Tazer (Programmer) for the JL

[Greenie]

I have been using the TazerJL since May and it has been working very nicely. I have programmed the Auto Start/Stop to be turned off by default. A few days ago while driving to work in heavy traffic, I decided to turn on the Auto Start/Stop Feature and test it out for a bit. As soon as I turned it on and had the brake pedal pressed, the engine turned off as expected. When the traffic resumed, I released the brake pedal and immediately the engine attempted to turn back on and instead turned off and various lights started flashing. Instinct kicked in and I placed it in park and attempted to restart the engine. The engine didn't start but it did show it was in the Run position. Lights continued to flash. I could not get it out of park to move it over to the side of the road. I even tried the Manual Park Override release, it too didn't allow me to release it into neutral.

After many failed attempts of it not starting up, I was forced to call a wrecker to have it towed to the dealership. At this time the wipers were on (I did not turn them on) and various lights were still flashing. I removed the Tazer JL and restored it to it's original configuration. I did not have the ability to Unmarry it before removing the Tazer JL. The Jeep was left in the parking lot overnight as they could not get to it that day. The battery finally drained. The next day they boosted the battery and it still would not start. They still have not found a solution and expect it to take until next week!

Do you think this issue was caused by the Tazer JL or something else entirely? I'm not looking to place blame but rather resolve the situation and get me back on the trails with my Jeep.

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[Rhinebeck01]

@Greenie

First thing I would tell you is you must not have dealt with the park override release properly. You pull up on that strap and it clicks and the vehicle is in neutral.

As for the "next day they boosted the battery" .... well, my guess is they tried to jump start it with a battery pack and that is known to be a no go with the JL. Had they used plain old, battery cables with a good 12v donor, your JL would probably have started.

My guess..... your JL's issue is related to battery(s). Battery(s) are aok, and just depleted or are bad.

Also.... be sure all fuses and relays in the PDC are pushed firmly down.

 

[Greenie]

@Rhinebeck01 you are correct, due to the stress of blocking traffic and the policeman looking over my shoulder. I wasn't aware of how to work the park override release properly. I have since watched a few videos to educate myself should it happen again. My bad.

Dealer confirmed today that they checked both batteries and they seem to be OK, but I am not a the shop and can't confirm what they did to check the batteries.

We still certain the Tazer JL didn't play a role in confusing the onboard computer?

 

[Rhinebeck01]

@Greenie

When you get the JL back, do take a moment to actually go and pull that park override strap while listening for the slight click. Get the feeling of it and learn the click sound. Taking a minute to do this is worth it. I took the time myself..

I'll be interested to hear what the dealer ends up saying the problem was. I'll stick with my battery related comment..... if it is not the battery(s) themselves then it is a component directly related to the batteries.

As for the Tazer JL.... When mine was installed, I had it set-up so the ESS was disabled by the Tazer JL (Live feature) when I started the JL. IF I ever wanted to (and I did on occasion) I could push the ESS button and the ESS would work as FCA intended it to work. Never had an issue with the JL's computer getting confused doing this.

By the way, ..... you did have the JL "Flat Towed", not towed right?

 

[Greenie]

@Greenie

When you get the JL back, do take a moment to actually go and pull that park override strap while listening for the slight click. Get the feeling of it and learn the click sound. Taking a minute to do this is worth it. I took the time myself..

I'll be interested to hear what the dealer ends up saying the problem was. I'll stick with my battery related comment..... if it is not the battery(s) themselves then it is a component directly related to the batteries.

As for the Tazer JL.... When mine was installed, I had it set-up so the ESS was disabled by the Tazer JL (Live feature) when I started the JL. IF I ever wanted to (and I did on occasion) I could push the ESS button and the ESS would work as FCA intended it to work. Never had an issue with the JL's computer getting confused doing this.

By the way, ..... you did have the JL "Flat Towed", not towed right?

Ha! Yes it was flat towed. I too have had mine set-up so the ESS was disabled by the Tazer JL (Live feature) when I started the JL. Plus I was able to (and I did on occasion) push the ESS button and the ESS would work as FCA intended it to work. Never had an issue until this morning.

 

[#HERJL18]

@Greenie I had a very similar experience two weeks after I got my Jeep in May. It had to be towed to the dealership after all the lights and wipers went nuts and then the entire thing shut down. After a week at the dealership, they found the bus bar was bad. Once that was replaced, all was good and I haven’t had a problem since with 12k miles.

Edit: Just wanted to mention that I did not have a Tazer at that time.

 

[zb39]

What is the diff between full size and the mini? Web site is useless and no one responds to emails or texts. I have 19 JLR but am definitely having second thoughts on this item after reading all the posts.

 

[CanAmMick]

You may want to take a look at the chart at the following link:

https://zautomotive.com/product/tazer-jl-mini/

On the right side of the page it list Tazer JL, Tazer JL Mini and Tazer JL Lite and the features of each one. You may have to scroll to the right to see the chart. You may be able to see everything from the attached picture.

Believe me, I the Tazer is worth every penny.

 

[WranglerMan]

What is the diff between full size and the mini? Web site is useless and no one responds to emails or texts. I have 19 JLR but am definitely having second thoughts on this item after reading all the posts.

Joe is a busy guy and basically a one man operation, there are several Tazer offerings and this is a quick breakdown

Tazer JL is a two piece unit that consists of a SGW bypass module and the Tazer unit that plugs into the OBDII port and it consists of vehicle settings and live settings, to utilize the live settings the main unit has to be plugged into the OBDII port

The Tazer Jl Lite is basically the Tazer Jl in a smaller package that has limited features that can be unlocked to full blown, it’s basically the bypass module and main unit combined into one so the OBDII port is free and lastly the mini is the same as the lite but it’s been unlocked and again it’s a single unit.

The latter two versions were released after the original Tazer Jl as some did not want there OBDII port blocked for various reasons so Zautomotine developed the smaller versions, also some did not want all the rich features of the full blown unit so that’s why the lite version was presented but it can be unlocked

Hope this helps

 

[WXman]

Correct me if I'm wrong. I probably am.

But if you install a Tazer JL Mini, you're removing the connections at the security gateway. So, you won't be able to utilize the OBD port anyhow because communications at the port will be shut down. So, there is no reason to need the OBD port open and free and the Mini version is pointless.

That is my assumption. I haven't tested it. Again, I could be wrong. But so far I haven't seen any info to show otherwise.

 

[BWWJL]

Correct me if I'm wrong. I probably am.

But if you install a Tazer JL Mini, you're removing the connections at the security gateway. So, you won't be able to utilize the OBD port anyhow because communications at the port will be shut down. So, there is no reason to need the OBD port open and free and the Mini version is pointless.

That is my assumption. I haven't tested it. Again, I could be wrong. But so far I haven't seen any info to show otherwise.

I don’t think Joe is marketing the family well.

Full function product:
Tazer1.0 = tazer
Tazer 2.0 = Tazer mini with only change is 1pc design ... no reason to buy the tazer any more, right?

Defeatured/cheaper:
Tazer Mini

 

[MojitoJLUR]

I don’t think Joe is marketing the family well.

Full function product:
Tazer1.0 = tazer
Tazer 2.0 = Tazer mini with only change is 1pc design ... no reason to buy the tazer any more, right?

Defeatured/cheaper:
Tazer Mini

Agreed, I just bought the tazer mini.

 

[Rhinebeck01]

Truth of the matter is .... best bet is to order the Tazer JL Mini versus the original Tazer JL.

Only possible reason in my opinion, to order the original Tazer JL, is if you do not have a laptop computer to bring out to the Mini when it needs to be updated. Sure you can unplug the Mini and bring it in the house but many guys will not want to unplug ....

IF you do not want all the Tazer features and just plan on say doing tire size change, then do go with the Tazer JL Lite. The Lite can be updated in the future if you want (for a fee) to a full featured Mini.

 

[TheJQ]

Tazer 1.0/JL and Tazer 2.0/Mini have all the same functions. The JL can be more easily removed whereas the mini is hidden but a little harder to uninstall quickly.

 

[zb39]

Guys, thanks for the info. Sounds like the mini is the way to go.

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