What did you do TO your Gladiator today? [ADMIN WARNING: NO POLITICS, NO GUN TALK]

[ShadowsPapa]

I'm out of the country, but I've been plotting and scheming what to do next. Methinks lighting needs augmentation with Harbor Freight Road shocks.

Love that description........ especially the plotting and scheming. Sounds so - Jeepish!
Can't wait to get my 2025 here...... Hey, Scott, is it DONE YET?

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[HooliganActual]

It’s a myth that the aux switch unavailable warning on the dash means the aux battery needs to be replaced. It just means there is low battery voltage across both batteries, main and aux. Jeep decided that if batteries are even marginally low, that disabling aux switches for accessories would allow regarding to happen faster. So they disable aux switches until voltage is back within minimum thresholds. A real life example is when I accidentally left my dash cam on sleep mode in the garage. After two days of sitting, the aux switches were disabled because I had low battery voltage. Not low enough to not start it though. After 30 minutes of driving, the alternator charged them back up and all was well again. I didn’t have a bad aux battery. Quite the opposite. I replaced my main and aux at 50k miles in March of 24, just under 3 years old. I have no doubt that I’ll get at least that out of my replacements, as they are better quality.

Roger that. The first time my Aux batt died I got those Aux Switch warnings, and as the messages warned, I could not use my aux switches for a few minutes after startup But my current issue is that I only have the ESS warning light with no other messages and my aux switches work with the car off. I know there is something else wrong but I'm just in denial, procrastinating about doing the troubleshooting that needs to be done.

Now that my dilemma is out on the interweb forever, I guess I better go get some codes read and figure out what needs replaced....lol

 

[WILDHOBO]

Roger that. The first time my Aux batt died I got those Aux Switch warnings, and as the messages warned, I could not use my aux switches for a few minutes after startup But my current issue is that I only have the ESS warning light with no other messages and my aux switches work with the car off. I know there is something else wrong but I'm just in denial, procrastinating about doing the troubleshooting that needs to be done.

Now that my dilemma is out on the interweb forever, I guess I better go get some codes read and figure out what needs replaced....lol

How old are the batteries? I also got the auto start stop messages when mine were getting old. The last straw was a heavy winching day. I replaced the main with a yellow top optima to handle more discharge with accessories, and replaced the aux with a basic die hard aux 14. I did them at the same time to prevent one old one from killing a new one. I’ve had zero issues, and am one of the few here that don’t regret keeping the aux battery. The system was designed to have one, so I’m not messing with that. But I definitely replaced them with better quality. But the same type so the charging system works the same as designed.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Roger that. The first time my Aux batt died I got those Aux Switch warnings, and as the messages warned, I could not use my aux switches for a few minutes after startup But my current issue is that I only have the ESS warning light with no other messages and my aux switches work with the car off. I know there is something else wrong but I'm just in denial, procrastinating about doing the troubleshooting that needs to be done.

Now that my dilemma is out on the interweb forever, I guess I better go get some codes read and figure out what needs replaced....lol

There's the name of that famous river in Africa again - denial.

Yeah, code reader = smart. Maybe nothing - but maybe.......
There's a lot of things you can look at with some readers, or even software. I can see with JSCAN what the IBS believes the battery state of charge is, voltages and other fun and confusing things.

Ideally - as has been said so many times I suspect many are tired of seeing it - charge each battery independently, leave them disconnected and see where the voltage is right after charging vs. a few hours later. During that time, the IBS is disconnected, sitting somewhere out of the way and resetting.
Just charging these batteries and then seeing where things settle MAY tell a story. On the other hand, the battery in my SX4 charged up just fine, and it would sit a while at full voltage - until any sort of load was put in it then it dropped like a rock.

You can handle it.

My wife's JLU gave her the same aux switches not available message, battery charging a few weeks back. Battery voltage low. I still need to track what's going on with it, but luckily, there's ONE battery in that thing, right up top. But - if it's a charging issue, yikes, there's no alternator on a 4xe! That means digging really deep.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Dude, I won't talk about Aux batteries anymore....

You really are a hooligan!

 

[HooliganActual]

How old are the batteries? I also got the auto start stop messages when mine were getting old. The last straw was a heavy winching day. I replaced the main with a yellow top optima to handle more discharge with accessories, and replaced the aux with a basic die hard aux 14. I did them at the same time to prevent one old one from killing a new one. I’ve had zero issues, and am one of the few here that don’t regret keeping the aux battery. The system was designed to have one, so I’m not messing with that. But I definitely replaced them with better quality. But the same type so the charging system works the same as designed.

There's the name of that famous river in Africa again - denial.

Yeah, code reader = smart. Maybe nothing - but maybe.......
There's a lot of things you can look at with some readers, or even software. I can see with JSCAN what the IBS believes the battery state of charge is, voltages and other fun and confusing things.

Ideally - as has been said so many times I suspect many are tired of seeing it - charge each battery independently, leave them disconnected and see where the voltage is right after charging vs. a few hours later. During that time, the IBS is disconnected, sitting somewhere out of the way and resetting.
Just charging these batteries and then seeing where things settle MAY tell a story. On the other hand, the battery in my SX4 charged up just fine, and it would sit a while at full voltage - until any sort of load was put in it then it dropped like a rock.

You can handle it.

My wife's JLU gave her the same aux switches not available message, battery charging a few weeks back. Battery voltage low. I still need to track what's going on with it, but luckily, there's ONE battery in that thing, right up top. But - if it's a charging issue, yikes, there's no alternator on a 4xe! That means digging really deep.

Yeah, they are not old enough to be causing problems. That's why I say I'm in denial. I suspect the issue is linked to a trip I took last fall around the time, @WILDHOBO, you and I were talking about your ball joint replacement job. I had a brake caliper bolt back out on the passenger front and the calipers wound up pivoting, I'm sure it damage a wheel sensor or something and I know all that stuff is wrapped into ESS. I have good battery voltage, quality batteries that are only about a year old, no other warnings, aux witch issues, etc. I'm sure it's one of the 2000 codes associated to ESS and I need to get after it...

 

[WILDHOBO]

Yeah, they are not old enough to be causing problems. That's why I say I'm in denial. I suspect the issue is linked to a trip I took last fall around the time, @WILDHOBO, you and I were talking about your ball joint replacement job. I had a brake caliper bolt back out on the passenger front and the calipers wound up pivoting, I'm sure it damage a wheel sensor or something and I know all that stuff is wrapped into ESS. I have good battery voltage, quality batteries that are only about a year old, no other warnings, aux witch issues, etc. I'm sure it's one of the 2000 codes associated to ESS and I need to get after it...

Sounds very likely. I’d check those abs cables. They kill traction control, stability control, swaybar, lockers, you name it.

 

[bill61]

I filled the gas tank. The gas flowed in smoothly with very little turbulence. Then as I pulled away it started flowing out of the gas tank. That kinda bothered me as I was hoping the tank would stay full indefinitely…

 

[Greg_L]

I am!
I made my own rockets as a kid - all supplies, including fireworks, provided by my parents
A pan of water, soup can, cleaned out, nail hole in the bottom just the size for a firecracker to fit into snugly.
Insert firecracker into the hole in the can, fuse sticking out, most of firecracker into the can. Put can open end down into the water. Light fuse and stand back if you don't want to get wet. Danged can would go pretty much up and almost out of sight. (annoyed the older lady living next door, but hey, most things we did would annoy her.)

Do I qualify??

Probably more than that ridiculously ignorant janster person.

 

[WILDHOBO]

The photos were of a Jeep mod, consistent with the thread subject. It started with a comment on it.

BS. The accessories could have been shown without all the embellishments. If you don’t like my opinion, don’t read it. If you don’t agree that this should be about jeeps and not guns, stop posting pictures of them. It’s insensitive to those who have been directly affected by gun violence in this country. Get a clue.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Love that description........ especially the plotting and scheming. Sounds so - Jeepish!
Can't wait to get my 2025 here...... Hey, Scott, is it DONE YET?

Well, guess maybe I need to get serious about stripping my 2022 JT........
I have NO CLUE how much time to expect between "in production" and "shipped", but....

In production 3/26/25

 

[Rusty PW]

Well, guess maybe I need to get serious about stripping my 2022 JT........
I have NO CLUE how much time to expect between "in production" and "shipped", but....

In production 3/26/25

Took mine 6 weeks from ordering to picking it up. That was in 1/22 to 2/22. Today, I don't know. So you better get on the ball removing stuff.

 

[Janster]

Yup…washed the jeep tonight, believe it or not. Getting ready for new wheels tomorrow.

I didn’t mean to piss off a few of you, but……Sorry…. It is what it is. Agree to disagree. Harmless adult conversations and trying to keep it civil.
Back to your reguarly schedule program.

 

[Hootbro]

So..."stupid question here"... when doing this Aux battery delete, do you still get the warning light/ding on the dash afterwards?

My aux battery needs replaced again and I don't want to replace it. My solar setup constantly keeps the main topped off, so I have been driving around for about 6 months with the warning ding at startup and then the dash warning light that ESS is not available. If all that goes away with the delete, I'm in.

I never had the warning light to begin with and never had it since the mod or any of the other two Gladiators I did this on.

I cannot say if you do the mod, your ESS disabled warning light and message will clear. In theory, if only your AUX battery was the issue, it should but if there was something else undiagnosed, you may have to track that down.

 

[Hootbro]

Sorry to interrupts you ladies and your kerfuffle with Gladiator content.

Anyways, weather warmed up and got around to installing the Rubicon Diesel springs and shocks I picked up awhile back.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/2025-base-sport-anvil.88796/page-2#post-1443555

Netted me about 1.5" of lift in the front and and 1" in the back. Halfway expect it to ride pretty stiff but was pleasantly surprised how smooth it rides. When I put on 33's (285/70/17) with the stock Sport suspension, it was stiff and jarring on some bumps in the road, but that is all gone with this setup now and shows how well properly tuned shocks and springs are when matched with the correct tire size.

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