What to do when the Canbus connector replacement does not fix your canbus issue?

[rmcveigh]

Hey everyone,

I've posted a few times about this, and I am still hunting for a resolution. My '18 JLUR has a myriad of codes pointing to the Canbus (U0168, P1642-15, P163A-15, P163E-15, B1646-15, P1DB6-00, P215C-00 and more.) I get the Christmas tree of warnings and my Jeep will turn off while driving - motor still running but all electronics are gone, then it comes back. Or it'll do the same at a stop and I need to power cycle it to get it to move. Sometimes at that moment, it won't in fact turn off, or on and I'm stuck with a somewhat running Jeep (e.g. motor off, electronics on, won't power cycle) until I disconnect the negative from the battery and then reconnect to start again.

I've had the battery tested twice. It shows that the battery is healthy. I've taken my Aux battery out of the equation (disconnected, pulled fuse 42, no ESS in play). I have replaced both canbus connectors behind the glove box. No changes in behavior. I've started trying to figure out where there may be a loose ground or a short somewhere but I'm pretty much at a loss. Where do I go from here? I'm about ready to throw in the towel, get it to the dealership and may a large payment for diagnosis and hopefully fixing. Any other ideas? How can I diagnose where the short may be coming from? Thanks,

-Ryan

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[J.Ferreira]

Have you tried changing the battery? I know you said it's healthy...But many folks have had a battery tested as healthy and swapped it anyway and ended up fixing a whole host of electrical gremlins.

 

[rmcveigh]

Have you tried changing the battery? I know you said it's healthy...But many folks have had a battery tested as healthy and swapped it anyway and ended up fixing a whole host of electrical gremlins.

I am running this battery for a couple of years so it could certainly be an issue. I have NOT tried changing it. Perhaps it is time to just buy another one and see what happens. I wish there was some way to confirm before I drop cash on a replacement.

 

[J.Ferreira]

I am running this battery for a couple of years so it could certainly be an issue. I have NOT tried changing it. Perhaps it is time to just buy another one and see what happens. I wish there was some way to confirm before I drop cash on a replacement.

Yeah, it's really frustrating for sure. The Jeeps seem to eat batteries almost with how often they come up.
Luckily (sort of) it seems you've tried just about everything else. A new battery wouldn't hurt. And I mean, this weekend,

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

I am running this battery for a couple of years so it could certainly be an issue. I have NOT tried changing it. Perhaps it is time to just buy another one and see what happens. I wish there was some way to confirm before I drop cash on a replacement.

If you have a Rubicon with tow package you can fit a bigger battery. I went with Odyssey and it’s been fantastic. Fits like a glove.

Group 94R - Odyssey 94R-850

 

[rmcveigh]

Yeah, it's really frustrating for sure. The Jeeps seem to eat batteries almost with how often they come up.
Luckily (sort of) it seems you've tried just about everything else. A new battery wouldn't hurt. And I mean, this weekend,

So true. My other vehicle isn't great in the snow, not the Jeeps are either but still 4WD is worth it. It is probably worth a shot. Worst case, the battery sits until I need it.

 

[rmcveigh]

If you have a Rubicon with tow package you can fit a bigger battery. I went with Odyssey and it’s been fantastic. Fits like a glove.

Group 94R - Odyssey 94R-850

That's what I am running. Since Jan '21.

 

[J.Ferreira]

So true. My other vehicle isn't great in the snow, not the Jeeps are either but still 4WD is worth it. It is probably worth a shot. Worst case, the battery sits until I need it.

Just don't set it down on concrete. That shit drains batteries for some reason.

Science and what not.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

That's what I am running. Since Jan '21.

Running an Odyssey? Or a Rubi? I’d expect the Odyssey to make it a minimum of three years.

Do you hit it with a high amp charger once or twice a month? I’ve found that to be essential. These Jeeps have parasitic drain.

See here: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...t-question-for-the-experts.66343/post-1785349

And here: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...t-question-for-the-experts.66343/post-1793210

 

[rmcveigh]

Running an Odyssey? Or a Rubi? I’d expect the Odyssey to make it a minimum of three years.

Do you hit it with a high amp charger once or twice a month? I’ve found that to be essential. These Jeeps have parasitic drain.

See here: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...t-question-for-the-experts.66343/post-1785349

And here: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...t-question-for-the-experts.66343/post-1793210

Ok I checked the battery, and I run this: Odyssey Battery 48-720T Group Size 48 723 CCA

I am in a Rubicon, yes. I do NOT hit it with a charger ever, but that's not a bad idea. Thoughts on charging first, or just replace the battery as the next step?

 

[Spank]

I wouldn't be surprised if parts of the computer itself are simply degrading over time. I've got one of the first 2018's off the assembly line and never had any tech gremlins up until the last year or so. They're extremely rare, but have happened more than once, and my battery and CANBUS are just fine.

• There has been a couple times where the instrument cluster screen doesn't even come on when entering and starting the Jeep. The needles work, but the screen is dead until the following drive.
• I sometimes get the goofy "Press Clutch" message despite having an auto.
• My corner display selections on the instrument cluster will default to compass on the left and outside temperature on the right, even though I don't use those. When I go to the customization menu to fix it, the options will glitch out and show a blank menu item selected. Scrolling through the menu corrects it and suddenly the corner items are fixed.
• I'll sometimes get the "Service Electronic Throttle Control" message when staring the engine for just a brief moment, but then it disappears. It's never on long enough to trigger a CEL and the Jeep never logs anything.
• Sometimes the vehicle mileage disappears from the screen until the following drive.

The only consistency I can see is a miscommunication between the cluster and the computer, but I'll be damned if I know what's causing it, how to fix it, or if it even can be fixed. As cool as the center screen is, I really miss the simple analog gauges.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

Ok I checked the battery, and I run this: Odyssey Battery 48-720T Group Size 48 723 CCA

I am in a Rubicon, yes. I do NOT hit it with a charger ever, but that's not a bad idea. Thoughts on charging first, or just replace the battery as the next step?

I would say you need a good charger whether you end up with a new battery or not. So, I’d say try charging it before replacing

This is directly from Enersys (maker of Odyssey):

Hi Don,

Our recommended charge current is 40% of the battery's 20 hour rating and the minimum charge current is 10% of the battery's 20 hour rating. So for your 80 amp hour and 76 amp hour batteries, 6 amps is not enough and 12 amps is not too much. You could charge the batteries with current up to their 20 hour rating, if you had a high output charger.

Our thin plate pure lead batteries have very low internal resistance and need that current to increase the voltage during the charging process.

I bought Odyssey’s OBC-20a (now discontinued) charger and it’s great. Not sure if you can find one on FB Marketplace? Barring that, a forum favorite is the Noco-10, but if you end up with a group 94 AGM I’d personally want higher output than 10a (per quoted email, above).

Enersys is moving to chargers made by CTek, so maybe see what they have.

BatterMinder is the best (used in aviation), but extremely expensive.

 

[gavilan1]

I wouldn't be surprised if parts of the computer itself are simply degrading over time. I've got one of the first 2018's off the assembly line and never had any tech gremlins up until the last year or so. They're extremely rare, but have happened more than once, and my battery and CANBUS are just fine.

• There has been a couple times where the instrument cluster screen doesn't even come on when entering and starting the Jeep. The needles work, but the screen is dead until the following drive.
• I sometimes get the goofy "Press Clutch" message despite having an auto.
• My corner display selections on the instrument cluster will default to compass on the left and outside temperature on the right, even though I don't use those. When I go to the customization menu to fix it, the options will glitch out and show a blank menu item selected. Scrolling through the menu corrects it and suddenly the corner items are fixed.
• I'll sometimes get the "Service Electronic Throttle Control" message when staring the engine for just a brief moment, but then it disappears. It's never on long enough to trigger a CEL and the Jeep never logs anything.
• Sometimes the vehicle mileage disappears from the screen until the following drive.

The only consistency I can see is a miscommunication between the cluster and the computer, but I'll be damned if I know what's causing it, how to fix it, or if it even can be fixed. As cool as the center screen is, I really miss the simple analog gauges.

Do you have a Tazer JL installed? I do, and the annoying red electric bolt flash and throttle message appear randomly at start-up for milliseconds. I have asked ZAuto about this, but they were vague and suggested that I temporarily remove the Tazer. Yeah, I bought it to be removing it when I get dealer service or I’m chasing a Tazer firmware glitch. Good luck.

 

[JerseyJeff]

Hey everyone,

I've posted a few times about this, and I am still hunting for a resolution. My '18 JLUR has a myriad of codes pointing to the Canbus (U0168, P1642-15, P163A-15, P163E-15, B1646-15, P1DB6-00, P215C-00 and more.) I get the Christmas tree of warnings and my Jeep will turn off while driving - motor still running but all electronics are gone, then it comes back. Or it'll do the same at a stop and I need to power cycle it to get it to move. Sometimes at that moment, it won't in fact turn off, or on and I'm stuck with a somewhat running Jeep (e.g. motor off, electronics on, won't power cycle) until I disconnect the negative from the battery and then reconnect to start again.

I've had the battery tested twice. It shows that the battery is healthy. I've taken my Aux battery out of the equation (disconnected, pulled fuse 42, no ESS in play). I have replaced both canbus connectors behind the glove box. No changes in behavior. I've started trying to figure out where there may be a loose ground or a short somewhere but I'm pretty much at a loss. Where do I go from here? I'm about ready to throw in the towel, get it to the dealership and may a large payment for diagnosis and hopefully fixing. Any other ideas? How can I diagnose where the short may be coming from? Thanks,

-Ryan

Check your wiring harness on the passenger side firewall. There are reports of chafing on the harness causing a short.

 

[Spank]

Do you have a Tazer JL installed? I do, and the annoying red electric bolt flash and throttle message appear randomly at start-up for milliseconds. I have asked ZAuto about this, but they were vague and suggested that I temporarily remove the Tazer. Yeah, I bought it to be removing it when I get dealer service or I’m chasing a Tazer firmware glitch. Good luck.

No, but I do have the Superchips Flashcal which does the same security bypass procedure to function. Removing it only makes it happen less often, though. However, it doesn't fix or change any of the other glitches.

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