[Mark_]

This is the first time im seeing the 4WD light. Oil seemed fine too. Battery was tested and is strong.

Hi there,

Sorry to bring this up again, but... when you say 'strong', what numbers are we talking here ? Remaining CCAs, battery health %, internal resistance... Your situation screams dying battery ('dying' being relative - we need numbers). Many Cherokee batteries test 'good' while they are not... testing equipment parameters aren't always good for this particular Jeep.

 

[Mark_]

Mark_ its holding at 14.2-14.4 Volts. I do not think its a battery issue, as I have just replaced the battery, but you can always get a bad battery. Will have to check this at AutoZone.

Gary, thank you for the diagram. I am assuming thats the 3.2L?

Thanks. I didn't realize (or see ?) you had the battery replaced, sorry. The 14.2-14.4V numbers are alternator output though, not battery numbers per se, and you would get those same numbers no matter how good or bad the battery is. You are right tough, defective batteries do exist.
And since you had the battery replaced recently, another issue could be a loose battery connector ; they have to be on tight or else weird things can and do happen.
Which battery did you get ? Just curious..

 

[Mark_]

How do you replace the Sensors? Is it a bolt then twist?


I got one of the durrallast platinum or gold ones. Figured go with a higher end battery. Its at 11.9-12.3 when sitting though. We hooked it up to a battery tester and its at 100%

Thanks.

Ok... Duralast... (Gary, I see you smiling there... )

There are 3 Duralasts in the H7 group, but only one is made for your Jeep : the Platinum AGM, which is the one with the dual-facing handles on top :

https://www.autozone.com/batteries-starting-and-charging/battery/p/duralast-platinum-agm-battery-bci-group-size-94r-850-cca-h7-agm/319458_0_0

The Duralast Gold and the Duralast Platinum EFB are both flooded batteries and not designed for ESS. AGM is mandatory here. The Autozone fitment guide offers non AGM batteries as well as their AGM, for ESS Cherokees, which is a mistake.

And BTW, teh Duralast Platinum AGM is the same as a Mopar AGM battery, same as the H7 AGM sold at Walmart, etc... they all are Johnson Controls batteries. The real premium ones are different, and sold $350-ish.

Make sure your battery connectors are on tight. This can be a problem ,as I've stated above.

 

[Mark_]

@jmy5263 , yes, loosen the center bolt and then it pries/twists up and out. Installation is just the reverse. Note, you need to remove the upper air intake to get at the sensor to do the job though. There's lots of videos on YT for that. Do please however just doubly-confirm the battery /connectors as @Mark_ mentioned. While CPS's do fail, they often throw a code for tons of other things too so can be a red herring.

@Mark_ , since @jmy5263 mentioned ESS problems, could the IBS account for this or not really?

Yeah, hmmmm. I haven't seen an IBS responsible for such symptoms, not that I remember anyway. These symptoms sound like voltage related, so ruling out a bad battery was #1. Loose connectors is #2. It's a 2019 so corroded grounds straps is pretty much ruled out. Next, I dunno...

 

[Mark_]

Refer to Post #12 above. Mark_ is the Forum guru for battery issues.

I like battery stuff, what can I say. Guru ? Ok... nah, just highly motivated to get involved
These battery connectors are poorly designed and easily undertightened. Loose, they can create all kinds of problems.

 

[Mark_]

I'd say guru is accurate Mark, I think I'll be coming to you for new batt. advice before the end of summer. In the last 2 months I've seen my voltage dip below 14v for the first time (13.6-13.9) and the other day, I got my first "Batt Low" message ever (at 13.6v). My battery is 3 yrs old (wet-type) and I think the heat of this summer is slowly killing it 😢

Hahaha... No pressure, right ?


---

Ok, sounds like you have something going on. Below 14V is absolutely normal in summer, but... a Batt Low isn't expected under normal conditions, unless you put a severe load on it, or something... overwhelming the charging system for a period of time.

Do you have access to a big auto parts store near you ? I'd love to see remaining CCA, battery health % and internal resistance numbers on that wet battery...