Dealer Trip / No resolution / Trying to come up with solutions for ESS issues

[CreepyJeepy]

Hey there 2021 JTRD has not had a single ESS stop event in the past 3 months now. I assumed it was the batteries and scheduled an appointment at my dealer here in Littleton Colorado.

Symptoms have been no engine stop events in the last 2-3 months, system says 'Battery Charging' or 'Not Ready'. Prob about 50/50.

They took the jeep in at 7AM and instructed me that they would test both batteries first.

Main battery test showed of 650CCA, 675CCA remained, the battery past the tests.
Secondary Battery test showed of 200CCA, 181CCA remained, the battery past the tests.

They told me there was nothing wrong with the system and just continue to drive it, but ESS events still have not happened.

I really don't care all that much but it's my hunch it's the batteries and that they prob just didn't want to replace them. What would you do?

Thanks!

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[Lunentucker]

 

[kevman65]

Very well could be the batteries, BUT, they can't do anything under warranty as long as everything is within acceptable parameters.

It's not the dealership's decision, they can diagnose and if everything returns within normal range their hands are tied.

At least they were willing to look at and throw it on the diagnostic machine, some dealerships want nothing to do with warranty work and will blow smoke at you with some story and want you to foot the bill out of pocket.

 

[Dls79]

ESS operation is dependent on occupant seatbelt usage as well as some other things…

 

[Lost1wing]

I would pick up an AMG charger and leave it on over night. The next morning, go on a long ride. That is what I did. The only way that I ever see the ess work is after a long drive 1+ hours.

 

[CreepyJeepy]

Is anybody aware of a way to track down the reason behind `Not Ready` ?
There has to be a way to determine the 'reason'....

 

[Lunentucker]

Extreme cold or extreme hot exterior temperatures will disable it. I'm not sure but I think it displays the message when it's blocked from temperature extremes.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Is anybody aware of a way to track down the reason behind `Not Ready` ?
There has to be a way to determine the 'reason'....

No, unless you can monitor dozens of criteria like O2 sensor temps, cat temps, and a whole list of other stuff.
You could have a sensor that's incorrect and lying to the system telling it that something has not reached a certain temperature and so on. Or the IBS could be way off (so reset it)

20, 22, and 23 above are why I strongly recommend performing the steps below - make bloody well sure that BOTH batteries are 100% charged independently, and reset the IBS.

These steps helped my 2020 greatly. It worked a lot better - not perfect because the batteries were aged, but it helped -

Get an AGM battery charger.
Remove the IBS from the crank/main battery negative post.
Set it aside somewhere while doing each of these other steps.
Separate the ground wires at the crank/main battery so that the aux battery is isolated from the crank battery.
Charge the aux battery until the charger has gone through all 4 phases of charging and is done at 100%
Charge the main battery until the charger has gone through all 4 phases of charging and is done at 100%
Disconnect the charger and set it aside.
Check the voltage of the aux battery by using a meter on post N1 and the negative cable that led from the crank battery neg down to the aux battery neg.
Check the voltage of the crank/main battery (maybe best to let it sit an hour as it will read abnormally high directly after charging it - or it should)
Put it all back together. Put the IBS back on the crank battery negative post, put the aux battery ground back on the IBS, put the chassis ground back on top of all of that.
It may take a few hours, and a couple of starts/run/drive cycles for the IBS to relearn so ESS won't work until it does.

Extreme cold or extreme hot exterior temperatures will disable it. I'm not sure but I think it displays the message when it's blocked from temperature extremes.

Yes, normally that's around 110 degrees, and 10 below zero for high or low temps and it will display that. I've seen the low side before, but not the high side, thankfully.

 

[Lunentucker]

Yes, normally that's around 110 degrees, and 10 below zero for high or low temps and it will display that. I've seen the low side before, but not the high side, thankfully.

That's surprising. I know mine was off for heat several times last summer when the ambient temp was maybe 90.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

That's surprising. I know mine was off for heat several times last summer when the ambient temp was maybe 90.

We hit mid to upper 90s here several times last summer. HVAC needs trumped everything else those days so can't say if it would have worked or not due to temps.

 

[Lost1wing]

No, unless you can monitor dozens of criteria like O2 sensor temps, cat temps, and a whole list of other stuff.
You could have a sensor that's incorrect and lying to the system telling it that something has not reached a certain temperature and so on. Or the IBS could be way off (so reset it)

20, 22, and 23 above are why I strongly recommend performing the steps below - make bloody well sure that BOTH batteries are 100% charged independently, and reset the IBS.

These steps helped my 2020 greatly. It worked a lot better - not perfect because the batteries were aged, but it helped -

Get an AGM battery charger.
Remove the IBS from the crank/main battery negative post.
Set it aside somewhere while doing each of these other steps.
Separate the ground wires at the crank/main battery so that the aux battery is isolated from the crank battery.
Charge the aux battery until the charger has gone through all 4 phases of charging and is done at 100%
Charge the main battery until the charger has gone through all 4 phases of charging and is done at 100%
Disconnect the charger and set it aside.
Check the voltage of the aux battery by using a meter on post N1 and the negative cable that led from the crank battery neg down to the aux battery neg.
Check the voltage of the crank/main battery (maybe best to let it sit an hour as it will read abnormally high directly after charging it - or it should)
Put it all back together. Put the IBS back on the crank battery negative post, put the aux battery ground back on the IBS, put the chassis ground back on top of all of that.
It may take a few hours, and a couple of starts/run/drive cycles for the IBS to relearn so ESS won't work until it does.



Yes, normally that's around 110 degrees, and 10 below zero for high or low temps and it will display that. I've seen the low side before, but not the high side, thankfully.

If the condition is listed in item 21, you must take it to a shady dealer.

 

[Y-Guy]

I picked up my 2020 just before New Years, in the days since the ESS hasn't worked - been reading a lot of the threads on the issue. Figured since my Jeep had been on the deal lot during the extreme cold snap we had it might be that. I was going to run it into the dealer over the issue. But yesterday I went on a 400 mile trip to pick up some tube doors.

Then last night wife and ran to get some food and I low and behold as I went forward I heard/felt the engine kick on - it worked!

So now I'm starting a log to see how long it works. ?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

If the condition is listed in item 21, you must take it to a shady dealer.

At least they made that one easy, shouldn't be too hard to do.

I picked up my 2020 just before New Years, in the days since the ESS hasn't worked - been reading a lot of the threads on the issue. Figured since my Jeep had been on the deal lot during the extreme cold snap we had it might be that. I was going to run it into the dealer over the issue. But yesterday I went on a 400 mile trip to pick up some tube doors.

Then last night wife and ran to get some food and I low and behold as I went forward I heard/felt the engine kick on - it worked!

So now I'm starting a log to see how long it works. ?

A 2020 model may be getting ready for new batteries. "Typical" (if there is such a thing) life seems to be running about 3 years. (depending on your driving frequency and length of each trip)
It takes a lot of driving to get these completely topped off and the older the battery gets, the more it seems to take, and the colder it is, the longer it takes but that's typical of batteries in general.

 

[Y-Guy]

A 2020 model may be getting ready for new batteries. "Typical" (if there is such a thing) life seems to be running about 3 years. (depending on your driving frequency and length of each trip)
It takes a lot of driving to get these completely topped off and the older the battery gets, the more it seems to take, and the colder it is, the longer it takes but that's typical of batteries in general.

That's sort of what I've learned reading the threads here, hoping by logging it I can encourage the dealer to resolve things if I can show it's not working for long. It's not really a feature I want but I don't want the batteries to fail me either. It's the 2nd thing I turn off in my wife's Grand Cherokee.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

That's sort of what I've learned reading the threads here, hoping by logging it I can encourage the dealer to resolve things if I can show it's not working for long. It's not really a feature I want but I don't want the batteries to fail me either. It's the 2nd thing I turn off in my wife's Grand Cherokee.

Like other systems in vehicles, like it or not, observing how it works, or doesn't work, can give clues as to the general health of other things - like batteries.
Watching for patterns is what I do. Clues.

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