Totally screwed: Installed new Auxiliary Battery and now truck won’t start with multiple errors

[ShadowsPapa]

If you went in through the top to replace the aux battery, you may want to check and make sure everything mated back together correctly with no damage. Check the fuse box and make sure everything is pushed in and properly seated. Check the high capacity fuse assembly to see if any of those popped while changing the battery.

That's a huge reason I'd never go in through the top on the battery replacement. Silly to risk those issues when it's not that bad going in through the wheel well.

Sponsored

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Well I just installed a new auxiliary battery last night and have run into several problems since.
First was the “anti-theft” code which presented itself on the UConnect screen. You need to have this if you do any work on your battery systems and the only way to get it is from dealer with the S/N and part# of the radio! This requires either the Jeep being at the dealership so they can verify ownership then obtain from Stellantis on your behalf or knowing it ahead of time. But, my next issue is that I apparently hooked something up incorrectly because now the vehicle won’t start. Instead I am getting every light on my driver gauges illuminated and my axle lock buttons are flashing as is my disconnect swaybar light.
Is there anyone who can help me figure out where to begin? I followed [Banned Site]’s YouTube video on how to install the auxiliary battery and followed it to the word. Now I’m stranded and could really use some help.

Any errors aside, ignoring anything else - did you:

CHARGE the aux battery first, BEFORE installation, with a proper AGM charger, not a trickle charger, not a tender, but a real charger?

Did you also charge the main battery before putting the aux back in?

Did you disconnect the IBS and reset it by leaving it disconnected for 10-15 minutes?

If not, you really should have.

People buy and toss in batteries assuming............

 

[Puch]

Any errors aside, ignoring anything else - did you:

CHARGE the aux battery first, BEFORE installation, with a proper AGM charger, not a trickle charger, not a tender, but a real charger?

Did you also charge the main battery before putting the aux back in?

Did you disconnect the IBS and reset it by leaving it disconnected for 10-15 minutes?

If not, you really should have.

People buy and toss in batteries assuming............

Just agreeing with ShadowsPapa
When I changed both batts I fully charged both separately with a AGM charger and then installed them. The IBS was the last thing installed.
Also, I went through the wheel well not the fuse box. The fuse box looked like a nightmare. IMO.
I’ve since totally removed the Aux batt. That’s a long story that I will spar you from.

 

[ecidiego]

If you did this without issue, then no worries
And by the way, I have to ask, how was it faster to go through the wheel well? A couple douche bags on YouTube did it? Is That the proof? Reality is that removing the main battery, a few bolts, and then the aux battery is super easy, not sure removing the wheel and everything else, potentially leaving the main connected or frying other things is an appropriate loophole for true process.
I’m a bit salty tonight

I've done this myself. You don't need to remove the wheel either. Just the liner.

Removing the PDC is risky. No Youtube douchebags told me. I did that myself too.

 

[Dryfly24]

If you did this without issue, then no worries
And by the way, I have to ask, how was it faster to go through the wheel well? A couple douche bags on YouTube did it? Is That the proof? Reality is that removing the main battery, a few bolts, and then the aux battery is super easy, not sure removing the wheel and everything else, potentially leaving the main connected or frying other things is an appropriate loophole for true process.
I’m a bit salty tonight

So could you expound a bit more on this “can of worms” because it seems far easier to me to go in through the wheel well?

No need to expound on the YouTube “douchebags”, pretty sure we’re all familiar with them. But having said that, there are a whole lot of good people there too… I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve learned shit tons off of YouTube vids. We’re not all subject matter experts on everything. . .

 

[Moabite]

It took me 5 minutes or less to remove the entire fender when I replaced both batteries a week or so ago. Surprisingly simple....only 4 bolts, one plug to disconnect, and pull the whole fender right off. And about 3 of those minutes were spent trying to get the dang fender lighting plug disconnected. I did not even need to remove the liner from the fender or remove the tire...plenty of room to access the battery box. And the fender went right back on in less than 5 minutes. Going in through the top is definitely not the "right way," unless you have a diesel, in which case the auxiliary battery is directly under the main battery and extremely easy to access.

The OP obviously did something wrong in the replacement process and it might require intervention from the dealer unless rebooting everything solves the problem. If done correctly, the Jeep should have restarted right up with perhaps only a few UConnect features temporarily unavailable. I watched several YouTube videos before attempting to change the aux battery. The best one wasn't even about changing a battery. It was a short one about removing the full fender. The video many of us have probably seen about going in through the top is just plain wrong and could lead to countless complications.

 

[rafael004]

i read some where that is the fuse 68368853aa
https://www.moparpartsoverstock.com...1NiYMieuKIyYMUJ3bUfHCpPNUWACaucUaAqiiEALw_wcB

 

[Moabite]

i read some where that is the fuse 68368853aa
https://www.moparpartsoverstock.com...1NiYMieuKIyYMUJ3bUfHCpPNUWACaucUaAqiiEALw_wcB

There are 2 different fuse arrays. The one needed depends on the fan installed in your vehicle.

fuse array with 60A fan - 68368853AA
fuse array with 100A fan - 68368854AA

But I'd be surprised if that is source of the issue here. Easy to check though. I keep one of those fuse arrays as a spare in the vehicle.

 

[Darkamek]

The fuse array is attached at the end of the TIPM. Easy enough to check with a meter if any of the fuses are open. I’ve killed the fuse array once on one of the fuses with replacing the alternator. New alternator post was shorted and killed my fuse array.

 

[Jefe1018]

Threads like these make me love the internet. OP came in, wrote a post, still hasn’t come back and y’all have diagnosed every possible issue. Makes for good reading in the future, I just wish people wouldn’t post and run as much. Hopefully they come back to let us know what the resolution was.

 

[Jackpaul]

So could you expound a bit more on this “can of worms” because it seems far easier to me to go in through the wheel well?

No need to expound on the YouTube “douchebags”, pretty sure we’re all familiar with them. But having said that, there are a whole lot of good people there too… I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve learned shit tons off of YouTube vids. We’re not all subject matter experts on everything. . .

Seen more fried electronics and blown fuses through the wheel well. There are a lot of ways to skin a cat, and my statement might have been a little bit obnoxious

 

[sharpsicle]

Seen more fried electronics and blown fuses through the wheel well. There are a lot of ways to skin a cat, and my statement might have been a little bit obnoxious

The risk of fried electronics and blown fuses is the same regardless of the method used. That all comes down to the human doing the work. There's plenty of instances of fried electronics and blown fuses doing the top-down method too.

 

[Dryfly24]

Seen more fried electronics and blown fuses through the wheel well. There are a lot of ways to skin a cat, and my statement might have been a little bit obnoxious

So how many have you seen? I don’t even know of anyone but me that owns a gladiator never mind one who has had to switch out batteries. . .

 

[Jteakus]

I have to agree with the OP needing to post about the solution to the problem. It would really help people in the future who are dealing with a similar issue, Besides, I'd like to know if my hypothesis was correct.

 

[Jackpaul]

So how many have you seen? I don’t even know of anyone but me that owns a gladiator never mind one who has had to switch out batteries. . .

Four in 2022 (one blown fuse) a member of my household in 2021

Sponsored