Auto stop start light and what it means
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I'm glad I've stumbled on this thread!
I've been getting this alert on my 2016 TH w/ 42,000 miles recently as well. I've just been ignoring it because I've always had ESS disabled. Looks like it's time for a new battery. I had recently had my Jeep in the dealership for different issue and mentioned this notification to them and they had no clue what it was, stating they could not reproduce it! Sometimes dealerships know less than the customer!
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Hey there,
Are you seeing a message in the center display that says something like "Stop/Start not available Battery charging" ? If so, then yeah it is probably the battery going. Most shops, big or small, can do a battery test in 2 minutes with an electronic tester (not the old carbon pile / resistor type). These little testers give numbers like CCA remaining, state of charge, state of health and internal resistance. They also arbritrarily spew out a *healthy* or *replace* result, which isn't very accurate, especially for Cherokee batteries. When state of health falls below roughly 60%, it's time, or when remaining CCA reads below 400.
There is a possibility it could be the intelligent battery sensor at fault here, not the battery, but for a 2016 a new battery wouldn't be a waste of money regardless
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38 Posts
Hey there,
Are you seeing a message in the center display that says something like "Stop/Start not available Battery charging" ? If so, then yeah it is probably the battery going. Most shops, big or small, can do a battery test in 2 minutes with an electronic tester (not the old carbon pile / resistor type). These little testers give numbers like CCA remaining, state of charge, state of health and internal resistance. They also arbritrarily spew out a *healthy* or *replace* result, which isn't very accurate, especially for Cherokee batteries. When state of health falls below roughly 60%, it's time, or when remaining CCA reads below 400.
There is a possibility it could be the intelligent battery sensor at fault here, not the battery, but for a 2016 a new battery wouldn't be a waste of money regardless
No the error I'm seeing is "Stop/Start system unavailable". It goes away after the truck is turned off but it's annoying nonetheless. And it doesn't appear reliably, it's very random. I can't pinpoint any type of condition in which I could repeatably make it happen.
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Thanks. Well... I don't think your battery is causing this, but then again maybe it is. Your 3/36 warranty is definitely over, so if the battery or IBS are at fault, it's not covered unless you have an extended warranty. There are a few things you can do :
- Have the battery tested.
- Have the IBS (intelligent battery sensor) tested at a dealership (they have a procedure with their wiTECH scan tool to check it).
- Wait it out a bit... see if things progress.
Depending on your driving habits, your battery could still last up to a year, maybe more (in your state, not too warm there). Mine was almost dead after 3.5 years but I do a lot of short trips.
That's all I've got
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OMG, did I forget to read the fine print? :frown:
My 2015 TH display only said "Stop/Start not available", nothing about the battery. And, it only appeared after driving for more than 90 minutes in one sitting; hence, I didn't see it much. Well, today I'm a believer that it's the battery. I was almost left stranded with a dead battery. After verifying all the accessories were off, I bearly had enough juice to turn the engine over and make it home safely. Apparently, I'm going to need a new battery after 4 years and 98,500 miles.
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Well, I've seen a few different messages about ESS in mine, but never just *Stop/Start unavailable*. Shortest message I see is *Stop/Start not ready*, and that one is a mystery because it usually corrects itself in a few seconds, no idea how/why. I have teh basic display, not the premium display you guys have (TH, Limited and Overland) so maybe the wording is different in yours... Yeah 4 years is about average..
Did ESS stop working completely ? That's a little odd, mine started out very slowly in March of last year, with intermittent *battery charging* messages, gradually getting longer to work, over 6 months until it wouldn't work at all (always with the battery charging message). I replaced the battery last January and it was really done... So if your ESS has quit completely, quickly, there may be something else at play, like the IBS. Do you have a battery charger at home ? That could help with t-shooting : if you charge it overnight and ESS is back online the next morning, then you'll know it's the battery with more certainty..
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For a few days ess would work one time after initial startup, then not again during that drive . Shut down, and would work again, once. Now, not at all. Battery does not seem to struggle at all on startups either, yet. I will try a charger overnight this weekend.
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My EVIC said the operating voltage was 13.7v, but I decided to put it on the charger anyway Wednesday night. I got a full 14.4v by morning. Yesterday, the Snowhawk almost stranded me again. After a few words of encouragement it fired up and I was on my way to ski country. The snow level is down to 7000 ft :smile: after the last storm.Thanks, that link had a good graph. Seems like we're on the same page. This chart jives with the earlier chart I posted, and seems to indicate 12V would be closer to using 55% of the battery, with 60% of capacity being the lowest you would want to go (i.e. 40% charge left). That makes me think sticking with the 12V limit might be a better bet than 11.8V.
I appreciate you looking that stuff up, hopefully this info will also help others in the future who want to run some light electronics, lights, stove, laptop, etc of the battery when camping without having to do a dual setup.
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This morning it is at 14.4v, resting is at 12.1v. I can't decide if I have a battery problem or an electrical problem. Thoughts? If I don't buy a replacement battery this weekend (recommendations?), I'll have it checked at my next free oil change and rotation.
I guess I'll be doing more research in the off hours. :frown:
OEM TH battery
https://www.group1autoparts.com/oem...5PTIwMTUmdD10cmFpbGhhd2smZT0zLTJsLXY2LWdhcw==
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Ok, a lot of things to address there :
1) Forget my post about Northstars up here in Canada. That was not relevant, especially about the group 27 Northstars which are crazy expensive and are not OEM fit (it is actually the 27F that will fit a Cherokee, not the 27M (marine) ; I pointed to that one becauswe it is the only (relabelled) group 27 Northstar sold by our Canadian Tire chain stores, was using it as a price example only). You guys can find a premium group 94R Northstar AGM (or the X2 Power clone at Batteries+) for under $300. Now there are very similar premium group 94R Odysseys (pure lead thin plate AGMs) at Autozone for $250.
2) 14.4V or 13.7V running can both be Ok, depending on many factors. *Running* means this is alternator output, not battery voltage per se. We can't determine battery health or state of charge when the engine is running, basically. If you had gotten running voltage in the 12V range or lower, then yeah charging system problem for sure. Not the case here.
12.1V resting voltage, however... is low. If you had zero drain on the battery when you checked it (no key in ignition, no lights etc..) then I'd say your battery is dying for sure.
Problem with these batteries, in a Cherokee, is that when they start to go, they don't neessarily die in a predictable way. I've heard members say they put theirs on a charger overnight with no benefit. That's likely because the BCM monitors battery health, meaning how it handles drains and charges, so even a freshly charged unhealthy battery would not *pass* system checks, and cause problems.
Suggesstions for a battery :
1) If you'd prefer spending under $200 for an OEM clone AGM (Johnson Controls flat plate AGM), then the lowest price I've seen lately is Autozone's Duralast Platinum group 94R ; they had a coupon thing going, not sure it is still in effect.
Ok I see Walmart is still showing some H7 AGMs in stock, for $165 :
https://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-Platinum-AGM-Battery-Group-h7/40685088
(that is the exact same Johnson Controls group 94R AGM sold everywhere. H7 = group 94R)
You may find other stores that carry teh group 94R (or H7) AGMs, like Pep Boys, Advanvced Auto Parts, Sam's Club, etc...
2) The Northstar 94R. Hard to find right now, but the X2 Power (it's a Northstar) is available at Batteries+ for $279 (after a $20 mail-in rebate):
https://www.batteriesplus.com/product-details/auto_light-truck/battery/x2power/sli94ragmdp
3) The premium Odyssey 94R (pure lead flat plate) at Autozone. Oh ! It's down from $250 to $225 :
https://www.autozone.com/batteries-...ery-94r-850-group-size-94r-850-cca/937704_0_0
(just note that the price difference with Northstars may be partly because of the warranty : Odyssey is 3 years, Northstars (and X2 Power) are 5 years).
HTH
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You bet
One last, and important thing I forgot. That last link to a Mopar battery : I believe that is not an AGM, just the regular flooded group 94R.
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Checked battery with multimeter after getting home tonight, 12.4. Trickle charger hooked for an hour brought to 12.8. Took a pic of negative terminal, looks like some corrosion going on with the ibs sensor. Maybe a cause?!
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Nah, I doubt it. That's just surface corrosion on a galvanized nut, it seems. The IBS is in the black plastic box.
About charging : I'm not liking your numbers there. 12.4V is kinda low, if everything off (no drain) and you'd come back from a drive within a few hours.
What type of battery charger are you using there ? If it's an older style model, say 10 or 15 Apms (or more), then yeah don't let it charge overnight, but you can let it do its thing for at least 4-6 hours. But if it's a newer style, *smart* type, then you should hook it up for at least 12 hours straight, to try to bring that voltage up even higher (above 13V for sure). After a decent charge, you'll be able to check on ESS to see if it'll work a bit more.
But from what you've told us so far, it does sound like a failing battery.
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Really ? Well, I disagree. Oh and would you be "that guy", by any chance ?
But you have the nickname, so I'll just step aside :wink:
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