Aux Battery Charging?

[Skull]

Get rid of the ESS, many aftermarket companies make the device to do such. Stupid system that saves nothing, costs more on down the road repairs to save minimal fuel Especially in stop and go traffic.

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[Caraholic]

It had been a couple weeks that I hadn't driven my Gladiator when I saw something related: An alert at engine start that the aux battery wasn't properly charged and therefore the aux switches would not work. Naturally I tried an aux switch (for my air compressor) and it did not work. The odd thing: My aux battery is a full-size Odyssey AGM battery, not the little OEM motorcycle battery. Not only would a problem with it disable my air compressor, but it would also keep me from turning on my comm rack with all of its radios, and my aftermarket driving lights. The error did go away after driving a few miles and has not returned since (despite the stupid cold weather we're having right now).

Was adding that battery to replace the aux battery an easy fix?

 

[Mark Doiron]

Was adding that battery to replace the aux battery an easy fix?

It was a pretty straight-forward mod. Half a day of work. But I have quite a bit of experience with electrical work, and all the right tools and supplies to do a job correctly. Retired USAF avionics tech.

 

[Delhux]

I can share that my ESS stopped working in late October, and after several visits to two different dealers I haven’t even been offered any kind of battery replacement.

Just today, I was contacted to set up a service visit because the “battery sensor” that they want to replace has arrived.

I am low-key almost jealous of the owners who have had multiple bad batteries swapped—I’m four months into troubleshooting via dealers and have yet to have a single part swapped out.

 

[Delhux]

@Delhux

I'd get it in there and have the IBS Sensor replaced before they use it on someone elses...

IF you care to learn about the IBS sensor, what it does, etc. read here:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/3-6l-ess-ibs-information.22585/

I was FULLY expecting the “IBS” sensor to be a total goofball service technician joke—like an ID-10T error.

Thanks for the info, I’m sure that’s probably what they have ordered for me—visit has been booked!

 

[JeepCares]

OK, new development. Called the dealer again to take the JTR in to have the battery checked, and this SA I talked to said that the ASS feature "is designed" to disable itself when the outside temperatures are cold (he said he believes it's below 30F), as a measure to prevent draining the battery and having it die at a stoplight etc. While this sounds pretty plausible, this would effectively mean that the ASS is inactive all winter for those of us living in colder climates. First I've heard of this, and it's not in the manual, nor can I find it elsewhere. Google is full of returns that ASS is disabled when temps are either to high or to low, but again, this is the first I've heard of it. Anyone else got info on this?

Is this concern still present, Rainman519? If so, we can definitely dig in further with you, send us a PM.

Kate
Jeep Cares

I can share that my ESS stopped working in late October, and after several visits to two different dealers I haven’t even been offered any kind of battery replacement.

Just today, I was contacted to set up a service visit because the “battery sensor” that they want to replace has arrived.

I am low-key almost jealous of the owners who have had multiple bad batteries swapped—I’m four months into troubleshooting via dealers and have yet to have a single part swapped out.

Hey, Delhux. We'd be happy to help you as well. Send us a PM when you get a chance.

Kate
Jeep Cares

 

[Rainman519]

Kate - PM sent (I believe, but just in case), Thanks for the response. Yes the problem is still ongoing. I haven't taken it to the dealer yet due to the weather in this area, but plan to next week. In the meantime, I'm keeping the JTR on a battery tender (note it only has 7209 miles on it) every day to prevent it from going dead. Concerning to me that the SA would state that the battery has a defensive posture in temps under 30 degrees. No one's ever heard of that before. Please check and let the group know your findings. Thanks.

 

[JeepCares]

Kate - PM sent (I believe, but just in case), Thanks for the response. Yes the problem is still ongoing. I haven't taken it to the dealer yet due to the weather in this area, but plan to next week. In the meantime, I'm keeping the JTR on a battery tender (note it only has 7209 miles on it) every day to prevent it from going dead. Concerning to me that the SA would state that the battery has a defensive posture in temps under 30 degrees. No one's ever heard of that before. Please check and let the group know your findings. Thanks.

I got it! I will continue to work with you there.

Kate
Jeep Cares

 

[Rainman519]

Update. Dealer was unable to duplicate the problem and told me the battery(s) were fully charged and holding it (I had it on a charger all night and a 20 mile trip to the dealer), so they sent me home and told me to return if the problem resurfaces. Hopefully it had something to do with the colder weather (though it wasn't below the 10-degree threshold when it first appeared) and will just go away. That said, I'm now constantly looking at my voltage and fearful of leaving the JT in the garage for a couple of days without driving it. I it needs to go back to the dealer, I'll post an update and resolution.

 

[Delhux]

UPDATE: Day 146, went back to dealership service department for the umpteenth time.

They confirmed my ESS isn’t working. Thanks.

They suggested I drive it more. I told them that after the battery sensor was replaced, the system turns on after about 40-60 minutes of highway driving and will remain active for a day or less. No amount of “around town” driving ever engages the system. A full battery tender charge allows the system to work for nearly a week, before it goes back to “charging”.

I asked why they don’t just replace one or both batteries. They said there were no error codes popping up, so they don’t do anything.

I am left to wonder why my Gladiator/Mopar warranty has cost me so much time and money and I can’t even get a non-issue like the ESS addressed. What is going to happen when something significant is an issue? @JeepCares has been great to deal with, I just wish the follow-through on the dealership side seemed to care at all.

Honestly, it’s probably just a failing, rinky-dink motorcycle battery that needs to be replaced. Why can’t they just proceed with practical, component-isolation to address this issue when the issue persists w/o an associated diagnostic code?

 

[Delhux]

UPDATE: Day 146, went back to dealership service department for the umpteenth time.

They confirmed my ESS isn’t working. Thanks.

They suggested I drive it more. I told them that after the battery sensor was replaced, the system turns on after about 40-60 minutes of highway driving and will remain active for a day or less. No amount of “around town” driving ever engages the system. A full battery tender charge allows the system to work for nearly a week, before it goes back to “charging”.

I asked why they don’t just replace one or both batteries. They said there were no error codes popping up, so they don’t do anything.

I am left to wonder why my Gladiator/Mopar warranty has cost me so much time and money and I can’t even get a non-issue like the ESS addressed. What is going to happen when something significant is an issue? @JeepCares has been great to deal with, I just wish the follow-through on the dealership side seemed to care at all.

Honestly, it’s probably just a failing, rinky-dink motorcycle battery that needs to be replaced. Why can’t they just proceed with practical, component-isolation to address this issue when the issue persists w/o an associated diagnostic code?

So, little update on my persistently-never-working-ESS and forever-charging-aux-battery condition…

I was preparing for a 3-week trip and was completely convinced that my truck may not even start up when I got back. So, I hooked up my battery tender for a few nights of charging before I left.

Even after leaving it on the tender, the ESS system would go back to reporting “ESS unavailable - battery charging” the day before I left for my trip. I did not leave the tender connected while I was away, and was fairly convinced I’d have a dead truck when I got back.

I finally got home from the 3-week trip (late at night) and needed to run to the store for groceries. With no small amount of trepidation, I went out to my truck and clicked the key fob—to my relief, it unlocked and even the LED headlights seemed to be full-bright.

So, I have about a 2-minute drive to the store and to my ABSOLUTE ASTONISHMENT ESS kicked in at the first big intersection I reached. It even kicked in again as parking, and did likewise in the drive home.

It has been a full week since I’ve been back, and with no changes to my driving pattern, ESS has been performing like new.

So what changed? I have a theory…

I live in the NorthEast and these issues began in late October, when the daily temperature began to be consistently below 50-degrees F.

While I was away, the average temperature went from sub-50’s to averaging around the 70’s.

I feel confident my batteries just don’t perform in moderately cold ambient temperatures.

While I had been working with local dealerships and @JeepCares to resolve the issue, I just have to assume they have no method of testing for ambient-temperature performance of the batteries.

I would very much like FCA to address this as a warranty issue, but I’ve been going in circles with them for half a year on this already. Until it started working, I just had given up on the idea of getting warranty service for my batteries and bought a Cascadia 4x4 solar panel fir my hood—to tend and top off the batteries continuously.

The solar panel is finally shipping, but now I’m concerned I’ve got an issue FCA can’t/won’t assist with, dealerships can’t functionally test for, and I will eventually have a third-party charging component installed that either of the aforementioned parties might use as basis to deny my warranty service.

All I want is guaranteed replacement of my batteries under warranty (either standard or my extended Mopar), but I genuinely don’t think FCA or my dealership actually wants to help.

It’s puzzling…

 

[ShadowsPapa]

So, little update on my persistently-never-working-ESS and forever-charging-aux-battery condition…

I was preparing for a 3-week trip and was completely convinced that my truck may not even start up when I got back. So, I hooked up my battery tender for a few nights of charging before I left.

Even after leaving it on the tender, the ESS system would go back to reporting “ESS unavailable - battery charging” the day before I left for my trip. I did not leave the tender connected while I was away, and was fairly convinced I’d have a dead truck when I got back.

I finally got home from the 3-week trip (late at night) and needed to run to the store for groceries. With no small amount of trepidation, I went out to my truck and clicked the key fob—to my relief, it unlocked and even the LED headlights seemed to be full-bright.

So, I have about a 2-minute drive to the store and to my ABSOLUTE ASTONISHMENT ESS kicked in at the first big intersection I reached. It even kicked in again as parking, and did likewise in the drive home.

It has been a full week since I’ve been back, and with no changes to my driving pattern, ESS has been performing like new.

So what changed? I have a theory…

I live in the NorthEast and these issues began in late October, when the daily temperature began to be consistently below 50-degrees F.

While I was away, the average temperature went from sub-50’s to averaging around the 70’s.

I feel confident my batteries just don’t perform in moderately cold ambient temperatures.

While I had been working with local dealerships and @JeepCares to resolve the issue, I just have to assume they have no method of testing for ambient-temperature performance of the batteries.

I would very much like FCA to address this as a warranty issue, but I’ve been going in circles with them for half a year on this already. Until it started working, I just had given up on the idea of getting warranty service for my batteries and bought a Cascadia 4x4 solar panel fir my hood—to tend and top off the batteries continuously.

The solar panel is finally shipping, but now I’m concerned I’ve got an issue FCA can’t/won’t assist with, dealerships can’t functionally test for, and I will eventually have a third-party charging component installed that either of the aforementioned parties might use as basis to deny my warranty service.

All I want is guaranteed replacement of my batteries under warranty (either standard or my extended Mopar), but I genuinely don’t think FCA or my dealership actually wants to help.

It’s puzzling…

Mine stopped working like normal when cold weather hit. It MAY work after a long drive, shut off, restart, drive, then it would work. Frequent battery charging message. Then when March hit, it started working PERFECTLY. It seems it only acted like that - not working 3/4 of the time when it was colder out. Once the temps got into the 40s, it was fine. I've had no issues with it for a couple of months now.
I chalked it up to cold weather. It doesn't like temps in the lower 30s and below. But warm up to mid 30s and higher it's good, temps 40s and above it's perfect.

 

[rubiusgladius]

My observations. The aux battery is undersized IMO. It is expected to augment ESS running accessories. It has low reserve capacity so it takes a beating. It’s a motorcycle battery. When you take a battery and cycle it hard, and fast charge it, it won’t last long. It’s small lol. This is why I think we’re seeing early failures. I think the best thing is to disable ESS and if your Jeep sits long periods, keep a battery tender on it so the aux battery isn’t expected to recover from a mostly discharged state. Treat your Jeep like a motorcycle

 

[Dqban]

When my ESS stopped working I placed my battery on a tender. It started working for a day or two before it died again. I knew it was the battery at that point. I have a warranty. I told the dealer to load test my battery, did not mention ESS. They replaced both batteries. ESS has been working fine since. Dealers are idiots. When I go to a dealership I tell them what I want repaired not to find the problem for me.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

When my ESS stopped working I placed my battery on a tender. It started working for a day or two before it died again. I knew it was the battery at that point. I have a warranty. I told the dealer to load test my battery, did not mention ESS. They replaced both batteries. ESS has been working fine since. Dealers are idiots. When I go to a dealership I tell them what I want repaired not to find the problem for me.

Opposite with my wife's 2018 WK2. I took it in, said my wife told me the ESS wasn't working and the NAV was funky and told them of a couple of other things not working. They came back and said "radio is bad, replacement on order, and oh, we replaced both of your batteries, the ESS should work now".
Just on the symptoms I gave them, they troubleshot the issues, found them, and resolved them fully with no back and forth, no argument.

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