ESS Not Avail, battery charging - dealer cant find problem

[HereWeGo]

I've read a ton of posts about this problem and they all point to possibly a bad battery. I've had the ESS and Aux Switches not available battery charging message for a couple of weeks. Just got it back from the dealer they said both batteries checked out OK no codes couldn't find anything wrong on the system. About to go on a long road trip and don't want to have a problem. Any suggestions?

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[ShadowsPapa]

Yeah -
Disconnect both batteries and separate them from each other.
Charge the aux battery by itself with a good charger that is AGM capable and more than a few mA - get into the 10 or 20 amp range.
Next, charge the main battery the same way - a good AGM charger, 10 or 20 amps.
While that's happening, leave the IBS off the main battery terminal, disconnect it, leave it lay until done.

A couple of hours after they've been charged, and before reconnecting them:
Check the voltage of each battery - disconnected, they should sit at at least 12.7 - 12.8 volts minimum. A full AGM battery that's not in a system, not having any draw or load on it should run at least 12.7 volts. And less and it's bad.
If all checks out after charging and checking voltages, hook everything back up as it should be.
You have now reset the IBS, wiped out historical data, etc. and started fresh.

ESS will likely not function for at least a couple of drives while the IBS re-learns. It should happen pretty quickly, though.
Watch the voltage when the truck runs - either on the Off Road Pages on the radio, or in the cluster where it shows oil pressure, temperatures, etc. - switch to the voltage screen and keep an eye on that.

 

[Mr._Bill]

How old are your batteries?
How much and how often is it driven?
The life expectancy of AGM batteries in the JT is about three years.
If it is not driven enough, the batteries never get fully charged, and life expectancy decreases.

If the batteries are near three years old, I would just replace them before the trip. Make sure they are fully charged before installation. Otherwise, do as suggested and charge them. When charging or replacing, be careful with the cables to make sure they don't contact each other or anything metal on the truck. If they do, it can blow the high current fuse assembly, which is about $175 plus installation.

 

[OVERLORD]

I JUST replace my Aux Battery for this very reason.

Problem gone.

Early 2020 Gladiator.

Brought the factory ESS Battery for core charge, asked for a load test, counter guy said it was weak.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I JUST replace my Aux Battery for this very reason.

Problem gone.

Early 2020 Gladiator.

Brought the factory ESS Battery for core charge, asked for a load test, counter guy said it was weak.

Yeah, like said - it's cheap insurance to replace with better batteries.
A 2021 is getting close.
If it was a 2020, I'd say just go get new batteries.

 

[Toyfrog]

I just had the Aux switch not available message but nothing on the ESS, truck started fine and after about a min the Aux switches worked.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I just had the Aux switch not available message but nothing on the ESS, truck started fine and after about a min the Aux switches worked.

Low voltage at the aux battery when the truck was started. Charging system/alternator built the voltage back up after starting it, it crossed the threshold for the aux switches.
You may have battery issues.

 

[ShawnwFL]

Had the same issue. Took it to dealer after a month of that message and they tested batteries and said they were fine so there’s nothing they could do under warranty.

Fast forward 6 months after that and the Jeep started intermittently not starting and given batshit errors (diesel preheat, water in fuel). took it in to dealer and there were no codeswhen they ran the ODB, had to show them pics I took. Anyway, they tested the aux and it was dead. Dead dead. They replaced under warranty.

moral of the story is that your aux battery is more than likely failing but the dealer won’t do anything under warranty until it’s completely dead and probably leaves you stranded. You can wait for that or take shadowspapa’s advise and test the battery yourself and replace if necessary.

 

[Toyfrog]

Low voltage at the aux battery when the truck was started. Charging system/alternator built the voltage back up after starting it, it crossed the threshold for the aux switches.
You may have battery issues.

Thanks for the help, any recommendations on a good replacement?

 

[Mr._Bill]

Thanks for the help, any recommendations on a good replacement?

I put in a ACDelco 94R AGM that I got from Amazon for $150. The price fluctuates a lot. Costco and Sam's Club are usually good places to get them. I got a Deka Aux14 battery from Auto Barn. They are around $120, and they frequently have $10 off and free shipping promotions.

 

[OVERLORD]

Went to my local Auto Parts store, and got a Diehard for $130.00.

Advance Auto.

 

[OVERLORD]

Used this video ....................

Replacing your Jeep Auxiliary Battery - YouTube

 

[HereWeGo]

Yeah -
Disconnect both batteries and separate them from each other.
Charge the aux battery by itself with a good charger that is AGM capable and more than a few mA - get into the 10 or 20 amp range.
Next, charge the main battery the same way - a good AGM charger, 10 or 20 amps.
While that's happening, leave the IBS off the main battery terminal, disconnect it, leave it lay until done.

A couple of hours after they've been charged, and before reconnecting them:
Check the voltage of each battery - disconnected, they should sit at at least 12.7 - 12.8 volts minimum. A full AGM battery that's not in a system, not having any draw or load on it should run at least 12.7 volts. And less and it's bad.
If all checks out after charging and checking voltages, hook everything back up as it should be.
You have now reset the IBS, wiped out historical data, etc. and started fresh.

ESS will likely not function for at least a couple of drives while the IBS re-learns. It should happen pretty quickly, though.
Watch the voltage when the truck runs - either on the Off Road Pages on the radio, or in the cluster where it shows oil pressure, temperatures, etc. - switch to the voltage screen and keep an eye on that.

Thank you! And thanks to all who replied. It all makes sense now.
Cheers!
Kenny

 

[SargeDiesel]

Yeah -
Disconnect both batteries and separate them from each other.
Charge the aux battery by itself with a good charger that is AGM capable and more than a few mA - get into the 10 or 20 amp range.
Next, charge the main battery the same way - a good AGM charger, 10 or 20 amps.
While that's happening, leave the IBS off the main battery terminal, disconnect it, leave it lay until done.

A couple of hours after they've been charged, and before reconnecting them:
Check the voltage of each battery - disconnected, they should sit at at least 12.7 - 12.8 volts minimum. A full AGM battery that's not in a system, not having any draw or load on it should run at least 12.7 volts. And less and it's bad.
If all checks out after charging and checking voltages, hook everything back up as it should be.
You have now reset the IBS, wiped out historical data, etc. and started fresh.

ESS will likely not function for at least a couple of drives while the IBS re-learns. It should happen pretty quickly, though.
Watch the voltage when the truck runs - either on the Off Road Pages on the radio, or in the cluster where it shows oil pressure, temperatures, etc. - switch to the voltage screen and keep an eye on that.

I like the NOCO-10 you suggested a while back. I have since bought two boost packs from them as well. They are a very well thought out charger. If you contact them, they will give a large Military Discount if you qualify.

https://no.co/genius10

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I like the NOCO-10 you suggested a while back. I have since bought two boost packs from them as well. They are a very well thought out charger. If you contact them, they will give a large Military Discount if you qualify.

https://no.co/genius10

For anything other than pure "maintenance", I don't use anything less than about 6 amps - today, there's not much between 5 and 10, so 10 is my new minimum choice for charging.
I've had a BatteryMinder for years. It's always done very well - 1500mA or about 1.5 amps. Great for leaving on the lawn tractor, or either of my cars, when they sit for long periods. I've got a DieHard brand 800mA battery tender that works pretty well too, starting out with a battery that's not very low it will bring it up to snuff and keep it there, and like the BatteryMinder, even breathe new life into really old batteries now and then. (battery on my test bench is probably 15 years old)
I wasn't able to get my Eagle's battery to start it more than once even after sitting on either of those small "tenders" for hours. I put my NAPA 10/20 charger on it and let it run over night. Today after removing the surface charge letting the headlights run for about 30 seconds, it's still sitting at 12.7 volts. We'll see how it behaves when starting that car. The NAPA charger also tries to determine the health of the battery - measure internal resistance, check for sulfation and so on, and will go into desulphate mode when needed. Not cheap but a solid charger.

I've not had great luck with tenders when it comes time to a real charge that needs to be "forced" into a battery. Fine for maintenance, but don't give me anything less than 10 amps in a real charger.

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