Sponsored

Start stop not ready / battery charging message after aux battery change - What next?

Tingedrook

New Member
First Name
Quentin
Joined
Mar 13, 2021
Threads
0
Messages
4
Reaction score
2
Location
West Virginia
Vehicle(s)
Jeep Gladiator Sport S
Occupation
Civil Engineer
My new to me 21 JTRD always has this message on. Today I replaced the Aux battery and still see the message even after a short test drive. During the drive I did notice the voltage fluctuating between 12 and 14 volts. Once I got home I used my volt meter to test the original aux battery since it was now out of the Jeep and it was reading about 12.3 volts. I also tested the main battery with the engine off and it was also reading 12.3 volts. Unfortunately I did not test the new aux battery before installing it but it had a date code of 12/22 so I'm sure it was fine.

What other options do I have to resolve this issue?
I had this same problem with my Wrangler JLU. The dealership "tried" to fix it 3 different times by replacing the aux battery to no effect. After much research, I found a post on the wranglerjl forums where someone mentioned the Power Distribution Block on there's was loose. Had the dealership check the block on mine and some connections were loose. After tightening, I never had the issue again. I did read that some people had the block replaced. I hope this helps!
Sponsored

 
OP
OP
ATX_Jeeper

ATX_Jeeper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2021
Threads
9
Messages
115
Reaction score
72
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
21 JTRD
Occupation
IT
I had this same problem with my Wrangler JLU. The dealership "tried" to fix it 3 different times by replacing the aux battery to no effect. After much research, I found a post on the wranglerjl forums where someone mentioned the Power Distribution Block on there's was loose. Had the dealership check the block on mine and some connections were loose. After tightening, I never had the issue again. I did read that some people had the block replaced. I hope this helps!
Is the PDB the fuse box?
 

Tingedrook

New Member
First Name
Quentin
Joined
Mar 13, 2021
Threads
0
Messages
4
Reaction score
2
Location
West Virginia
Vehicle(s)
Jeep Gladiator Sport S
Occupation
Civil Engineer
Is the PDB the fuse box?
It is not. The entire assembly shown in the image below is the Power Distribution Center, which includes the block and fuse box. The PDB is called out as "18 & 19" on the image. I am not 100% sure but I think the block is located
Screenshot_20221225-215318.png
below the fuse box. I found this image on a mopar parts site.
 

Andy29847

Well-Known Member
First Name
Andy
Joined
Oct 25, 2020
Threads
10
Messages
360
Reaction score
670
Location
South Carolina
Vehicle(s)
2004 Wrangler Rubicon, 2020 Gladiator Rubicon
Occupation
Retired
I had this problem with my 2020. The main battery was replaced under warranty. It took 3 visits to get the new battery. Ther first 2 times, the stop start was working when I left the dealer, but it only worked for one day after my visit. My batteries were testing at 12.4v which is good for a 2+ year old battery. However, the design of the system in the JL starts generating messages at 12.4v. I did some research when I was having trouble and one of the things I found was the diagram below. This diagram is as good as I have seen in explaining how the JL/JT system is designed.


i-fjswgZh-X3.jpg
 
OP
OP
ATX_Jeeper

ATX_Jeeper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2021
Threads
9
Messages
115
Reaction score
72
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
21 JTRD
Occupation
IT
I had this problem with my 2020. The main battery was replaced under warranty. It took 3 visits to get the new battery. Ther first 2 times, the stop start was working when I left the dealer, but it only worked for one day after my visit. My batteries were testing at 12.4v which is good for a 2+ year old battery. However, the design of the system in the JL starts generating messages at 12.4v. I did some research when I was having trouble and one of the things I found was the diagram below. This diagram is as good as I have seen in explaining how the JL/JT system is designed.


Jeep Gladiator Start stop not ready / battery charging message after aux battery change - What next? i-fjswgZh-X3
This is great information. Thank you
 

Sponsored

OP
OP
ATX_Jeeper

ATX_Jeeper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2021
Threads
9
Messages
115
Reaction score
72
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
21 JTRD
Occupation
IT
I took the Jeep for a drive this morning to get the aux battery a little bit of a a charge and noticed a few things.

The ESS message now states “Start Stop not ready. When the engine was cold it said engine too cold. After it warmed up it wouldn’t change unless I turned the steering wheel. I’m which case it would say steering wheel turned.

I was also monitoring voltage and found that it would fluctuate from 12.5 (ish) up to 14.7 (ish) and settled at 13.1 when I stopped to get a coffee. When I came back to the truck and started it after being inside for 5 to 10 min it fired right up but the voltage was reading about 12.1. For the drive home it did the fluctuation thing again in the same voltage ranges.

I’ll be going back to the auto parts store later today to return the aux core so I’ll have them test the main battery if they have a good testing machine.
 

Jeeperjamie

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jamie
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Threads
131
Messages
4,631
Reaction score
5,187
Location
Kannapolis nc
Vehicle(s)
2020 jeep gladiator
Occupation
Weyerhaeuser
Vehicle Showcase
1
I took the Jeep for a drive this morning to get the aux battery a little bit of a a charge and noticed a few things.

The ESS message now states “Start Stop not ready. When the engine was cold it said engine too cold. After it warmed up it wouldn’t change unless I turned the steering wheel. I’m which case it would say steering wheel turned.

I was also monitoring voltage and found that it would fluctuate from 12.5 (ish) up to 14.7 (ish) and settled at 13.1 when I stopped to get a coffee. When I came back to the truck and started it after being inside for 5 to 10 min it fired right up but the voltage was reading about 12.1. For the drive home it did the fluctuation thing again in the same voltage ranges.

I’ll be going back to the auto parts store later today to return the aux core so I’ll have them test the main battery if they have a good testing machine.
You may just need to drive it continuesly to get everything charged up. It took me a consistent around 53 miles of driving to get the aux battery back charged enough to turn the Start/Stop message off and to get the ESS to engage and start working again.
 
OP
OP
ATX_Jeeper

ATX_Jeeper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2021
Threads
9
Messages
115
Reaction score
72
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
21 JTRD
Occupation
IT
You may just need to drive it continuesly to get everything charged up. It took me a consistent around 53 miles of driving to get the aux battery back charged enough to turn the Start/Stop message off and to get the ESS to engage and start working again.
That is good info. Thank you. I’ll make a trip out of returning the aux battery core to see if anything changes.
 
OP
OP
ATX_Jeeper

ATX_Jeeper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2021
Threads
9
Messages
115
Reaction score
72
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
21 JTRD
Occupation
IT
Update for anyone following along. I used my battery tender to charge the main battery last night and took the Jeep for a quick drive to get some coffee this morning. The voltage gauge was reading 14 and would occasionally drop to 13.9 and bounce up to 14.1. However, the ESS message is back to displaying not ready / battery charging.

At this point, I'm not really sure if there is anything else I can do and would appreciate any more tips so that I can avoid the dealer. Can I charge the aux battery while its installed? If so, where do I hook up my battery tender?

Recap of work done and the timeline for clarity.

Menu 6 shows ESS not ready / battery charging. This was showing since I bought the truck on 12/10
12/25 - Aux battery replaced and menu 6 still showed ESS not ready / battery charging after a quick test drive. Later this day I took it for a longer drive and noticed that menu 6 was now displaying, ESS not ready but it actually stopped and started at a light one time. Voltage was reading about 12.4.

12/26 - Hooked up my battery tender to the main battery in the afternoon and let it charge. The lights on the tender indicated normal operation and it showed 80% charge that evening so I left it on overnight.

2/27 - The battery tender showed full charge so I disconnected and took a short drive to get my morning coffee. Voltage reading was 14 but ESS still showed not ready / battery charging.
 

Jeeperjamie

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jamie
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Threads
131
Messages
4,631
Reaction score
5,187
Location
Kannapolis nc
Vehicle(s)
2020 jeep gladiator
Occupation
Weyerhaeuser
Vehicle Showcase
1
Update for anyone following along. I used my battery tender to charge the main battery last night and took the Jeep for a quick drive to get some coffee this morning. The voltage gauge was reading 14 and would occasionally drop to 13.9 and bounce up to 14.1. However, the ESS message is back to displaying not ready / battery charging.

At this point, I'm not really sure if there is anything else I can do and would appreciate any more tips so that I can avoid the dealer. Can I charge the aux battery while its installed? If so, where do I hook up my battery tender?

Recap of work done and the timeline for clarity.

Menu 6 shows ESS not ready / battery charging. This was showing since I bought the truck on 12/10
12/25 - Aux battery replaced and menu 6 still showed ESS not ready / battery charging after a quick test drive. Later this day I took it for a longer drive and noticed that menu 6 was now displaying, ESS not ready but it actually stopped and started at a light one time. Voltage was reading about 12.4.

12/26 - Hooked up my battery tender to the main battery in the afternoon and let it charge. The lights on the tender indicated normal operation and it showed 80% charge that evening so I left it on overnight.

2/27 - The battery tender showed full charge so I disconnected and took a short drive to get my morning coffee. Voltage reading was 14 but ESS still showed not ready / battery charging.
The Main battery will charge the Aux battery if you drive it enough distance to do so. Like I stated in a earlier post it took just over 50 miles of continuous driving to get my message to go off and for the ESS to kick in and start working again like it should. If after driving it for 50+ miles if it doesn't go off I gotta believe you have a dead cell in the main battery no matter what the voltage is showing and you need a new main battery. This sounds almost identical to what I had going on and I was convinced it was my Aux battery and it was the main battery. Mine was showing between 13.7 and 14 as well but on the machine at the dealership it was showing a dead cell in the main battery. After getting the main battery replaced I haven't had anymore issues.
 

Sponsored

OP
OP
ATX_Jeeper

ATX_Jeeper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2021
Threads
9
Messages
115
Reaction score
72
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
21 JTRD
Occupation
IT
The Main battery will charge the Aux battery if you drive it enough distance to do so. Like I stated in a earlier post it took just over 50 miles of continuous driving to get my message to go off and for the ESS to kick in and start working again like it should. If after driving it for 50+ miles if it doesn't go off I gotta believe you have a dead cell in the main battery no matter what the voltage is showing and you need a new main battery. This sounds almost identical to what I had going on and I was convinced it was my Aux battery and it was the main battery. Mine was showing between 13.7 and 14 as well but on the machine at the dealership it was showing a dead cell in the main battery. After getting the main battery replaced I haven't had anymore issues.
I have 20-30 miles on it since replacing the aux battery. Since ESS only worked once, I assumed it was the main. When charging that didn't work, I just thought it could be something else. I scheduled an appointment with my dealer to have the fuel filter replaced and to have them look at the ESS system. Figured I'd get that service documented due to the problems and recall on the pump and just have them look at the ESS system while I'm there. Hopefully they test the battery for dead cells.

Honestly, I don't know why the ESS thing is bothering me so much. I don't even use it LOL.
 
OP
OP
ATX_Jeeper

ATX_Jeeper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2021
Threads
9
Messages
115
Reaction score
72
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
21 JTRD
Occupation
IT
It has almost been a month and the ESS still isn't working. The dash shows battery charging. I guess that means its time for a new main battery. The JT is under warranty but the dealer wants me to drop it off so they can charge and test the battery. I'm coming up on 20k miles so I'll have them do that work when it goes in for the service.
 

Jeeperjamie

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jamie
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Threads
131
Messages
4,631
Reaction score
5,187
Location
Kannapolis nc
Vehicle(s)
2020 jeep gladiator
Occupation
Weyerhaeuser
Vehicle Showcase
1
It has almost been a month and the ESS still isn't working. The dash shows battery charging. I guess that means its time for a new main battery. The JT is under warranty but the dealer wants me to drop it off so they can charge and test the battery. I'm coming up on 20k miles so I'll have them do that work when it goes in for the service.
Sounds about right. The dealer will be able to get it right for you. At least it's under warranty still, that's a plus.
 
OP
OP
ATX_Jeeper

ATX_Jeeper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2021
Threads
9
Messages
115
Reaction score
72
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
21 JTRD
Occupation
IT
Sounds about right. The dealer will be able to get it right for you. At least it's under warranty still, that's a plus.

Agreed. I'll let them do their thing but will get an aftermarket battery when the replacement dies.
 

ShadowsPapa

Well-Known Member
First Name
Bill
Joined
Oct 12, 2019
Threads
178
Messages
29,081
Reaction score
34,558
Location
Runnells, Iowa
Vehicle(s)
'22 JTO, '23 JLU, '82 SX4, '73 P. Cardin Javelin
Occupation
Retired auto mechanic, frmr gov't ntwrk security admin
Vehicle Showcase
3
It has almost been a month and the ESS still isn't working. The dash shows battery charging. I guess that means its time for a new main battery. The JT is under warranty but the dealer wants me to drop it off so they can charge and test the battery. I'm coming up on 20k miles so I'll have them do that work when it goes in for the service.
There is a multi-page document they MUST follow to check batteries - and replace under warranty. I chatted with the guys at a dealership about it yesterday while waiting for other stuff. The dealer gets charged back labor and parts if they simply replace a battery - they EAT it.
If it's below a certain voltage, they must charge it until it is above that voltage. (and at least so many minutes)
Then they must use a very specific type of test equipment to test the battery, they have to scan the bar code on the battery and their tester must be connected via wifi to FCA during the test so the results are transmitted live to FCA. They've had too many batteries replaced that just were not bad.
I believe they told me the batteries now cost $300 each.
Sponsored

 
 



Top