Trying to figure out my electrical issue before it doesn’t start at all anymore.

[triple.m.jlu]

I have a 2018 jlu sport with 42k miles on it and it seems like everything is just kinda starting to happen now. The main issue currently though is that it’s having a pretty hard time firing up. Over the last two weeks in the mornings it’s taking 3 -4 really struggling sounding cranks for it to fire up and then it’s fine. Then in the evenings when I leave work it’s taking 2-3. I’m use to it pretty much firing up almost instantly is why I’m concerned and I know this isn’t normal. My first thought was the battery and maybe the ess battery because I did have that light pop up one time about a month ago but it’s never came back on since. I just checked both and both were 12.3 volts. While I’m driving it’s staying on 14.7. I’m letting the batteries sit unattached overnight to see if they drop any overnight. Also I know this has nothing to do with it but on the way to work this morning I had to turn the heat on and off like 4 times before the fan started. Any ideas on what could be causing this issue if it’s not the batteries? Thanks in advance!

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[BriKan]

I have a 2018 jlu sport with 42k miles on it and it seems like everything is just kinda starting to happen now. The main issue currently though is that it’s having a pretty hard time firing up. Over the last two weeks in the mornings it’s taking 3 -4 really struggling sounding cranks for it to fire up and then it’s fine. Then in the evenings when I leave work it’s taking 2-3. I’m use to it pretty much firing up almost instantly is why I’m concerned and I know this isn’t normal. My first thought was the battery and maybe the ess battery because I did have that light pop up one time about a month ago but it’s never came back on since. I just checked both and both were 12.3 volts. While I’m driving it’s staying on 14.7. I’m letting the batteries sit unattached overnight to see if they drop any overnight. Also I know this has nothing to do with it but on the way to work this morning I had to turn the heat on and off like 4 times before the fan started. Any ideas on what could be causing this issue if it’s not the batteries? Thanks in advance!

I'm not trying to be funny at all, and by your post, you seem like you're going to do it anyway tonight but...

Unhook both battery cables and leave them off for a couple hours so everything resets. Of course, make sure they are clean and then put back on and make sure they are tight. I had one strange electric issue so far since I've had the car in October when I started freaking out. Ended up just being loose cables from when I picked it up at the dealer and after tightening again I haven't had the issue since. Been 4 months now with no issues.

 

[Jebiruph]

I have a 2018 jlu sport with 42k miles on it and it seems like everything is just kinda starting to happen now. The main issue currently though is that it’s having a pretty hard time firing up. Over the last two weeks in the mornings it’s taking 3 -4 really struggling sounding cranks for it to fire up and then it’s fine. Then in the evenings when I leave work it’s taking 2-3. I’m use to it pretty much firing up almost instantly is why I’m concerned and I know this isn’t normal. My first thought was the battery and maybe the ess battery because I did have that light pop up one time about a month ago but it’s never came back on since. I just checked both and both were 12.3 volts. While I’m driving it’s staying on 14.7. I’m letting the batteries sit unattached overnight to see if they drop any overnight. Also I know this has nothing to do with it but on the way to work this morning I had to turn the heat on and off like 4 times before the fan started. Any ideas on what could be causing this issue if it’s not the batteries? Thanks in advance!

Make sure your ground cables are tight and get your batteries load tested. I suspect your main battery is going bad, building internal resistance. This makes it so even though the voltage is good, it's ability to supply power is degraded. Overtime I noticed mine cranking longer to start. I didn't have any other warnings or issues except the alternator voltage was always around 14.5v. The dealer replaced the main battery after it failed the load test and now starting is quicker and voltage is lower.

 

[triple.m.jlu]

Thank you guys. It was in fact the main battery going bad. I guess I just didn’t want to believe it was that simple of a solution since nothing else with this vehicle has been.

 

[BriKan]

Thank you guys. It was in fact the main battery going bad. I guess I just didn’t want to believe it was that simple of a solution since nothing else with this vehicle has been.

Understandable. I've always kept an extra battery, and cleaner, and brushes in the garage ever since I've owned Jeeps. This is my 5th out of 18 cars. For some reason, so many "weird" problems have been "solved" by just changing out the battery, cleaning the terminals, and tightening the cables and checking the grounds. Guess it really is a "Jeep Thing". I'm actually glad most of the time the solution is "simple" and not that expensive.
Funny thing is it's the exact same thing with my 15 year old lawn tractor, lol.
Glad it worked out.

 

[BriKan]

Edit: Also wanted to add for anyone reading this post with similar issues in the future that what Jebiruph said about checking your grounds is super important when it comes to many issues in Jeeps. A long time ago in a galaxy far away, I had an 88 Comanche with the 4.0 that basically caught on fire. Many dollars later and with the help of a friend and a few real mechanics we transferred the guts of a 92 Cherokee over. Motor turned over fine but everything remotely associated with electrical went haywire and did not work as it should. Battery, cables, and grounds were all checked and tightened. Everything was looked over and some things even replaced that we thought it might be. Nothing seemed to fix the issues and months later I was ready to give up on it and call the scrap yard after so much frustration.
One night, after a couple beers and with a spotlight, I found a ground wire that was attached to the inner fender well by the battery in that vehicle. It looked perfectly fine and was tight but on a whim the next day, I stopped at a junkyard and pulled another out of a Cherokee and replaced it.
Sucker started right up and every single issue was fixed. Truck ran problem free for another 100,000 miles.
Turned out the original ground had somehow frayed inside and wasn't doing it's "job". We would had never noticed it because it looked fine and was perfectly connected and tight.
Moral of the story.
When left in complete frustration and can't figure it out, drink a few beers and go back to the absolute basics and start again from there.

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