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Start/stop not ready, battery charging

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JennyDW

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So, I have a new JL. The start stop feature has only worked once in the almost year I have had it. I know it’s probably a faulty auxiliary battery. Should I get this fixed. It’s kinda nice to not have to hit the button to deactivate the start stop feature. What else runs off this secondary battery?
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Token

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If the battery is bad, and it's under warranty, get it replaced.
 

Gee-pah

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So, I have a new JL. The start stop feature has only worked once in the almost year I have had it. I know it’s probably a faulty auxiliary battery. Should I get this fixed. It’s kinda nice to not have to hit the button to deactivate the start stop feature. What else runs off this secondary battery?
If the yes or no aspect to your poll concerns whether you should get the system looked at by the dealer the answer IMHO is yes.

First, it's still under warranty. Second, it may not be the Aux battery, or only the Aux battery. Third, at least if you were running a 2018 3.6L JL, that model year would not crank at all if the Aux battery lacks adequate charge.

There's a fix for the 2018's and all subsequent model years have that fix built in such that if the Aux battery is dead, the rig won't start the first time the Aux battery problem is detected, but all subsequent attempts to crank will switch to the main battery while the ESS off light is illuminated on the dash.

Not until a working Aux battery is once again detected will the following regular procedure begin again.

As a normal part of the startup sequence, at least in a 3.6L, the Aux battery is tested in isolation. If its power is adequate the main battery is connected to it (and vice versa) and both batteries energize the engine crank.

Much as I get how you like ESS off, I don't think it's worth going around with a problem with your rig to achieve it. There's plenty of ways to disable ESS for free once you get the vehicle fixed, without having to press the button, producing no more warning lights than the ESS off one likely in your dash right now. And for $ you can buy tech to have the ESS system remember its state from one engine crank to the next (known in the ESS world as a latching system).
 
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JennyDW

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If the yes or no aspect to your poll concerns whether you should get the system looked at by the dealer the answer IMHO is yes.

First, it's still under warranty. Second, it may not be the Aux battery, or only the Aux battery. Third, at least if you were running a 2018 3.6L JL, that model year would not crank at all if the Aux battery lacks adequate charge.

There's a fix for the 2018's and all subsequent model years have that fix built in such that if the Aux battery is dead, the rig won't start the first time the Aux battery problem is detected, but all subsequent attempts to crank will switch to the main battery while the ESS off light is illuminated on the dash.

Not until a working Aux battery is once again detected will the following regular procedure begin again.

As a normal part of the startup sequence, at least in a 3.6L, the Aux battery is tested in isolation. If its power is adequate the main battery is connected to it (and vice versa) and both batteries energize the engine crank.

Much as I get how you like ESS off, I don't think it's worth going around with a problem with your rig to achieve it. There's plenty of ways to disable ESS for free once you get the vehicle fixed, without having to press the button, producing no more warning lights than the ESS off one likely in your dash right now. And for $ you can buy tech to have the ESS system remember its state from one engine crank to the next (known in the ESS world as a latching system).
Thank you
 

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McGilli

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There's not enough information here to offer a proper response.

Without knowing how often the Jeep is used, and for how long when it is - impossible to say if there is even a problem.

For example someone who drives their Jeep 2 or 3 times a week for 20 minutes may never get past the battery charging message.

OP - if you are saying that you can drive for 2 hours straight, have not hooked anything to your battery, and it still says charging then I'd agree have it looked at.

When I leave my Jeep for 2 weeks without driving - it takes 90 minutes for the battery to recharge - but I'm also charging liPo batteries at the same time as charging the aux.

When I drive it every single day for 30-60 minutes it takes 2-5 minutes upon first use.

Again, variables.

I do want to just add - this is just my experience for my Jeep and aux battery - yours might be different in which case forget everything you just read lol
 
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JennyDW

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There's not enough information here to offer a proper response.

Without knowing how often the Jeep is used, and for how long when it is - impossible to say if there is even a problem.

For example someone who drives their Jeep 2 or 3 times a week for 20 minutes may never get past the battery charging message.

OP - if you are saying that you can drive for 2 hours straight, have not hooked anything to your battery, and it still says charging then I'd agree have it looked at.

When I leave my Jeep for 2 weeks without driving - it takes 90 minutes for the battery to recharge - but I'm also charging liPo batteries at the same time as charging the aux.

When I drive it every single day for 30-60 minutes it takes 2-5 minutes upon first use.

Again, variables.

I do want to just add - this is just my experience for my Jeep and aux battery - yours might be different in which case forget everything you just read lol
i haven’t been driving much this first year of ownership due to the pandemic and no where to go. So ya. I do drive it every day but not for a long period of time. Today I drove for 1 1/2 hrs and still doesn’t initiate the start stop feature. I guess I give it little more time drive around more to test it out. I just assumed that a brand brand new Jeep shouldn’t have any issues at all.
 

McGilli

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i haven’t been driving much this first year of ownership due to the pandemic and no where to go. So ya. I do drive it every day but not for a long period of time. Today I drove for 1 1/2 hrs and still doesn’t initiate the start stop feature. I guess I give it little more time drive around more to test it out. I just assumed that a brand brand new Jeep shouldn’t have any issues at all.
It's worth it - i think - just to go for a long leisurely drive and test this out (cuz driving our Jeeps are fun :)

Yeah up until 6 weeks ago I'd been driving mine almost every day and it was ready after 5 minutes tops. Went away for 2 weeks. Came home and it took 90 mins to say charged.

Now I'm alternating vehicles - and so every 2nd day they jeep takes more time...

It's frustrating - as I personally prefer ESS :CWL:

Good luck!
 

PatrickR

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After 15k miles mine quit working with the same error. I think I'll fix it before it's out of warranty, but honestly it's kind of nice not having the ess (though having the manual the ess really isn't much of a bother).
 

guarnibl

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Just to add to this — my gladiator eco diesel takes about 20-30 minutes for ESS to start working again and for most cases, just never works because my drive is only that long. My 2 door JL takes at most two minutes, every time. And that vehicle gets shorter drives than my gladiator. Not sure but guessing the eco diesel is just different. I like ESS though. I don’t recall if the behavior got worse though since I bought it in December I kind of feel it’s always been that way but summer hit and well, AC.
 

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JennyDW

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I just actually brought it in today since I was due for my first oil change. They said the battery charge was weak. Charged it and updated my pcm We’ll see if it holds the charge. If not I’ll have to bring it back in
 

guarnibl

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I just actually brought it in today since I was due for my first oil change. They said the battery charge was weak. Charged it and updated my pcm We’ll see if it holds the charge. If not I’ll have to bring it back in
Got it. How old? My battery Gladiator production was July of 2020 but I bought it in December. So the battery is going on 15 months. My two door is only 8 months old. Maybe I’ll take it in, not having ESS destroys my gas mileage when it’s cool out since I do a lot of city driving. For me it seems to be the difference of 18-19 to 22-23 though I’m sure there’s other variables too.
 
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JennyDW

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Mine is also a 2020. I got it July 2020. I can’t remember off hand when production was but I remember when looking at invoice thinking that maybe when the Jeep was sitting for a while at the lot, it lost some of the auxiliary battery charge. When I called the dealership about a month after having it they said it could take a while for it to get fully charged. FF a year and it didn’t ever start to work. It’s going to be something I have to get used to once it is functioning properly.
 

Chupacabra

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My ESS quit randomly on me, and it didn't turn on for almost two weeks. No change in driving patterns or distance, etc.

I put a battery tender on it overnight to "top off" the batteries and it's worked as expected ever since. It's probably been a month since I did that and still working fine.

Might be worth a shot if you have a battery tender type charger.
 

guarnibl

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My ESS quit randomly on me, and it didn't turn on for almost two weeks. No change in driving patterns or distance, etc.

I put a battery tender on it overnight to "top off" the batteries and it's worked as expected ever since. It's probably been a month since I did that and still working fine.

Might be worth a shot if you have a battery tender type charger.
Good idea on the tender. Not sure if the JL/JT accept charging through cig lighter though, which is how my tender for my Porsche works.
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