When did your battery die?

[txj2go]

Same! Lol…didn’t know that my oem aux battery had the ability to drain my replacement main in 5 months!

There is a whole lot more to it than this and I'm surprised someone hasn't popped in with it. I'm far from an expert but I'll quickly touch on the high points of what I know. There are quite a few old very long threads about this on this forum.

Starting the vehicle occasionally may not keep the battery charged unless you run it for awhile each time you start it. If you start it, let it run a few minutes and turn it off you will be draining the battery each time. In these covid/work from home times I may go a week without driving my jeep but this seems to be enough to keep it going. If your jeep is going to set for a long time without being driven you should buy a proper battery maintainer to put on it.

The aux battery seems to go bad frequently and people usually seem to at least replace both batteries at the same time. Your profile says you have a 2018- the programming in the 2018 was such that if the aux battery was dead the vehicle wouldn't start even if the main battery was good, even if jumper cables were used, etc. This programming was changed in 2019 and later vehicles and a 2018 can have its programming changed at the dealer (re-flashed).

If you have the original programming you can take out the small battery and add a jumper wire inside the fuse block so the vehicle will start. I believe the auto start system will still try to operate and can potentially drain your main battery leaving you unable to restart so either don't use the auto start or somehow disable it.

If you have the newer programming then it is easy to disconnect the small battery right at the main battery and you can leave the small battery in or take it out. Everything will work just fine except you will have an error message on the dash display that the AESS system won't work, and it won't work. This is what I did- I bought the best AGM battery I could find, disconnected the small battery, and left the big battery in there.

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[viper88]

Not mine but I remember bad batteries on 2 different brand new Wranglers back in 2018. Back then I went on a lot test drives trying different models. One had a charging/battery light come on during the test drive. We got stranded a mile from the dealer. Dealer said it was a bad aux battery. That happened a second time during another test drive a few months later. We were able to drive back to the dealer on the second drive. Dealer said it was probably a bad alternator or battery.

 

[Jmonroe]

2.5 years in the aux battery died and shut EVERYTHING down. I believe it's failure also caused the AMP steps controller to fry itself (low voltage?). Jeep replaced the battery and AMP Research replaced the controller, both under warranty.

 

[TaiMc]

There is a whole lot more to it than this and I'm surprised someone hasn't popped in with it. I'm far from an expert but I'll quickly touch on the high points of what I know. There are quite a few old very long threads about this on this forum.

Starting the vehicle occasionally may not keep the battery charged unless you run it for awhile each time you start it. If you start it, let it run a few minutes and turn it off you will be draining the battery each time. In these covid/work from home times I may go a week without driving my jeep but this seems to be enough to keep it going. If your jeep is going to set for a long time without being driven you should buy a proper battery maintainer to put on it.

The aux battery seems to go bad frequently and people usually seem to at least replace both batteries at the same time. Your profile says you have a 2018- the programming in the 2018 was such that if the aux battery was dead the vehicle wouldn't start even if the main battery was good, even if jumper cables were used, etc. This programming was changed in 2019 and later vehicles and a 2018 can have its programming changed at the dealer (re-flashed).

If you have the original programming you can take out the small battery and add a jumper wire inside the fuse block so the vehicle will start. I believe the auto start system will still try to operate and can potentially drain your main battery leaving you unable to restart so either don't use the auto start or somehow disable it.

If you have the newer programming then it is easy to disconnect the small battery right at the main battery and you can leave the small battery in or take it out. Everything will work just fine except you will have an error message on the dash display that the AESS system won't work, and it won't work. This is what I did- I bought the best AGM battery I could find, disconnected the small battery, and left the big battery in there.

Alrighty…update.

AAA arrived and checked main batt and alternator. Both were GOOD. I told her that I believed the culprit was the aux batt. I explained that I would have to remove the fender in order to remove the aux in order to replace. She indicated that AAA doesn’t carry aux batteries for the jeep as they are more so like motorcycle batteries and their jump equipment could potentially ruin an aux battery bc of the voltage differences.

So, I hopped in the jeep to try an experiment I devised from reading this thread. I tried to crank it the normal way and ofc, the jeep would not start. However, all lights were lit and I was still in the “RUN” mode. Well, I pressed the ESS (auto start/stop) button to disable it (the button light came on), and then I pressed the brake and the ignition button again. Jeep cranked right on up!

While the jeep was idling, the ESS warning light came on in the dash and stayed lit. This is how I know for sure that the aux battery is dead/dying.

I also realized that my main battery died before my aux ( it went out in Oct 2021: 3yrs & 4 months) because when I replaced the main battery the jeep cranked with no issues and the battery tester indicated the main battery was dead.

So this means that my oem aux battery actually lasted 3yrs and 9 months.

I have yet to decide whether to remove the aux battery. If I’m able to crank the jeep by disabling/ pressing the ESS button after cycling the ignition to “RUN” mode (press ignition button without brake pressed) then why would I need to remove the battery at all?

I likely will replace the aux battery, but It may be a while if there is no harm to my main battery and other systems, beyond having the ESS work.

Any thoughts on this? Anything I’m missing or overlooking?

Also, yall are a blessing! Idk what I’d do without the kind, selfless, intelligent brains that contribute to this forum. I appreciate yall for sharing your experiences and what you’ve learned. It saved me a lot of money and headache today.

 

[sourdough]

I did the jumper wire thing in the first year and never had a no start issue. The ESS not available display happend when parked for a week or more. Year two, my ESS started displaying not available all the time and I physically removed the aux. battery via the fender. Bench load test failed and replaced it with an Auto Zone sourced unit. I have been hooking up a small solar charger on a hit an miss basis and when this is done no ESS display. When I don't, I get the display and after about a 30 minute drive it clears. This aux. is way over burdened by a draw and will be short lived. I'm hoping a better option comes along. I do not want a heavy second battery under the hood.
BTW, I changed neighbor ladies 1997 TJ battery, lasted 12 years. My wife's '13 Toyota's is 9 years old, my '13 RV had 4 6V house batteries last 8 years and my '15 VW Golf s OEM is still fine. So much for the issue being OEM batteries IMHO.

 

[Ruby Mike]

Both batteries died at 30k and around 2 and a half years. Luckily the dealership replaced both under warranty. That's the good part. The service writer apparently wanted to make some money. He said that I needed to change the transfer case oil. I declined because the owners manual said that the transfer case and transmission oil should be replaced after 96k. You have to be careful.

 

[txj2go]

Not mine but I remember bad batteries on 2 different brand new Wranglers back in 2018. Back then I went on a lot test drives trying different models. One had a charging/battery light come on during the test drive. We got stranded a mile from the dealer. Dealer said it was a bad aux battery. That happened a second time during another test drive a few months later. We were able to drive back to the dealer on the second drive. Dealer said it was probably a bad alternator or battery.

I replaced the battery in my 3 year old Jeep before I started doing trips to remote places. When I took the battery out it was date stamped to be 2 years old. I bought this Jeep used so I don't know its history but apparently the new battery lasted about 1 year before it was replaced by the dealer.

 

[Larrymuld]

Mine is still going strong after 38k miles and 2 1/2 years.

 

[swampflyer]

I replaced mine before I ran into any problems. After reading all the problems jeepers were having I decided I did not want my wife or myself stranded because of problems with the design of this system. I replaced the entire mess system with a genesis dual battery and g-screen. Everything has worked perfect from the first start up. In addition being off road and this happen is a big tow bill. It's so hard to believe that FCA would field a vehicle with a computer nanny system this bad. Not just the battery system but locker sensor etc. That's about it chocolate thunder.

 

[DanW]

Alrighty…update.

AAA arrived and checked main batt and alternator. Both were GOOD. I told her that I believed the culprit was the aux batt. I explained that I would have to remove the fender in order to remove the aux in order to replace. She indicated that AAA doesn’t carry aux batteries for the jeep as they are more so like motorcycle batteries and their jump equipment could potentially ruin an aux battery bc of the voltage differences.

So, I hopped in the jeep to try an experiment I devised from reading this thread. I tried to crank it the normal way and ofc, the jeep would not start. However, all lights were lit and I was still in the “RUN” mode. Well, I pressed the ESS (auto start/stop) button to disable it (the button light came on), and then I pressed the brake and the ignition button again. Jeep cranked right on up!

While the jeep was idling, the ESS warning light came on in the dash and stayed lit. This is how I know for sure that the aux battery is dead/dying.

I also realized that my main battery died before my aux ( it went out in Oct 2021: 3yrs & 4 months) because when I replaced the main battery the jeep cranked with no issues and the battery tester indicated the main battery was dead.

So this means that my oem aux battery actually lasted 3yrs and 9 months.

I have yet to decide whether to remove the aux battery. If I’m able to crank the jeep by disabling/ pressing the ESS button after cycling the ignition to “RUN” mode (press ignition button without brake pressed) then why would I need to remove the battery at all?

I likely will replace the aux battery, but It may be a while if there is no harm to my main battery and other systems, beyond having the ESS work.

Any thoughts on this? Anything I’m missing or overlooking?

Also, yall are a blessing! Idk what I’d do without the kind, selfless, intelligent brains that contribute to this forum. I appreciate yall for sharing your experiences and what you’ve learned. It saved me a lot of money and headache today.

Great job working the problem and finding that solution!! I might have sat there for hours and never thought about disabling the ESS and trying again.

Die Hard makes a nice AGM replacement aux battery you can buy through Advance Auto Parts. At this time last year, they were the only game in town for that replacement. Others might make them by now.

I replaced both batteries at about 3.2 years as preventative maintenance. I went with an Odyssey pure lead AGM for the big battery and the Die Hard for the Aux. I plan on replacing mine every 3 years. Maybe 3.5, but no longer. I also decided not to go through the fender because losing one of the fender fasteners would be a problem. Last I checked, you could not buy them. So I went through the top, removing the fuse boxes. It wasn't as bad or hard as people have made it out to be.

 

[TaiMc]

Great job working the problem and finding that solution!! I might have sat there for hours and never thought about disabling the ESS and trying again.

Die Hard makes a nice AGM replacement aux battery you can buy through Advance Auto Parts. At this time last year, they were the only game in town for that replacement. Others might make them by now.

I replaced both batteries at about 3.2 years as preventative maintenance. I went with an Odyssey pure lead AGM for the big battery and the Die Hard for the Aux. I plan on replacing mine every 3 years. Maybe 3.5, but no longer. I also decided not to go through the fender because losing one of the fender fasteners would be a problem. Last I checked, you could not buy them. So I went through the top, removing the fuse boxes. It wasn't as bad or hard as people have made it out to be.

Thank you! However, my plan was trashed and thrown in the toilet by my Jeep Guy. He told me to replace the aux battery as eventually the jeep would misbehave and do some wild things and eventually drain the main battery. I wanted to believe the bypass would work lol. But when I told him I was gonna be travelling to Austin for MotoGP this week, he told me not to risk it!

Iwas sad…but i found an aux battery at advance auto parts. I had some trouble at first and corporate got involved…did the leg work and found me a store that had it on their shelves. They also gave me a $20 discount!

i bought it, got home…took that fender off (broke 3 clips, but i still used them lol), removed the battery from underneath, (after removing/isolating the negative post from main battery. Disconnected the turn signal too.

The only issues I had were reinstalling the new battery. Those metal screw thingies that go into the battery posts…confused me! The new battery didnt have them. After close review of the oem aux…I realized i could take those thingies out and put them in the new one lol.

It was also difficult to hold the battery and put the screws back in. I asked my dad to hold it for me. Then I removed the white clips from the jeep frame and reinstalled them on the fender piece…even the broken ones lol. Surprisingly they still held in place.

reconnected the turn signal as well. Cranked the jeep…everything worked. ESS error message was gone.

glad that job is done and glad i saved some dollas! Returning the core tomorrow for another $20 discount!
hope this mini write-up helps someone!

 

[viper88]

I would definitely replace BOTH batteries at 36 months as preventive maintenance.

Try this place if anyone is in a bind. They usually have just about every kind of battery.

https://www.batteriesplus.com/

 

[viper88]

Thank you! However, my plan was trashed and thrown in the toilet by my Jeep Guy. He told me to replace the aux battery as eventually the jeep would misbehave and do some wild things and eventually drain the main battery. I wanted to believe the bypass would work lol. But when I told him I was gonna be travelling to Austin for MotoGP this week, he told me not to risk it!

Iwas sad…but i found an aux battery at advance auto parts. I had some trouble at first and corporate got involved…did the leg work and found me a store that had it on their shelves. They also gave me a $20 discount!

i bought it, got home…took that fender off (broke 3 clips, but i still used them lol), removed the battery from underneath, (after removing/isolating the negative post from main battery. Disconnected the turn signal too.

The only issues I had were reinstalling the new battery. Those metal screw thingies that go into the battery posts…confused me! The new battery didnt have them. After close review of the oem aux…I realized i could take those thingies out and put them in the new one lol.

It was also difficult to hold the battery and put the screws back in. I asked my dad to hold it for me. Then I removed the white clips from the jeep frame and reinstalled them on the fender piece…even the broken ones lol. Surprisingly they still held in place.

reconnected the turn signal as well. Cranked the jeep…everything worked. ESS error message was gone.

glad that job is done and glad i saved some dollas! Returning the core tomorrow for another $20 discount!
hope this mini write-up helps someone!

Great job!

 

[DKAwildcat]

I replaced both batteries in my 2018 JLU at 42 months old after my ESS system stopped working. There we’re no warning lights and I experienced no hesitations with the engine starting.

 

[TaiMc]

Great job!

Thank you!

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