Non-AGM Battery - 2020 Gladiator

[Tom2020Glad]

Hey all - doing my learning and research as a new owner of a Gladiator. Just bought a 2020 used Overland last week.

I inspected the main battery (not Aux battery) and this is what I found:

I'm no expert, but if the vehicle calls for an AGM battery.......shouldn't an AGM battery be sitting there? The dealer I bought it from did their "1000 point check" of course and touted it during purchase. It has even been in the shop multiple times already with misfires and lean conditions. The below are items that they thought were causing the issues and have been changed:

1. MAP sensor - after about 30 miles of highway everything started to happen again.
2. Passenger side valve cover gasket and upstream O2 sensor (they said it was leaking on the O2 and fouling it out).

I'm seriously wondering if the non-AGM battery could have something to do with all of this.

Experts weigh in please. Thanks in advance for all responses - good or bad.

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[Thunderspud]

Hey all - doing my learning and research as a new owner of a Gladiator. Just bought a 2020 used Overland last week.

I inspected the main battery (not Aux battery) and this is what I found:

I'm no expert, but if the vehicle calls for an AGM battery.......shouldn't an AGM battery be sitting there? The dealer I bought it from did their "1000 point check" of course and touted it during purchase. It has even been in the shop multiple times already with misfires and lean conditions. The below are items that they thought were causing the issues and have been changed:

1. MAP sensor - after about 30 miles of highway everything started to happen again.
2. Passenger side valve cover gasket and upstream O2 sensor (they said it was leaking on the O2 and fouling it out).

I'm seriously wondering if the non-AGM battery could have something to do with all of this.

Experts weigh in please. Thanks in advance for all responses - good or bad.

I am also not a battery-ologist, so not the expert you are looking for......but every AGM battery I have ever owned has charged faster, had a longer lifespan, and was way more tolerant of vibration and heat cycles than any of the lead-acid counterparts they replaced.

I do wonder if the charge rate/efficiency of a lead-acid battery in this application could cause issues with the fancy electronics these trucks have.

Will be interesting to hear from folks who know more than I.

 

[Lost1wing]

I doubt that the non-AGM battery has directly caused those faults. If the previous owner installed a standard lead acid battery, they had no clue as to what they where doing. Perhaps the did know but got cheap and installed the wrong battery.

The 3.6l has a know misfire issue especially the 2020 model year. Fix the misfire and it is likely your O2 faults go away as well. The fix for the misfire could be a cam/rocker issue, sparkplugs, ignition coils or even an intake leak. If you have codes, trouble shoot the codes. You may work with the used car dealer but it seems to me that they most likely knew of this issue after doing a 1000 point inspection. A scan tool will tell you when the last DTC have been cleared. That time may coinside with your purchase date.

The battery would be the last thing to worry about at this point.

 

[Hootbro]

Doubt the use of flooded cell battery would be the cause of your problems but do not totally rule it out. I know the vehicle IBS and charging system will tend to over charge a flood cell battery since it is setup for a AGM battery charging profile.

You could fight the dealership to change it out but if that is going to be a problem, I would recommend a A/C Delco H7 AGM from Amazon or a Walmart EverStart H7 AGM for like $179 with a 4 year warranty.

 

[DBravo]

I doubt that the non-AGM battery has directly caused those faults. If the previous owner installed a standard lead acid battery, they had no clue as to what they where doing. Perhaps the did know but got cheap and installed the wrong battery.

The 3.6l has a know misfire issue especially the 2020 model year. Fix the misfire and it is likely your O2 faults go away as well. The fix for the misfire could be a cam/rocker issue, sparkplugs, ignition coils or even an intake leak. If you have codes, trouble shoot the codes. You may work with the used car dealer but it seems to me that they most likely knew of this issue after doing a 1000 point inspection. A scan tool will tell you when the last DTC have been cleared. That time may coinside with your purchase date.

The battery would be the last thing to worry about at this point.

The fix for my misfire issue at 80k miles was replacing the passenger side cam position sensor (Code P0341 on code reader). There are two at the top rear of the engine behind the valve covers - drivers side and passengers side. Code reader does not specify which one is bad. Replaced drivers side first, still had the code/misfire, replaced passenger side, code cleared and no misfire. A single Torx head screw holds them in place and they plug into a wire harness. They report the cam position to the computer to assist with engine timing adjustment. I was travelling when it happened. The truck ran with the misfire but would not go past 6th gear and there was a noticeable drop in gas mileage. After the replacement, still going strong now at 99,740 miles.
2020 Jeep Gladiator Overland

 

[Lost1wing]

I just read a post on this. Was that you? That is not a typicle fix, but possible.

 

[Tom2020Glad]

Ok - update here by the OP.

They "fixed" my misfire issues with a passenger side valve cover gasket and O2 replacement. Has been running well for many days now - no codes.

However - I am still suspect of the batteries in this thing. I watch the idiot gauge on the cluster on and off while driving. Sometimes, it's rock solid at around 14v. Other times, it starts at 14v and then decreases over a period of time down into the 13.4v - 13.7v range. It has even dipped down as low as 13.2v recently. It will raise back up to the high-13's volt range on decel or while sitting at a stop but then go back down when throttle is applied.

I have no idea how these charging systems work. I'm old school - if it reads low and labors to start the vehicle then I get a new battery. The truck starts fine and there isn't anything wonky going on currently with the electrical system that I am aware of......just the fluctuating readings on the cluster volt gauge.

 

[Lost1wing]

Ok - update here by the OP.

They "fixed" my misfire issues with a passenger side valve cover gasket and O2 replacement. Has been running well for many days now - no codes.

However - I am still suspect of the batteries in this thing. I watch the idiot gauge on the cluster on and off while driving. Sometimes, it's rock solid at around 14v. Other times, it starts at 14v and then decreases over a period of time down into the 13.4v - 13.7v range. It has even dipped down as low as 13.2v recently. It will raise back up to the high-13's volt range on decel or while sitting at a stop but then go back down when throttle is applied.

I have no idea how these charging systems work. I'm old school - if it reads low and labors to start the vehicle then I get a new battery. The truck starts fine and there isn't anything wonky going on currently with the electrical system that I am aware of......just the fluctuating readings on the cluster volt gauge.

Normal! The pcm controls the output of the alternator depending on the state of the battery and other loads.

 

[Tom2020Glad]

Normal! The pcm controls the output of the alternator depending on the state of the battery and other loads.

Ok - good to know. Thanks!!

 

[Lost1wing]

Btw, I don't think they fixed anything with a valve cover gasket. However, there's a pretty good chance that they removed the valve cover to peek at the right intake cam. It must have looked good or you would have seen a few other added parts on the list.

 

[Andy29847]

Glad your truck is running OK.

Now, about that battery. The 2020 gladiator came with 2 AGM batteries. One you can see and one that is small and out-of-sight. Does your truck still have the small (auxiliary) battery? If so, is it an AGM battery? Mixing the 2 types of batteries, especially when the charging system is designed for AGM batteries, will result is substantially shorter batter life.

I have eliminated the dual batteries on my 2020 Gladiator and use just one bigger battery.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...ery-with-a-premium-h7-group-94-battery.76866/

 

[Tom2020Glad]

Does your truck still have the small (auxiliary) battery? If so, is it an AGM battery? Mixing the 2 types of batteries, especially when the charging system is designed for AGM batteries, will result is substantially shorter batter life.

I haven't gotten around to checking the aux battery quite yet but given the fact that the main battery isn't an AGM, I would think it's a problem if not only relating to the charging aspect of the system overall. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[DanJT]

Glad your truck is running OK.

Now, about that battery. The 2020 gladiator came with 2 AGM batteries. One you can see and one that is small and out-of-sight. Does your truck still have the small (auxiliary) battery? If so, is it an AGM battery? Mixing the 2 types of batteries, especially when the charging system is designed for AGM batteries, will result is substantially shorter batter life.

I have eliminated the dual batteries on my 2020 Gladiator and use just one bigger battery.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...ery-with-a-premium-h7-group-94-battery.76866/

I too did the total 2nd battery delete and still have the H4 battery with no problems.
That being said, if I have to replace it, it will be with a H7-94 AGM.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Btw, I don't think they fixed anything with a valve cover gasket. However, there's a pretty good chance that they removed the valve cover to peek at the right intake cam. It must have looked good or you would have seen a few other added parts on the list.

It's a common thing - such a common thing that Jeep says if you replace this gasket, also replace the valve cover otherwise it may leak again. A lot of misfires have been resolved with that gasket and O2 sensor.

In cold weather, these can bump the charging rate as high as 15 volts - not good for a flooded battery.
It's definitely programmed for AGM, and mixing is a horrible idea.

Dunno why instantly when there's battery talk some jump all over it with "get rid of that other battery!". Fact is, the crank battery can fail and leave you stranded as easily - it's the one that has failed for many members here.
The problem is JEEP batteries more than anything else.

 

[Hootbro]

Quit dawdling and get that lead acid battery swapped out for the correct AGM. Might as well get a fresh AUX battery also to re-baseline everything if being prudent.

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