Start/Stop battery is STUPID!

[ShadowsPapa]

Ok.. so congrats, sounds like you're at LEAST as OCD as I am

Very.

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[ShadowsPapa]

Yep.. got prime.. gonna go ahead and bite the bullet, order that one, and just keep the noco as a spare, or maybe re-gift it to someone less OCD than me

One other thing nice about something like the CTEK - it shows the phase it's in at a glance. Yes, some others, like Carlisle, will show using indicator lights and a chart you need to read or remember, but the CTEK has it shown graphically.

 

[Caspien]

One other thing nice about something like the CTEK - it shows the phase it's in at a glance. Yes, some others, like Carlisle, will show using indicator lights and a chart you need to read or remember, but the CTEK has it shown graphically.

Right now, I re-hooked up everything back to how it was, with the original batteries, and am leaving the Noco on it all day, just to get to and from work tomorrow.. (60 miles each way)

Because.. surprise!! The CTEK was supposed to be here for the new batteries, between 4am and 8am...

The package(s) were placed in the independent delivery person's car.. and travelled about 5 miles.. before.. POOF.. gone. Amazon lost all tracking with the driver.

Customer support already confirmed the packages were lost. They reshipped my battery tester(MOTOPOWER MP0515A, because they get semi-decent reviews, and I'd like to have some method of getting numbers other than my multimeter) to be delivered later today, but have to re-ship the CTEK.

The support rep and I were joking around on the phone, she said 'lost packages' have become extremely common in the last 6 months or so. Said she has probably 30 of them a day.

UPSIDE, I suppose, is that I started the return process for the Noco, and she offered to issue a partial refund, and let me keep the unit. Apparently that's a thing they do, to not only keep their shipping and returns down, now... who knew??! Brings the total cost of the Noco10, down to under $40.. so decided to keep it for partial charging, and then topping off with the CTEK when it arrives.


To be FAIR, the running joke from most of our neighbors, is that if a package is distributed from that particular depot, there's a 50/50 chance of it making to its destination.. due to their propensity to hire 'tweakers' as their drivers. Whereas, if shipped from a couple of the depots further north, the chances go up substantially. *Sigh* Maybe the delay will mean the package will come from one of the more reliable warehouses/depots.

 

[RidinDirty]

So easy.

1) Pull F42 Fuse
2) Wrap up negative lead from Aux battery in electrical tape
3) (Optional) - Get a much better AGM battery

Done.

Also have a Tazer but you should have had one anyway, to permanently turn off start stop.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

but you should have had one anyway,

LOL

 

[Caspien]

Fun little update to my replacement scenario:

Amazon lost the CTEK chargers... 3x in shipping... before finally getting one to me. Topped off the new batteries, tested them.

Rated at 800CCA and 200CCA.. actual production: 916CCA and 485CCA Total: 1401CCA

Replaced the old ones, with the new ones.. charged the old ones and tested them:

Rated at 700CCA and 200CCA... actual production: 253CCA and 127CCA Total: 362CCA

(Also had OReilly test the old ones, just to make sure my tester is accurate.. it's off by about 4CCA, compared to their tester)


So.. yeah.. huge difference.



As for going in via the wheel well... I've come to add what may be a variable for folks considering it.
(if some of this has been covered, I apologize.. but I'd not seen any of the following)

If you're large framed, you may have a more difficult time getting to the battery that way. I actually enlisted the help of my wife, to get the AUX battery out, and back in.. as due to my shoulder width and length of arms, getting the proper angle on the bolts was nearly impossible.If I had another joint at my forearm, I'd be fine.. but as it is.. if I have to do it, again, I'll be going in, via the top.

Luckily, my wife is significantly smaller than I am, so she was able to get the battery out, no problem. Getting it IN, was a bit more of a chore, since she couldn't hold up the battery and its tray, while putting the bolts in. I wound up having to squeeze my arm in, and sorta pry the battery and tray up, while she got the bolts in. Also.. if you CAN, I'd recommend starting by putting one front bolt in, very loosely, and then moving to the rear, before putting in the second front bolt. We had a binding issue with the two front bolts, not allowing the battery holder to align.. so we had to back one out, align the rear, and then put the front bolt in again.

As for the main battery:

To prevent breaking the plastic tab on the positive lead, remove the middle bolt, and leave the rest of the wires connected to that cross bracket. Pull the battery, and then you can remove the positive connector off the battery, and pull that clip at the same time.

It's been awhile since I replaced a battery, so that initial light spark when connecting the negative lead back on, after finishing everything up, was startling.. lol. Wasn't a heavy pop or anything, but I've gotten so used to no sparks with these testers, chargers, and meters I've been using for the last few years, I'd completely forgotten about the 'spark'. Again.. just startling enough for me to have an 'Oh Shhh' moment. Completely forgot these new vehicles have constant power drain, even when powered off.. so that circuit immediately going 'live' was shocking. (hah!! no pun this time)


Oh.. and if you want the battery cover put back in place... remember to do so, before you reconnect everything... because.. my dumb ass forgot to put it back on, and now, I'm not gonna remove everything again, just to do so, especially while I'm in the 2 hour IBS relearning phase.

That said.. the cover is so thin, I'm not really sure it serves any purpose, other than to make the engine bay look cleaner. I suppose it COULD do a LITTLE bit of insulation.. but it's such a thin felt cover, with no foil lining, I can't imagine its really doing much. Might just replace it with an aftermarket one with proper insulation and a radiant barrier... but for now, I don't feel like resetting the IBS, again, just to put what is the equivellent of 2 paper towels thickness back on. (again.. maybe I will in a few weeks.. we'll see... hell.. I'm still debating on the Genesis aux relocation bracket, since I don't wanna have to do that pain, again.)

 

[Charles 236]

I have done auxiliary battery replacement both ways in the dealership, through the top pulling the fusebox assembly, and through the wheelhouse liner. Through the liner is definitely easier, but I also refuse to try to do it with the wheel in place. I raise the Jeep enough to remove the wheel, and lay a fender cover over the brake rotor and caliper just to avoid getting dirty off of it. There are other plastic rivets available with a head that is silimilar to the stock rivets that don't cost as much as the OEM rivets. I do retain the blankets on both batteries, it isn't much but it helps a little.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I have done auxiliary battery replacement both ways in the dealership, through the top pulling the fusebox assembly, and through the wheelhouse liner. Through the liner is definitely easier, but I also refuse to try to do it with the wheel in place. I raise the Jeep enough to remove the wheel, and lay a fender cover over the brake rotor and caliper just to avoid getting dirty off of it. There are other plastic rivets available with a head that is silimilar to the stock rivets that don't cost as much as the OEM rivets. I do retain the blankets on both batteries, it isn't much but it helps a little.

You can buy a complete kit of such fasteners from Amazon, dozens, for the price of a few from Jeep And yes, pretty hard to see any difference. You'd have to be a hard-core restoration person to insist on only the Jeep originals.

One example -

 

[MattK]

I've had to change both batteries once on my 2020 pretty much four years aft6er I bought it, same month. It was showing low voltage with accessory on and wasn't hold a good charge even after a 4-hour road trip. I tackled it from the top going through the fuse box and down to it as it seemed "easier" on my older body. Thanks to the folks on the forum that pitched in with their knowledge I was able to tackle it in a couple hours instead of paying 1k to a dealership.

Right now, I use a small solar panel to trickle charge it while it sits, and it seems to be keeping it maintained but it won't get ahead of the game. Peak solar power is about 1 amp on it that I've seen at the height of the day.

I won't do it again, I think. My truck is out of warranty due to years not mileage so I might go with the Genesis dual battery setup or something. They also offer an aux battery relocation kit to make replacing it much easier, but I think it's an ugly setup. Or maybe I'll look into a Cascadia hood solar panel or something to keep things topped up.

 

[Caspien]

Or maybe I'll look into a Cascadia hood solar panel or something to keep things topped up.

That Cascadia hood panel just made it to my radar a couple of weeks ago... It looks like a fantastic idea... Been waiting to see some of the long term reviews of it,. because if it's one thing I've learned... Solar panels are NOT all made to last, unfortunately.

Haven't looked to see if it needs a DcToDC converter for it to run, though, yet.

 

[MattK]

That Cascadia hood panel just made it to my radar a couple of weeks ago... It looks like a fantastic idea... Been waiting to see some of the long term reviews of it,. because if it's one thing I've learned... Solar panels are NOT all made to last, unfortunately.

Haven't looked to see if it needs a DcToDC converter for it to run, though, yet.

They have a 15amp MPPT controller w/ bluetooth to manage the charging that you can get with the panel. It's a separate purchase.

Cascadia has been doing these for a long time. I contemplated one way back when on my 2013 JKR as I had the same issue with short town trips and it sitting a lot otherwise, unless I was going off-roading. They have a proven track record I'd say.

 

[peterpilot379]

I finally pulled the trigger on the Genesis Battery Replacement Kit using two Odyssey Group 25 batteries. So essentially it maintains factory designed operation in a hefty dual battery setup. My only regret is not doing this in year one when I was dealing with all those pesky Aux battery issues the first time.

 

[ecidiego]

Plug it in like an EV if you don't drive it much.

This.

I plug mine into the charger through the 7 pin connector once a month.

 

[bgott]

You were lucky if that's all they did to you.

You've never had one simply DIE and not crank at all?

We had so many calls for towing and jump starts because a battery simply quit. Lucky was the one that it actually cranked, just more slowly. And often it also meant - it wouldn't start because there wasn't enough power for the ignition

Or you turn the key and get a "pop" under the hood, then nothing. Or you hook up jumpers and get three or four quick pops out of the battery just before the top blows out of the battery. I blew one up in my face when I was 14, after that I can clear half the shop before it blows after any funny noises!

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