Has anyone done the Aux Battery delete like this?

[Mr._Bill]

I've looked at the Cascadia several times. I'm not yet ready to spend the $650 for it. If you don't drive it regularly, and park in an area that gets adequate sunlight, it is a good solution to offset the drain of the always on computers and head unit.

I recently added one of the new Ring Dash Cams. If I'm not driving every day, it shuts down after about 36 hours to prevent battery drain. Adding the solar panel should extend the shutdown time.

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[Jeepasaurus_Rex]

I've looked at the Cascadia several times. I'm not yet ready to spend the $650 for it. If you don't drive it regularly, and park in an area that gets adequate sunlight, it is a good solution to offset the drain of the always on computers and head unit.

I recently added one of the new Ring Dash Cams. If I'm not driving every day, it shuts down after about 36 hours to prevent battery drain. Adding the solar panel should extend the shutdown time.

I've got the 30-watt one and I love it. It's only $345. I drive mine every day and Texas gets lots of sunshine

 

[Lunentucker]

I keep the blinds on the garage windows closed during the warmer months. I'm guessing that's an issue for solar panels ?

Adding external charging to a system that should be autonomous isn't really a solution. It's a work around, and the batteries are still likely to fail in a similar amount of time.
Keeping them parallel when the vehicle is off effectively doubles your chances of being inconvenienced by a battery failure, as a failing battery will continuously drain a good one in that configuration.

 

[Lost1wing]

Hootbro and others have pretty much covered it - but you have two batteries handling the parasitic loads while it's sitting. If they were not connected in parallel then all of the electronics sitting waiting for your approach with a fob would be drawing from one single battery. If it was the main battery, that means cranking power would be diminished after sitting. If it was the aux battery, then it would be way down as it's much smaller - and would be very drained and would take a LOT to get it charged back up again. An alternator is not a battery charger - so a lot of discharge of one or the other - one should not assume the alternator will charge one or the other.
So with the parallel connected batteries, it's sitting there with the capacity of the main battery PLUS the capacity of the aux battery. It's more likely to start even with low voltage with over 100% capacity of just the main battery.
Keeping them connected while sitting also ensures that when someone connects a battery charger - they are charging both without even thinking about it.

And for the "but what if one goes bad" crowd - either can go bad. It's no different than a single battery system in that situation. The main battery can go bad, or the aux can go bad.
And for one to "drain" the other, the one that goes bad has to have a SHORT or some other failure that presents a LOAD across the terminals of the other battery. That doesn't always happen. It can die without presenting a load across the terminals of the other.
If a battery fails due to an open internally, it has no impact on the other battery at all. It can't.


Sorry, more internet BS. It may, but it won't necessarily.
The FACT is that the main battery can go bad just as easily and the proof is in these forums. Many have had the MAIN go bad, they replace it and move on.
A battery can die for many reasons - and not all of them mean a drain on the partner battery. There's so much bull crap "info" out there that people have latched onto as "the whole truth so help me god" that it's scary. The experiences of a few loud and vocal haters who don't understand batteries even in general is what folks latch onto - and for some reason, especially Jeep people. They watch a YT video of some fool who ignored warning signs, got stuck in the sticks, kept trying things until they got going again and now they tell the world to watch out and worse "this is how you always need to fix it".
The main battery MAY go bad in such a way as to drain the aux battery.
The aux battery MAY go bad in such a way as to drain the main battery.
But neither is the rule, and a bad battery may not present a load on the other at all.

I think the ess is good to have as an indicator of a potential problem. Battery charging message could be an indication of the Aux or main battery as well as other electrical components like the alternator ibs or fuses. It should signal you to open the hood and at least look at it. From my experience with the conventional single battery system, your first sign of a problem is a no or slow start.

YouTube is a great tool and is very useful. Entertainment and learning from failures and successes. Some people need visual prompts to learn, but to suggest that it is full of misinformation is misinformation itself.

 

[Jeepasaurus_Rex]

I keep the blinds on the garage windows closed during the warmer months. I'm guessing that's an issue for solar panels ?

Adding external charging to a system that should be autonomous isn't really a solution. It's a work around, and the batteries are still likely to fail in a similar amount of time.
Keeping them parallel when the vehicle is off effectively doubles your chances of being inconvenienced by a battery failure, as a failing battery will continuously drain a good one in that configuration.

haha, in that case a trickle charger would be effective. ?
Definitely a work-around for sure.
I still don't see why people get upset about a $100-$200 battery replacement though.

 

[Lunentucker]

I still don't see why people get upset about a $100-$200 battery replacement though.

1. Go to Advance Auto and ask them for the free install on the aux battery.
2. I've dealt with plenty of dead batteries on vehicles in my lifetime. Jump and go. No light show, no craziness. Get a new battery and keep on living.
3. One battery dying is enough. The murder/suicide scenario created by tying a full-sized car battery to a lawn mower battery is stupid and unnecessary.

 

[Jeepasaurus_Rex]

1. Go to Advance Auto and ask them for the free install on the aux battery.
2. I've dealt with plenty of dead batteries on vehicles in my lifetime. Jump and go. No light show, no craziness. Get a new battery and keep on living.
3. One battery dying is enough. The murder/suicide scenario created by tying a full-sized car battery to a lawn mower battery is stupid and unnecessary.

haha, I agree! I mainly just mean I don't understand why people will spends hundreds to thousands of dollars on stuff that isn't needed, but complain about having to replace a battery lol

 

[Lucky1]

Fun fact...... pull fuse 42. Remove Aux battery. (Advance auto will not give you anything for turning in the dead battery). Disconnect the negative cable that fed it and insulate the positive. Drive the truck as if the Aux battery was there.

The truck still shuts down at stops as if it's there and restarts when lifting off the brake. Works just the same as if you had 2 batteries but now you have just one. ESS still functions.

Was completely surprised the system still works.

 

[mrmo]

Well i have been busy on other projects and havent been on in awhile. i see Genesis advertising their diesel dual batt kit has reduced pricing. Well wtf, they now are showing some under the seat thing, needing my storage area removed. Well that aint gonna work, im full under there. Great, so now what. Is the first kit available or what happened

 

[porsharman]

Well i have been busy on other projects and havent been on in awhile. i see Genesis advertising their diesel dual batt kit has reduced pricing. Well wtf, they now are showing some under the seat thing, needing my storage area removed. Well that aint gonna work, im full under there. Great, so now what. Is the first kit available or what happened

The Genesis kit for the diesel was always designed to utilize the storage area underneath the back seat. I contacted them when the kit was introduced and asked why the kit for the gas engine couldn’t be modified to work with the diesel. The answer I received was there was not enough room available under the hood because of the diesel engine. Storage space is at a premium in out truck and I didn’t want to lose the storage space so that soured me on the mod.

 

[mrmo]

Yeah, im out on that one. I cuda sworn when they annouced it last year it had a similar set up as the gas version. I have an idea in mind to add a second batt, using a deep cycle, w an isolator, and add an inverter wired to the rear bed plug to run extra stuff, ie. camping things, small tools, portable reefer, etc

 

[@californiajeeping]

Remove your aux battery and run the + lead up to the main. Use a larger main battery (i did an odyssey) and also take the ground and run it to the chassis ground.

My voltage is almost always around 14.1+. Stock it would drop to 12.5-12.6 under cruise or at lights.

Fixed all my issues. It also fixed my issue with my power steering pump shutting off randomly. I blamed it on the banks derringer or the tazer; nope. The factory dual battery setup was to blame.

 

[Orange01z28]

Why would you? To what end? The aux battery ground goes to (drum roll, please) the main battery negative! You are just connecting BOTH ends of that same cable to the negative post if you do that.
Simply don't connect it to ANYTHING.
For the positive - no need. The main battery can power N1 through the PCR and other wiring where the aux battery sits. All you need to do is - again, drum roll (because this has been hashed to death here) - pull fuse F42, pull the aux negative off the top of the IBS and call it a day.

)You tube - sometimes I wish it would be bought up by some billionaire and just turned off.)

That guy is needlessly making more work for himself.
Just find the already long thread (and many others that reference the same process) and follow Jerry's simple aux battery bypass-
Pull fuse F42.
Take the aux battery negative cable off the top of the IBS which sits on the main battery negative terminal. Tie it out of the way.
Go have a beer and relax - that's all there is to it.

If you want to remove the battery - then remove it, and wrap up the cables where you removed the battery and leave them where they are. Just insulate them or make sure that they can't touch anything else.

Can someone take a picture of the which cable is the aux battery cable is?

 

[caryt]

Mine was the one on the threaded stud it led to the aux battery.

I do have a question on that ground since both the + and - are removed from the Aux battery why remove it from the TBS? Sorry if this has been addressed elsewhere. Also my #42 was a 10 amp fuse ????

 

[Mr._Bill]

Mine was the one on the threaded stud it led to the aux battery.

I do have a question on that ground since both the + and - are removed from the Aux battery why remove it from the TBS? Sorry if this has been addressed elsewhere. Also my #42 was a 10 amp fuse ????

The Aux battery Positive cable is the one you have to worry about. It needs to be attached to the Aux battery, or wrapped and isolated so that it cannot come in contact with anything. The negative Aux cable should be taped down so it doesn't move around, if the battery is removed, but it is not one that really needs to be worried about, especially if it is disconnected from the main battery.

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