-19 added something else.
 

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I had TSB 19-058-18 Rev B for the same issues; fan and surge. It included a PCM update. Not sure if the TSB 18-092-19 added something else.
@DanFelix

TSB 19-058-18 Rev B does not change the way the 2018 deals with the dual batteries and starting.

I had TSB 19-058-18 Rev B done for the high rev issue and then a couple of years later went back and had
TSB 18-092-19, so the battery thing was taken care of.
 

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DanFelix

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@DanFelix

TSB 19-058-18 Rev B does not change the way the 2018 deals with the dual batteries and starting.

I had TSB 19-058-18 Rev B done for the high rev issue and then a couple of years later went back and had TSB 18-092-19, so the battery thing was taken care of.
Got it. Thanks.
 

Rhinebeck01

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Got it. Thanks.
@DanFelix

Some guys have had TSB 18-092-19 applied by dealer and they / the owner are not even aware of it.

You can disco the Aux battery negative temporarily to check and see how a 2018 JL behaves when you go to start it... IF it starts on second try the TSB has been applied.

Either you will get no start or will start on 2nd try and an error light shows. Once you hook up Aux again after a couple of starts the light goes out...
 

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Great info. Very helpful. Would you happen to know where I can get a copy of the 18-092-19? I looked in the forum TSB list but could not find the actual TSB. Thank you.
 

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Gee-pah

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I took my Jeep in to the dealership the other day for an oil change, tire rotation, and to have the TSB 18-092-19 update so I wouldn’t get stranded. They wouldn’t do the TSB since I haven‘t had any problems. Needless to say, they pissed me off.
Wow Don. Your dealer had a problem taking your money to apply a TSB that's been shown to allow 2018 3.6L JLs to crank on the second crank attempt (off the main battery) of the ESS battery is dead?

First off, you can tell Jeep Cares on the forum about this, and second, you can test if your 2018 already has this feature. To do the test, take off off the negative post of the main battery the cable from the ESS battery. There are usually two factory cables on this main battery's negative post. One leads to the body ground: which you should leave alone.

With the other cable temporarily detached and dangling, see if your 2018 3.6L will crank on the second attempt. If it does or doesn't, reconnect the dangling cable thereafter.

Some 2018's seem to have this feature without the TSB from what I've read.

If it cranks on the second attempt the ESS off light on the panel will likely illuminate, turning off the ESS system. But once the ESS battery is reconnected, upon the next cold crank attempt the vehicle should detect the presence of a charged ESS battery, crank off of both batteries, and turn this diagnostic light off, reinstating the ESS system.
 

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DKAwildcat

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Wow Don. Your dealer had a problem taking your money to apply a TSB that's been shown to allow 2018 3.6L JLs to crank on the second crank attempt (off the main battery) of the ESS battery is dead?

First off, you can tell Jeep Cares on the forum about this, and second, you can test if your 2018 already has this feature. To do the test, take off off the negative post of the main battery the cable from the ESS battery. There are usually two factory cables on this main battery's negative post. One leads to the body ground: which you should leave alone.

With the other cable temporarily detached and dangling, see if your 2018 3.6L will crank on the second attempt. If it does or doesn't, reconnect the dangling cable thereafter.

Some 2018's seem to have this feature without the TSB from what I've read.

If it cranks on the second attempt the ESS off light on the panel will likely illuminate, turning off the ESS system. But once the ESS battery is reconnected, upon the next cold crank attempt the vehicle should detect the presence of a charged ESS battery, crank off of both batteries, and turn this diagnostic light off, reinstating the ESS system.
How do you go about tagging Jeep Cares to a post and/or contacting them directly via PM or email?
 

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done...Don :) ... you literally type "at sign" JeepCares.... now they see this...or you can PM this user handle....
Hi, Gee-pah, thanks for tagging us here.

We can certainly assist any of you further in private message. Please follow up with us there!

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