Has anyone's start-stop system just... stopped working?

[ShadowsPapa]

but having a new vehicle, everything should work

Yes. If something doesn't work, it can indicate other issues that may impact other things down the line.

Sponsored

 

[jmdwifi]

Been reading those hate sites again and didn't see the real scientific testing, I guess. Ya read wrong.

I used it when I first bought the truck just to see, I didn't notice a huge gas savings. I drive local around my county all day. Very little highway driving. My experience matches what I read. The bottle may be slight exaggeration, but it's not enough savings for me to justify the wear. But, none of this matters because the system is a piece of shit that doesn't work most of the time and the batteries are shit. Love my truck otherwise.

 

[Saharacane]

Mine stopped working a month or so ago and the message on the dash said it was due to battery charging. After reading on here about the issue, I told the dealer it sounds like I need a new aux battery. They told me they tested it and it was fine so they just charged it and now it works fine. It's been 2 days and it is still working. I'm hoping that continues but I'm suspicious I may lose the charge again. If that happens, I'll insist on a new battery then.

 

[Mcguyvr]

Took me 3 visits…then they did it. Changed both. Ask to see the charge % on the tech notes each time.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Mine has been saying "battery charging" since last fall. It's only worked once since then and that was a very long drive, the truck parked for a while, then a long drive back home and it started working. Otherwise even an hour of driving doesn't do it.
So I put a cheap "battery tender" on it overnight - it was on the truck for less than 24 hours. I took it for an appointment Tuesday AM after another one of our ice storms and after the truck was warmed up and the cabin temp reached, it all worked perfectly the whole rest of the drive.

From Edmunds (they actually tested 3 cars)

How Much Can You Save?
It turns out the effects of stop-start systems aren't baked into the EPA fuel economy estimates for the very cars that use such systems. The official city test pattern has plenty of stops, but there's not nearly as much idle time as many of us deal with every day. It's entirely possible that a stop-start car could exceed its own city mpg rating with the system engaged.

The engineers we asked about potential fuel savings always spoke in terms of a range of 3-10 percent, with some venturing as high as 12 percent. The wide span accounts for the variety of driving conditions out there. People who pause briefly at four-way stops have less to gain than those who sit idle at numerous long signals. The longer you sit, the more you save.

It boils down to this. If your car usually manages 20 mpg in the city, it could earn 22 or 23 mpg if it had a stop-start system.

Our Test Results
For the first couple of tests we attempted to capture the maximum difference, so we ran the BMW and the Jaguar with the air-conditioning off in order to prevent premature restarts triggered by rising cockpit temperatures. Consider it the spring/fall scenario with the windows cracked to let some fresh air inside.

Our 328i GT used 3.1 gallons with the system off and 2.8 gallons with it on, a savings of 9.5 percent. That works out to 91 cents saved in 80 miles. Calculated fuel economy rose from 26.2 to 28.7 mpg.

The Jaguar did a little better, which makes sense when you're talking about a thirstier V8. It consumed 4.1 gallons with the system off and 3.6 with it on, a reduction of some 10.9 percent. At local prices that returned $1.47 to our pocket. Corresponding fuel economy increased from 19.7 to 22.1 mpg.

This, of course, begs the question of what would have happened if we had run the air-conditioning on a hot day. We saved that test for the Mini Cooper. We ran both loops with the automatic temperature control set to 74 degrees.

It used 2.7 gallons with A/C on and stop-start off, and that shrank slightly to 2.6 gallons with stop-start up and running. That works out to a modest fuel savings of 2.9 percent, with fuel economy climbing from 30.0 to 30.9 mpg. At this point we ran a third loop with the system engaged and the air-conditioning off and the savings shot up to 9.5 percent at 33.2 mpg.

The Verdict
All three of our test subjects delivered the estimated 10 percent in city traffic. People who live in particularly tough traffic areas with long wait times could do even better.

And the systems were mostly easy to live with. Restarts were fairly seamless and seemed appropriately quick for drivers who use the same foot for throttle and brake. Two-footed drivers who left-foot brake, on the other hand, could find themselves ahead of the engine restart cycle.

Stop-start is hard to ignore in a loud car like the Jaguar. This technology seems most ideally suited to cars that idle so quietly you barely know they're running. The F-Type gets away with it, though, because the snarling restart note of its powerful V8 is entertaining enough that you don't mind hearing it over and over.

Functionally, stop-start doesn't take very long to get used to — in our three test cars, at least. The biggest obstacle is mental: overcoming that sinking feeling that your engine just died. Once you get past that, you'll welcome the silence.

-----------------------------------------------

From Road and Track -

Automatic start-stop technology started appearing on cars a few years back, and people have mixed feelings about it. While it certainly saves some amount of fuel, there's no easy way to know just how much is saved. Also, depending on the calibration of the system, stop-start can be incredibly annoying to live with. But thanks to this video put together by Engineering Explained, we now know how beneficial using a start-stop system really is.

Most people think the amount of fuel saved using a start-stop system is negligible, but in reality, that fuel burned while idling at a stop adds up quickly. A study by the Society of Automotive Engineers found that using start-stop can see a car's fuel economy improve by over eight percent in heavy traffic. That might not sound like a lot, but over time, it adds up to a whole lot of wasted gas.

-----------------------------------

AAA and others have done real world tests.
The savings depend on your driving style, where you drive, how you drive, the traffic, number and length of stop/traffic signals, if you two-foot it at stop signs and never really fully stop it won't save much, if you come to a full stop and are even seconds at a traffic light, it saves more.
Most of what's out there is hate, not science, engineering or fact.

 

[Saharacane]

Thanks for sharing that all Papa. The Stop/Start seems to be hated by most members here, which I don't understand, but I love it. I'm all about saving gas whenever possible so I was super psyched to get it on my Gladiator.

 

[Brahmajoe]

Don’t know if anybody mentioned it yet, but the manual says if your seat belt is unbuckled it will not activate stop start

 

[Saharacane]

As a follow up, my dealer "fix" of charging the aux battery up lasted all of 6 days before it started giving me the "Not Ready Battery Charging" message consistently again. I'm taking it back to the dealer again next week and told them I want a new battery this time.

 

[chsapeak]

Mine stopped working the first day I drove it.. Turned it off and back on and now it works fine. I kinda like the feature due to the fact that in my area of NY you sit and rot waiting for a green light. Some are 3 minutes long

 

[trutamm]

Well mine was failing for a couple months before I could finally find time to take it in 2 weeks ago to dealer. I advised the likely condition of a new aux batt needed, they complied happily (and also installed the iron steering box!) and ESS worked for one day and just says “charging” ever since, regardless of time speed distance (at least a 2 hr drive was done).

Didn’t mention anything about a sensor reset but find it odd it worked for one day. Is there some other fuse or connection issue possibly with this issue? Guess I’m heading back to them again.

Batt voltage does read consistently 14.2. So does that mean the replacement they gave me is a dud also? Or maybe they just charged it for reals

hmmmm. Prolly gonna get jeepcares involved too if this gets sticky.

Same happened to me. After a computer reset it worked for about a day. Shortly after that it went back to “battery charging”. Main battery was the issue. Bought a replacement at local auto part store and replaced it, ess been working like it should now. 3 years or ownership and ~45k miles.

 

[WhyNotJeep]

Mine has not yet worked. Charged the batteries and still not working. No messages.

 

[peterpilot379]

Another thread on this topic….
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/auto-stop-start-stopped-working.55217/

 

[WhyNotJeep]

Mine is working. Learned if the AC is on it don't work.

 

[peterpilot379]

The start/stop system is supposed to tell you why it’s not ready, i.e. engine temp, cooling, heating, no seatbelt, etc. The manual spells out the many reasons it won’t operate.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

The start/stop system is supposed to tell you why it’s not ready, i.e. engine temp, cooling, heating, no seatbelt, etc. The manual spells out the many reasons it won’t operate.

There are other reasons that are not in the book, and it won't tell you everything. There are only so many things it will display in the cluster about the ESS - and that list is pretty short.
It checks the cat temperature, brake booster pressure, starter temperature, among other things - and it won't display those conditions.

Mine is working. Learned if the AC is on it don't work.

That's not really true - the AC can be on and it will work as long as it's not on max A/C and as long as the cabin temp is where specified (or within a range)

Sponsored