My gma 2017 cherokee has been acting strange lately. lights brighten and dim, interior, while the gauge says 14. no dip. The brakes feel like they dont have the same distribution front-back, the steering wheel sensor if you center it, is not at 0 degrees. if you turn it right, ti will increase , but when it returns, it jumps ahead 10-15 degrees at "zero". The 'odometer' live data PID says DOUBLE current mileage, my brake PSI at turned off is -3.91 psi, I have codes for low voltage, ABS module communication error, steering column module communication with ABS module. the battery is new, i replaced it 2 months ago(code is not from then, it was active as of 3 ignitions prior or less) and it is charged fully, the previous battery, factory, was actually.. uh.. boiled. it got hot, but it looks like it froze last winter too. I cleaned it up, put a charge on it, and it stays charged and has decent power but because of the physical damage i did not put it back in and used it for my plow truck where it seems to be okay but i dont want to put it back in if it had that danmage.

but it makes me wonder what caused it?
the insulator was on, and i put it on the new one
there was one for wiper park switch issue but i had snow stuck on window so that was from that

 

The symptoms sound like a failing battery, modern vehicles can be extremely sensitive to voltage. Did you replace the original battery with a AGM type? If not then that could be the cause since “regular” batteries usually won’t stand up for more than a few months. If it is a AGM then have it load tested, a voltage test is worthless. Stores like Autozone will do that for free. Just because it’s new doesn’t mean it isn’t faulty.




.

 

That was what i figured. I dont think failing battery as much as battery cannot support the load expectation. I had it tested by one of those old coil testers(mechanical) and i know its not the end-all, but it was the only battery in this group size local. I dont want to drop, well, its not my money so my gma would pay for it, but i dont think she is gonna like to eat a 300+ dollar price tag for a northstar.
if i buy a battery agm type for her jeep you best be damned shes getting a nortthstar

However, you make an interesting point.
My first battery, factory AGM, was.... boiled. Overheated. The thing had acid on the outside and she COOKED. that could be internal failure, yes, but i was able to put a charge on the battery and it retained ALL of its rated CCA surprisingly, but it had almost NO capacity. I found this out when freshly charged it could barely turn over my 1980 gmc for 15 seconds. That isnt exactly killer work. And when I say dead i mean like 1-2 volts on DVM after the fact.
I dont know how warranties work or dealer extended warranties but you think its covered by dealer? its a 2017 bought in 2017, so 3 years as of 2 months ago. has service records with the dealership that it was bought from for all service except a headlamp replacement and auto body touchup on the front.

2 things
1) does the second, which i presume a car with stop/start has, battery have to be in the car or good or present period? I never looked for one, but we disabled auto-stop by turning it off and it has not been used at all since 2018
2) what should running voltage be and what should it max dip to? i see almost a 14 v constant with nothing above and dips to about 12 or so if i steer when stopped

i can get alt load tested, because i dont want to put an expensive battery in if im going to be cooking it LOL

my gma insist the issues are because its 'wet' as of late :/

 

Two things:

1) Is this a Cherokee or a Grand Cherokee? The Cherokee has one battery, the GC has two. This is a Cherokee forum. How was the ESS disabled?

2) The running voltage doesn’t tell you much. Mine showed between 13.8 and 14.2 the week before it died. A modern computerized load test is the best way to tell, period.

Modern computer-controlled vehicles are sensitive to voltage, just a bit too little voltage and they can behave weird. Not just Jeeps either. If she can’t afford a proper battery then she needs to either buy an old-skool vehicle and suffer replacing worn out parts, or suffer weird behavior from her Jeep. Of course the problem could be a charging issue caused by the computer or alternator - the “boiled” battery suggests that - but some more in-depth testing will be needed to tell for certain. Just throwing parts at a problem is usually not a cost-effective solution.



.

 

The choice for non agm is more or a moment thing than afford. She has money but I didn’t want to throw another agm at it just to kill it in 2 years flat like the original.

it’s a regular. So one battery. The ess is disabled with a obd2 plug from a website that remembers the button selection so it doesn’t need to be pressed each time. If we could diss able it without affecting remote start I would go that route.

also, I have a theory. Could the power steering be overloading the charging system and battery because of a bad strut mount? I’ve noticed it’s worn and stiff causing the steering to require a lot of force to overcome static friction noticeable as a resistance in the wheel at first.

it needs brakes soon,.. in the rear... not sure how with 40k... amd the wheels each have about 4 rows of 7 weights... I’m no expert but I think the person who balanced the tires was nexperienced.