Auto Stop/Start Stopped working.

[Charles 236]

Very familiar, @ShsdowsPapa. Everytime we start to get comfortable with the current rules on parts replacement and warranty claims, they change them. Makes me glad that I am going from "semi retired" to "fully retired" in about three years.

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[ShadowsPapa]

Very familiar, @ShsdowsPapa. Everytime we start to get comfortable with the current rules on parts replacement and warranty claims, they change them. Makes me glad that I am going from "semi retired" to "fully retired" in about three years.

I tried to retire - even handed my boss "the letter" a bit over 5 years ago and gathered my check for unused vacation time.......... and got insurance paid for 5 years by my unused sick leave.......... then the AMC people found I had more time on my hands and now I'm busier than when I worked for the man.
I think "retired" just means tired again..........

 

[Charles 236]

Nowadays, retired seems to mean just a different kind of busy.

 

[Wasatch1]

You nailed it there. It isn't doing a good job.

There are issues with these trucks not keeping the batteries charged. I've pretty much proven that with weeks, now months, of research on my own truck, experimenting, and observing some of the symptoms others are seeing.

So I suppose, I use a trickle charger daily to use the option this truck came with... Or I can install a small generator to power this feature! Yes, either solar panel on the hood, a diesel generator, or belt driven 2nd alternator! This issue is easy street!

 

[cmb396]

Was on vaca last week, jumped in the truck yesterday and got "stop/start..." not available, then my truck started idling at 1800 rpms while in park?!?
Put battery tender on a bit ago after reading through this, and it was at 95% when I initially put the tender on.

Anyone else get a abnormally nigh idle in conjunction with this?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Was on vaca last week, jumped in the truck yesterday and got "stop/start..." not available, then my truck started idling at 1800 rpms while in park?!?
Put battery tender on a bit ago after reading through this, and it was at 95% when I initially put the tender on.

Anyone else get a abnormally nigh idle in conjunction with this?

That should have nothing to do with it.
You don't have a tazer in there do you? Isn't 1800 rpm their winch mode high idle speed?

My bet is ESS isn't working because of the anomaly that's causing your high RPM.
Unless your message said "Start/stop not available, battery charging" - no reason to put a charger on it.
There are at least a couple of reasons it won't work - among them, any problem detected in the engine or related systems.
Otherwise, if it's not working because of battery charging, low engine temp, cabin heating or cooling, it will tell you that on the ESS screen if you scroll to that screen and look.

This is one reason - it's 100 degrees outside and climbing - you can scroll up or down to get to this screen and see the reason. If there's no reason, then there's likely an engine issue.

 

[cmb396]

That should have nothing to do with it.
You don't have a tazer in there do you? Isn't 1800 rpm their winch mode high idle speed?

My bet is ESS isn't working because of the anomaly that's causing your high RPM.
Unless your message said "Start/stop not available, battery charging" - no reason to put a charger on it.
There are at least a couple of reasons it won't work - among them, any problem detected in the engine or related systems.
Otherwise, if it's not working because of battery charging, low engine temp, cabin heating or cooling, it will tell you that on the ESS screen if you scroll to that screen and look.

This is one reason - it's 100 degrees outside and climbing - you can scroll up or down to get to this screen and see the reason. If there's no reason, then there's likely an engine issue.

Was just shooting in the dark with the charger.
I am on Daves tune with my magnusson. Have 2500 flawless miles on it, and then got that yesterday. He sent me an updated tune today he is currently running, and it's still doing it. I do not recall it saying on the dash why stop/start not ready, just that it is not available, and I have the little captain America A light above the fuel level.

 

[Wasatch1]

You nailed it there. It isn't doing a good job.

There are issues with these trucks not keeping the batteries charged. I've pretty much proven that with weeks, now months, of research on my own truck, experimenting, and observing some of the symptoms others are seeing.

Just an update.... went camping, fully loaded Grizzly 75 cooler full, firewood, 70# canvas tent, chairs etc... Drove up a 6% grade highway here at 70+, then to a campsite 9k ft elevation. Anyway, today ESS worked for the first time in months! So, in short, to save a miniscule amount of gas daily, gotta drive like a bat outa hell to keep ESS working.

 

[Wasatch1]

Well that lasted exactly 1 week... ESS not working again, always charging... this system is lame! Not an option I would order, more annoying than anything. So with this, add stupid side mirror alarm while offloading and one full brake system lockup while doing 70mph seeing overpass? I will say do not bother with any Jeep safety or start/stop options! Save your cash!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Well that lasted exactly 1 week... ESS not working again, always charging... this system is lame! Not an option I would order, more annoying than anything. So with this, add stupid side mirror alarm while offloading and one full brake system lockup while doing 70mph seeing overpass? I will say do not bother with any Jeep safety or start/stop options! Save your cash!

What's lame is how badly the batteries in these discharge when sitting, and how bloody long it takes to get them back up to snuff by driving them.
Took two days of driving around, making stops, shopping, cat to the vet, etc. and finally mine hit 12.44 volts and ESS started working.
2 days ago it was 12.21 volts. Now that's just crazy - all that driving around to go 1/4 of a volt up? Seriously?
Mine has been running around 14.2 to 14.3 while driving - that is not high enough to charge these batteries. It's no wonder they are never fully charged by driving. AGM batteries need more than that to fully charge.
I suggest that the charging voltage is too low on these trucks.

 

[Wasatch1]

Got that right! I think I'm going to start monitoring my Volts and log what's going on as well... I mean I bought a Rubicon Launch, so these options were already on my rig. With that, I supposedly got the better alternator, cooling systems etc... Also, I just bought a solar/battery pack for my electronic gear as well as a boost jump pack while camping! I dont care how many USBs or 110v points are in this rig if it isnt running... I can't feel comfortable at 9k feet hoping the whole truck isn't going to be dead!

 

[BajaTJ]

Which begs the question, is this happening with trucks with the 240a alternator, as in what comes with the Tow Pkg?

 

[fourfa]

Hm, I had an issue switching my Tacoma from a standard flooded lead-acid battery to a sealed AGM battery - charging voltage was never enough to fully charge it. It's a well known problem in Toyotaland, with a well-know solution: an alternator voltage booster. In one method, you replace the alternator fuse with an aftermarket fuse with an internal diode, which slightly decreases the voltage seen by the alternator regulator. It responds by increasing the voltage seen at the battery from 14.4v (not enough for AGM) to 14.7v.

It worked absolutely perfect on that truck for many years. I had thought the battery was dying, turns out it was just never getting charged fully. I did go through a whole routine of charging externally, put a bluetooth battery monitor on it, watched a bunch of battery charge cycles while driving, etc. Totally safe and totally brought that battery back to life.

Now it seems there are hundreds of such things on the market and you wouldn't have to order this special fuse from Australia like I did (this one)

But that was a truck with a simple alternator, that came with one battery chemisty, and me running a different one. I'm a bit skeptical that Jeep ships these with AGMs, but isn't supplying enough voltage to really charge them. And the smart regulators on modern Jeeps may be too smart to fool by just monkeying with the supply voltage. But it sure does sound similar.

 

[Wasatch1]

Ya, I'm at a loss... It actually worked flawlessly almost a year... Maybe higher Amp alt, AMG, who knows? A tazer is the only aftermarket electrical item added for tire/gear change. And of course a Warn winch. I even have full LED pkg which should make the system happier. Anyway, thanks for any inputs...

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Which begs the question, is this happening with trucks with the 240a alternator, as in what comes with the Tow Pkg?

Yes. It's nothing to do with amperage, it's the voltage control they have programmed into these.
It could be a 10,000 amp alternator and if it doesn't run at the voltage required to charge a battery, it won't charge the battery.

In one method, you replace the alternator fuse with an aftermarket fuse with an internal diode, which slightly decreases the voltage seen by the alternator regulator. It responds by increasing the voltage seen at the battery from 14.4v (not enough for AGM) to 14.7v.

Problem is these are controlled by the PCM....... The voltage is regulated by the PCM based on information it collects and information from the IBS via the LIN (another network in these things)
Oddly mine used to charge at 14.6+ and now I rarely see that.
I also investigated the "typica lifespan of an AGM battery" and found it to be 3 years, according to 2 or 3 battery companies. Whoa - I've had flooded cell old tech batteries last 6 to 12 years! And these won't go near that?

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