Stop/Start Not Ready-Battery Charging

[Jebiruph]

My “stop/start not ready” issues (I.e. ESS won’t stop/start for a few miles after initial start) has turned out to be.......

“we checked everything and everything is fine...... wait until it warms up.....”

um, this is Texas. It hasn’t been below 40 degrees outside........ ok.... gotta “warm up”......

FCA, are you really designing a product that doesn’t “work immediately” in 40-degree weather?

The engine has to reach operating temperature before ESS is enabled.

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[JeepCares]

So a quick follow up..I'd be darn but this morning after sitting overnight, my Start/stop was working. Now I guess I'll see for how long. I guess I don't have to do the 400-500 mile waiting period.

To piggy back on my question about the battery voltage displayed on the dash....Jeep sat outside overnight at temps in the mid 30's. On startup the display said Battery Voltage was 14.1V. When I was driving at steady speed or when accelerating, the reading pretty much stayed the same at 14.1V, however with slowing the vehicle at traffic stops, I noticed the reading increase to 14.5V - 14.6V, then when stopped it would drop back down to 14.1V. The only time I noticed it drop any lower than that occurred with the start/stop engaging. I noticed one reading breifly at 13.2V but can't remember if that was when engine shutting down or restarting....maybe I'm focusing too much on minutia, but just trying to assess that my battery/alternator is functioning the way it should. I don't want my hopefully new batteries to go bad and have to spend time to go back to the dealer.

I'm hoping that the start/stop not working problem is behind me and I can go back to worry free enjoyment of my Jeep.

Hi JeepAustinWeird,
We certainly hope this for you, too! However, please know that if you ever do find yourself in need of assistance, our team is always available for support via private message.

Kathryn
JeepCares

@JeepAustinWeird I don’t have a definite answer on this whole ESS operation, Jerry @Jebiruph has done extensive research into this and continues to be an excellent resource into this so I can only tell you my experiences and testing

When I first got my JL like others you start to learn about the in and outs of all the features and one thing I noticed was the voltage would ramp up and down as you accelerated and braked and supposedly this is normal well after 7-8 moths of new ownership I to started getting the ESS not ready battery charging message and the EVIC displayed voltage was 14.4-14.7 so took it to the dealer and they supposedly did a load test and found the main battery failed the test and replaced it, as far as I know the aux battery was fine but keep in mind these are the same folks that insist on putting 6 quarts of oil in my Jeep

Anyway after getting it back I to like you still had the ESS not ready message but after a day or so it went away, I believe I sped the process up by putting it on a trickle charge for a day and after that and still a year and a half later I don’t get that message but there are some things that have changed.

I have a Deltran trickle charger and once a month I put it on the main battery +/- terminals and charge for a few days, it usually turns green after 4-6 hours but I just leave it connected.

After that time i have but don’t anymore checked the voltage of the batteries but don’t check the voltages separately and my meter reads 13+ volts which is normal coming off a charger and the EVIC displayed voltage normally shows the same, after approx 24-48 hrs the batteries drop down to the 12.6 range and the EVIC displayed voltage floats up and down as by design, well fast forward about a week and the EVIC displayed voltage starts to creep up and is usually in the mid 13’s and battery voltages are in the 12.5ish range so this tells me that the alternator is sending voltage to the batteries as designed but only what needed as it’s not the old school constant 14+ Volts and the EVIC displayed voltage floats as designed.

Well let’s fast forward another few dats to a week and the voltage now displays usually 14+ but not over 14.4 usually and battery voltages at the battery are in the 12.5-12.6 range and I don’t get any ESS not ready messages and ESS when I test does work as designed and the EVIC displayed now does not ramp up and down.

My normal daily commute back and fourth to work is 60 miles round trip in stop and go city traffic and that same commute is only 14 days a month normally and then I run a few errands here and there and do the same on weekends but normally no long trips to speak of so it sits parked a lot and when I do drive as I said normally no long trips so maybe this contributes to the higher output of the alternator as we all know these newer vehicles all have a parasitic voltage draw and when you start plugging in tazers, smart stop/start modules all of this adds up to a draw on the system.

So in closing of my long explanation I’m honestly not sure if my charging system is operating correctly or not all I can say is I will continue to trickle charge once a month and move on until I have an issue and address it then but currently my voltage at the main battery is 12.55-12.6 and it’s been a month since I have trickle charged and my EVIC displayed voltage runs 14.2-14.4 and ESS works when tested and I get no error messages displayed.

Hi WranglerMan,
Thank you for offering your experience here for support. If you continue to work with your dealer to resolve this, please feel free to reach out to our team privately for additional assistance during your service.

Kathryn
JeepCares

 

[Dogboyslim]

Haven't read the whole thread, but I got this after my Jeep sat all through January. I assumed that the charge was low, and that after driving for a bit it would resolve. It did. Isn't this normal?

 

[WranglerMan]

Hi JeepAustinWeird,
We certainly hope this for you, too! However, please know that if you ever do find yourself in need of assistance, our team is always available for support via private message.

Kathryn
JeepCares



Hi WranglerMan,
Thank you for offering your experience here for support. If you continue to work with your dealer to resolve this, please feel free to reach out to our team privately for additional assistance during your service.

Kathryn
JeepCares

Kathryn,

I doubt I would go to my local dealer to have them troubleshoot as these are the same ppl that insist a JL takes 6 quarts of oil, so unless I have a recall or is something breaks that is covered under warranty I will more than likely address problems myself.

 

[FirstF80InSpace]

Just be aware that if you go this route, your ESS system will not work more than 6 times each drive. This was a surprise to many of us that have gone with the Genesis system: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...d-ess-6-cycle-limit-anyone-with-issues.45582/

There are a lot of benefits to the Genesis system, such as ability to run accessories off your accessory battery, and having a backup battery in case the primary cranking battery fails. So it will definitely help prevent you from getting stranded in the middle of nowhere as long as you keep your Odyssey batteries properly maintained via a good charger once in a while.

But if fixing ESS is your primary goal, then the Genesis system is not going to be of help there without coming up with a very creative DIY wiring solution.

Agreed. Genesis won't solve the ESS issues. However, if you go with the Odyssey batteries, it is way more reliable than the piece of crap stock batteries.

 

[Drumr04]

To update on my situation, since mid January the ESS system has worked a total of one day. I have an appointment to drop it off Friday and told them I would either need it back or a loaner by Monday morning but of course they don’t do loaners. None of the Jeep dealerships in my area do. They will happily rent you a vehicle though for $35 a day plus taxes and fees. That’s stupid. Customers should not be left without transportation while warranty work is being done. I did call JeepCares but the best they were able to do is say try another dealership or they could request a reimbursement of the rental fee but offer no guarantees it would be approved. That’s just nuts and shows a lack of care from the dealership and Jeep”Cares”. I’m quite annoyed with the lack of support at this point and if I’m gonna have to keep bringing it back in for issues I may just get rid of it. I’m sad cause I love Jeeps and really enjoyed my TJ and JK but this JL is starting to not be worth the stress.

 

[FirstF80InSpace]

To update on my situation, since mid January the ESS system has worked a total of one day. I have an appointment to drop it off Friday and told them I would either need it back or a loaner by Monday morning but of course they don’t do loaners. None of the Jeep dealerships in my area do. They will happily rent you a vehicle though for $35 a day plus taxes and fees. That’s stupid. Customers should not be left without transportation while warranty work is being done. I did call JeepCares but the best they were able to do is say try another dealership or they could request a reimbursement of the rental fee but offer no guarantees it would be approved. That’s just nuts and shows a lack of care from the dealership and Jeep”Cares”. I’m quite annoyed with the lack of support at this point and if I’m gonna have to keep bringing it back in for issues I may just get rid of it. I’m sad cause I love Jeeps and really enjoyed my TJ and JK but this JL is starting to not be worth the stress.

Loaners are definitely dealer specific. Call around and ask which ones provide.

 

[Drumr04]

Loaners are definitely dealer specific. Call around and ask which ones provide.

Unfortunately none in my area do. Which is nuts. The girlfriend is car shopping and from what I’ve learned Mazda is one company that requires its dealers to have free loaner vehicles available for any warranty work taking longer than a day. When I had an older Honda Accord they offered loaner vehicles or courtesy transportation at all the local dealers. Heck even Ford gave me a loaner when my Escape needed work.

 

[JeepCares]

To update on my situation, since mid January the ESS system has worked a total of one day. I have an appointment to drop it off Friday and told them I would either need it back or a loaner by Monday morning but of course they don’t do loaners. None of the Jeep dealerships in my area do. They will happily rent you a vehicle though for $35 a day plus taxes and fees. That’s stupid. Customers should not be left without transportation while warranty work is being done. I did call JeepCares but the best they were able to do is say try another dealership or they could request a reimbursement of the rental fee but offer no guarantees it would be approved. That’s just nuts and shows a lack of care from the dealership and Jeep”Cares”. I’m quite annoyed with the lack of support at this point and if I’m gonna have to keep bringing it back in for issues I may just get rid of it. I’m sad cause I love Jeeps and really enjoyed my TJ and JK but this JL is starting to not be worth the stress.

I am sincerely sorry to hear that you are left unsatisfied by the service you have received so far. Unfortunately rental and loaner vehicles are provided independently by dealers. We certainly hope that you continue to reach out to us in the future for any vehicle concerns you may have, as we would be happy to support you through your service.

Kathryn
JeepCares

 

[OBJLU]

I had this issue until I put a trickle charger on my Jeep for a few hours, since I've done that I haven't had any issues.

 

[Winx]

My 2018 JLUR also wouldn't charge with day-today driving - ESS was always not ready battery charging. Trickle charging overnight would allow ESS to work for about 3-4 days before it needed charging again. Took it to the dealer last week and both batteries were GR-8 load tested and found to be bad, so they replaced both under warranty.

 

[jeepdabest]

I had this issue until I put a trickle charger on my Jeep for a few hours, since I've done that I haven't had any issues.

There are so many very good inexpensive battery chargers on the market today,

 

[BrntWS6]

I put an on board charger in mine. Solved my issues.
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...arger-mount-inlet-install-lots-of-pics.44466/

 

[Drumr04]

To update. Jeep dealer had the JL for about 24 hours. Tech checked system charge, showed 64%. Manual says system charge must be 65% or higher. Tech charged the system to 67% and ESS began working again so they left it at that. I have a small battery tender from some of the other toys so since I’ll be working from home the next 2 days I’ll just plug it in and let it charge. Seems kinda silly I have to plug it in but whatever. At least my clutch hasn’t exploded and caught the jeep on fire *knocks on wood*

 

[willcasp]

To update. Jeep dealer had the JL for about 24 hours. Tech checked system charge, showed 64%. Manual says system charge must be 65% or higher. Tech charged the system to 67% and ESS began working again so they left it at that. I have a small battery tender from some of the other toys so since I’ll be working from home the next 2 days I’ll just plug it in and let it charge. Seems kinda silly I have to plug it in but whatever. At least my clutch hasn’t exploded and caught the jeep on fire *knocks on wood*

Maybe I am off here, but I should not have to be constantly plugging a battery tender into my regularly driven Jeep to keep the thing operating to spec.

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