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Testing or reset of the IBS?

23K views 37 replies 10 participants last post by  Jabski 
#1 ·
Does anyone know of a procedure to test or reset the IBS monitor? I have looked through alfaobd, and nothing seems obvious there. I have also tried leaving the battery cables off for several hours. My first thought was to just replace, but the part is on backorder everywhere. My ESS has not worked for a while (even after driving 3 hours straight, followed by another 3 hours). I have an X2 Power that is about a year old. It always tests SOH at 98 to 100 percent, and the SOC is usually above 98 percent as well, but once or twice it has been around 75 SOC. I've let it sit overnight and tested in the morning with the cables off, as well as tested it tested it in the morning with the cables on. Still not sure if its a battery issue, phantom drain issue, or IBS issue.
 
#2 ·
My 2014 Doesn't have ESS....is there a way to bypass the sensor and just run the cables right to the battery, i'd imagine that might cause more problems that it would solve?

What's the part number you need, looks like its available in Canada
 
#3 ·
Doesn't sound like it's battery related. High probability it is the IBS here.

Wish I knew more about the IBS, how to recalibrate it (if it can be recalibrated), etc... Can wiTECH see more / do more than AlfaOBD and if so, how ? You need to talk with an FCA tech...
 
#4 ·
If the ESS means that much to you, starting at Batteries Plus to have them double check the X2 Power wouldn't be a bad idea. If it were me, I wouldn't be stressing too hard about it, as long as everything else is functioning properly, but I'm in the bunch who feels ESS is a completely worthless function...😎
 
#6 ·
I did actually go and talk with them, but basically they said that they would need to leave it for a few days and that it would need to drop to something like 10v under load to replace based on the warranty. I don't remember exactly off the top of my head. Since it was testing fine for me, I figured it would probably do the same for them. Since I drive it everyday, not really that convenient to just leave with them. I am going out of town in like a month, so that might end up being a possibility.
 
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#5 ·
What a helpful reply from Mark (who has me blocked)

@MikeR.

Check out this post for more information on operation of the IBS

 
#7 ·
What a helpful reply from Mark (who has me blocked)

@MikeR.

Check out this post for more information on operation of the IBS

That's actually a decent summary of it. I'm haven't found a way to see SOC and SOH from the IBS itself, but I'm thinking its calculating it incorrectly. Everything runs fine, the ESS just doesn't work anymore. I may have to keep playing around with Afla and keep looking for a replacement. I looked at rockauto, and they are on backorder, so I tried through mopar replacement parts, and I got an email the next day that said they were cancelling my order as it was on backorder and they have no idea when more would come in.
 
#12 ·
ya. That's the sensor with bracket, I was trying to get just the sensor. Saved about 20 to 30 dollars. I'll probably take another look with Alfa first to see if I can verify it not working. When I saw it was backorder on rockauto, and then got a the cancellation with the other place, I figured its just one of those things in short supply.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Looks like I've got a few things to go off of. This was under the engine module in the logs. Since I was in Park with my seatbelt off, I image some of these will clear on their
own. I'll just need to keep an eye on it. Does anyone know how to download these logs by chance from a phone?
Font Number Parallel Document Circle

Font Number Document Parallel Screenshot
 
#14 · (Edited)
Updated logs. I still have a few NOs, but that intelligent battery sensor OK being a no is probably an indicator.

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Font Number Parallel Document Screenshot
 
#15 ·
So after some more searching, I can read SOC and a bunch of other EDD and IBS PIDs with the obdlink app. It was showing 57% in the driveway. Ill have to do it some while driving and on the charger and see how it changes, but the IBS is looking like the guilty party so far.
 
#19 ·
I have not overnight, but I use a 4 amp battery tender. It fully tops if off in less than 30 minutes if I plug it in after driving, so I know its full (or the battery has reduce capacity). I did check this morning with the battery tester (though it was right after driving and not asleep) and it was close to the SOC from the IBS. It's topped off again now, and I'll leave it on the charger till I drive it and then check it in the IBS again to see if it changed. I did see with BMW's IBS that when the sensor messes up, it can cause a parasitic drain, which is similar to what mine seems like at times. I have another IBS on order, so when it comes in, I'll see if it makes a difference. This morning I was only putting about 4 amps into the battery, so it can't truly be at 50%. If that were the case, I would be pushing a lot higher amps into the battery and with a much higher alternator duty cycle.
 
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#17 ·
My real experience comes with locomotives, but they are vehicles. At one time, locomotives ran for 24 hours a day, seven days a week - moving or not. It was easier because those big diesels were not easy to start and not containing coolant, they were in danger of freezing the engine block at below 40F.

Low and behold, along comes ESS or what we called AESS (Auto Start Stop) and billions of gallons of diesel were no longer wasted and emissions reduced accordingly.

AESS looked at many things: ambient temperature, water temp, oil temp, controls being changed, etc., etc. as well as battery state (charge, temp). When it didn't work, you had a problem. But 'why' was the million-dollar question because when all known parameters are within acceptable, then why would the message 'AESS UNAVAILBLE' be present? It didn't make sense.

OK, I'll get to the point: In those cases where the reason was 'unknown', it always came back to the battery. Or, the battery sensing control. The battery can be ruled out, but the sensor, not so easy. I think you are on the right track. Good luck.
 
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#18 ·
My real experience comes with locomotives, but they are vehicles. At one time, locomotives ran for 24 hours a day, seven days a week - moving or not. It was easier because those big diesels were not easy to start and not containing coolant, they were in danger of freezing the engine block at below 40F.

Low and behold, along comes ESS or what we called AESS (Auto Start Stop) and billions of gallons of diesel were no longer wasted and emissions reduced accordingly.

AESS looked at many things: ambient temperature, water temp, oil temp, controls being changed, etc., etc. as well as battery state (charge, temp). When it didn't work, you had a problem. But 'why' was the million-dollar question because when all known parameters are within acceptable, then why would the message 'AESS UNAVAILBLE' be present? It didn't make sense.

OK, I'll get to the point: In those cases where the reason was 'unknown', it always came back to the battery. Or, the battery sensing control. The battery can be ruled out, but the sensor, not so easy. I think you are on the right track. Good luck.
My real experience comes with locomotives
Tell me you work for the railway without telling me you work for the railroad. I might know a thing or two about locomotives :p

None of the locomotives I deal with use coolant, just plain old water.........and the AESS systems still mess up all the time, like shutting down when its too cold, then having the engine dump it's water, or if you catch it in time restart it and be load limited until it warms up again
 
#25 ·
Just for some comparison of duty cycle of the alternator on the same battery

Fully charged



Drained

That interesting. I actually took a look at the duty cycle on the way home. It was around 15 to 20 percent almost the entire time. The OBDLink software has access to some really good PIDs in it. I have been leaving SOC, voltage just before IBS wakeup, Generator Duty Cycle, Voltage, current temperature. etc. I have noticed the resting voltage is 12.6V, and it doesn't really matter how long I leave it, so I can probably rule out phantom drain. Also keeps me from having to leave the hood popped every time I park it.

Yesterday I tried something new to see if I could force the IBS into calibration mode. I unplugged the sensor, and then started the car. I have left it unplugged, as well as the battery terminals off before and it did nothing, so my though was for the engine computer to know it could not read the IBS, and then see if it would make it relearn the battery. Obviously I got the error messages when it was unplugged, but when I plugged it back in, SOC immediately went to 98% and the ESS worked on the first stop. Then after driving about 5 minutes, the SOC dropped back to 58% like it has in the past. This leads me back to the IBS not working correctly. I also tried the PID that would let me read the calculated resistance provided by the IBS. I was going to compare it to what I had with my battery tester. I did not have a value, so I'm not sure if that was an issue with the IBS, or just one of those that doesn't provide the type of information I would expect. My new IBS gets here on Tuesday, so that will be the true test most likely.

On a side note, I am going to be using the OBDLink software much more often. It pulls way more than even alfaobd can do. There were probably 2 or 3 dozen PIDs just for the IBS sensor.
 
#29 ·
This is an interesting read that might apply...

 
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#30 ·
That is a very good writeup of the operation. I just can't get it into the calibration mode. The only time I thought I had it was when I unplugged just the sensor and started it up, and waiting to get the code. Then I plugged it back in and I could see the SOC was 98% (was previously 56ish%) The 98% matched my battery tester. Then I drove it and at the first stop ESS started working. It shouldm't have if it was relearning. Then started up like normal. About 5 minutes later, I watched the SOC drop back from 99% to 55%. I never had another stop where I could have tested it again before that. All the other parameters stayed the same. IBS current, IBS battery voltage, Generator duty cycle, IBS battery temp, etc. There is a parameter that measures internal battery resistance, but it doesn't show a value. I wanted to compare that to the Battery Tester as that's how the tester determines SOH, so figured the IBS would do something similar. It will list SOH, but does so in mA (vs %), and there were two different ones I needed to add together, so I wasn't going to do that while driving. At this point I'll probably just wait till I get the new IBS on Tuesday, and then give it a shot. If that doesn't check out, I'll drop the battery off at Battery Plus so they can check it the week I'm out of town.
 
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#31 ·
It looks like you are doing exactly what is needed and having Batteries+ take a good look at can't hurt and you've dug up a lot of useful information here. Good luck
 
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#37 ·
Turns out it was a bad ibs. Swapped to the new one, drove it for 10 to 15 min and the State of Charge jumped straight to 100 percent (from 77%) and everything started working as it did before.
 
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