2015 Rubicon disabled in the boonies--need help!
07-30-2015, 06:52 AM
#61
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The CAN-bus (not to be confused with cannabis) is a digital communication network between all those computers. It's not a separate physical network but uses many of the wires running thru the vehicle. It is the nervous system that makes everything work (and sometimes not work). 
If certain connections are shorted or loose, things won't communicate so they don't work. Something as simple as a shorted center brake light might cause the Jeep to die. Adding an aftermarket device can definitely interfere with CAN-bus by either adding noise to the system or by filtering out the CAN-bus signal with power filtering capacitors.
My Jeep refused to start once. The lights and wipers came on (although they were turned off) but the engine wouldn't turn over. Apparently the problem was in my blinker lever stalk because after wiggling it up and down and turning things on that lever on and off suddenly the Jeep started and continues to operate today (2 years later) as if nothing ever happened.
If certain connections are shorted or loose, things won't communicate so they don't work. Something as simple as a shorted center brake light might cause the Jeep to die. Adding an aftermarket device can definitely interfere with CAN-bus by either adding noise to the system or by filtering out the CAN-bus signal with power filtering capacitors.
My Jeep refused to start once. The lights and wipers came on (although they were turned off) but the engine wouldn't turn over. Apparently the problem was in my blinker lever stalk because after wiggling it up and down and turning things on that lever on and off suddenly the Jeep started and continues to operate today (2 years later) as if nothing ever happened.
I was on a group trip in Utah a few years back where a late-model Jeep died. We stopped for a break, and then the vehicle couldn't be started with the key. There were numerous very knowledge people who had all kinds of tools, etc. along who hacked on it for a long time. IIRC, they were able to hotwire it, and could briefly start the vehicle but then it would die... The immobilizer was blocking it from running. Someone even removed a unit and drove out to take it to a dealer. But they were told nothing could be done, the vehicle had to be brought in. They drove all the way back out to the boonies the next morning with the bad news, and the jeep had to be dragged out and ultimately taken to a dealer.
I'd already decided this would be my last 4WD, precisely because of this complexity... That, plus I'm now retired and on a more limited income and can't afford to shell out $$$$ for offroad recoveries or worse yet, in-place repair jobs. As someone pointed out during my offroad recovery in this instance, if my ignition system had been dead there could be problems unlocking the steering column, and in that case how do you tow the vehicle out?
Wish I could afford to buy and import a 70-series Land Cruiser Troop Carrier from Australia...a 1984-vintage design without all this high-tech crap on it. LandCruiser 70 Series range overview
Last edited by 702Rubi; 12-13-2015 at 07:07 PM.
07-30-2015, 12:28 PM
#62
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Wish I could afford to buy and import a 70-series Land Cruiser Troop Carrier from Australia...a 1984-vintage design without all this high-tech crap on it. LandCruiser 70 Series range overview
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_CJ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkvPG68dv8M
07-31-2015, 08:32 AM
#63
JK Super Freak
Love a CJ but dont Love having No Air conditioning!!! and a WORTHLESS heater!!!!
you can unlock the automatic shift gear lever without the battery active.. you should familiarize yourself with the process in the manual just to know how to do it.. the steering wheel lock itself if you have a JK with locking wheel still unlocks just from turning the key without electricity so you can turn the wheel back and forth...
-Christopher
you can unlock the automatic shift gear lever without the battery active.. you should familiarize yourself with the process in the manual just to know how to do it.. the steering wheel lock itself if you have a JK with locking wheel still unlocks just from turning the key without electricity so you can turn the wheel back and forth...
-Christopher
08-03-2015, 06:15 AM
#64
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Made it from Silverthorne, CO back home to Vegas in the jeep on Friday, no problems. And it was running fine this weekend.
Edit: Earliest appointment I could get at Prestige Jeep in Vegas is August 17!!
Geez, maybe I should use the GI Bill to go to auto tech school and become a jeep tech...looks like they are short-handed everywhere! Or maybe they just don't care about providing decent customer service? I never encountered backlogs like this with any other make of vehicle I've owned....
Edit: Earliest appointment I could get at Prestige Jeep in Vegas is August 17!!
Geez, maybe I should use the GI Bill to go to auto tech school and become a jeep tech...looks like they are short-handed everywhere! Or maybe they just don't care about providing decent customer service? I never encountered backlogs like this with any other make of vehicle I've owned....
Last edited by 702Rubi; 08-03-2015 at 07:14 AM.
08-03-2015, 10:53 AM
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I have been satisfied with warranty service on my Ram at Saitta Trudeau in Pahrump. Also got a reflash done on the Dart with no issues at Towbin in Henderson. I have been running "drive by wire" Rams since 2003 but I admit I wish for the simplicity and reliability of the old 12 valve diesels. As "primitive" and poor mpg as Jeeps are, why do we need all the electronic controls and diagnostic software?
08-04-2015, 08:24 AM
#66
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I have been satisfied with warranty service on my Ram at Saitta Trudeau in Pahrump. Also got a reflash done on the Dart with no issues at Towbin in Henderson. I have been running "drive by wire" Rams since 2003 but I admit I wish for the simplicity and reliability of the old 12 valve diesels. As "primitive" and poor mpg as Jeeps are, why do we need all the electronic controls and diagnostic software?
I know I'm not taking it back to Sahara where I bought it!
As for all the computers and junk, I guess to some extent it's needed to meet the emissions control and fuel economy requirements.
But seems like a bad design, having those low-voltage digital signals travelling all throughout the vehicle wiring (as was explained earlier).
08-04-2015, 11:03 AM
#67
JK Super Freak
dealers are a crap shoot.. since each one is independently owned they all seem to have different standards.. Chrysler originally started the 5-star program to weed out the bad ones from the good ones... and in the beginning it worked.. they all fought for that 5 star rating.. however somewhere along the way that got lost and it meant nothing.. I dont even know if the program still exists...
we have several in my city.. unfortunately for me the newest one which is 5 minutes from my house is Terrible... not sure how they stay in business.. sales and service-wise...
the other one 25 minutes away is excellent... 3 of my JK's and 1 TJ have come from them.. and they consistently treat me well (they are also always very busy)...
you just have to try them until you find one that works for you...
sometimes the smaller dealer is your best bet.. as people often end up at the "mega" dealer just because they think you can get in and out quicker.. when in fact the smaller guy may have a less-busy service department and can actually spend the correct time and effort for complex issues...
-Christopher
we have several in my city.. unfortunately for me the newest one which is 5 minutes from my house is Terrible... not sure how they stay in business.. sales and service-wise...
the other one 25 minutes away is excellent... 3 of my JK's and 1 TJ have come from them.. and they consistently treat me well (they are also always very busy)...
you just have to try them until you find one that works for you...
sometimes the smaller dealer is your best bet.. as people often end up at the "mega" dealer just because they think you can get in and out quicker.. when in fact the smaller guy may have a less-busy service department and can actually spend the correct time and effort for complex issues...
-Christopher
08-04-2015, 03:40 PM
#68
JK Enthusiast
Pull the battery from your key FOB. Reinstall. It is now fixed till you get a new battery. Only use the battery you buy from your dealer! I've been down this road in my 2009 Rubi.it works. Don't know why.
Yesterday morning, I drove up into the mountains here in Colorado and parked so I could go for a hike.
When I left the vehicle, I locked the doors as usual using the lock button on the key. (This is a 2015 Rubicon Unlimited with the factory security system).
When I returned, I tried to unlock the doors as usual using the unlock button on the key. However, nothing happened, the doors wouldn't unlock.
So I unlocked the driver's door using the old-fashioned key. This of course triggered the alarm (horns beeping, lights flashing).
I stuck the key in the ignition and tried to start the vehicle, but could not. Alarm just kept going off.
I tried pushing the unlock button a lot more times and that didn't help. Neither did the panic button. I then dug out the second key and tried everything with that, no joy. Alarm just kept going off and the vehicle wouldn't start.
It seems the horns (yes, we found there are two of them) will stop beeping after a time. But the alarm system never deactivates, so the lights keep blinking and if you keep fooling around the horns will start tooting again.
The only way to make it stop is to disconnect the battery. We left it disconnected for nearly two hours, but as soon as we touched the terminal to the post the alarm started going off again.
Does anyone know of any reset procedure or anything that can be done in the boonies to get this vehicle started and out under its own power? Or have other ideas they are confident will work? I am now down in town. Getting back up to the vehicle will be a bit of a challenge, I will have to find a local who is willing to drive me up there. So I'm not going to do that unless someone is very confident they have a fix.
Otherwise I am looking at a sizeable recovery bill. I am in Colorado, don't have four-wheeling friends here, and will have to pay for a towing service to come recover it.
When I left the vehicle, I locked the doors as usual using the lock button on the key. (This is a 2015 Rubicon Unlimited with the factory security system).
When I returned, I tried to unlock the doors as usual using the unlock button on the key. However, nothing happened, the doors wouldn't unlock.
So I unlocked the driver's door using the old-fashioned key. This of course triggered the alarm (horns beeping, lights flashing).
I stuck the key in the ignition and tried to start the vehicle, but could not. Alarm just kept going off.
I tried pushing the unlock button a lot more times and that didn't help. Neither did the panic button. I then dug out the second key and tried everything with that, no joy. Alarm just kept going off and the vehicle wouldn't start.
It seems the horns (yes, we found there are two of them) will stop beeping after a time. But the alarm system never deactivates, so the lights keep blinking and if you keep fooling around the horns will start tooting again.
The only way to make it stop is to disconnect the battery. We left it disconnected for nearly two hours, but as soon as we touched the terminal to the post the alarm started going off again.
Does anyone know of any reset procedure or anything that can be done in the boonies to get this vehicle started and out under its own power? Or have other ideas they are confident will work? I am now down in town. Getting back up to the vehicle will be a bit of a challenge, I will have to find a local who is willing to drive me up there. So I'm not going to do that unless someone is very confident they have a fix.
Otherwise I am looking at a sizeable recovery bill. I am in Colorado, don't have four-wheeling friends here, and will have to pay for a towing service to come recover it.
08-21-2015, 07:50 PM
#69
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Umm, I think you were a little late to the party! And I definitely needed a lot more than a new key fob battery, LOL!
08-21-2015, 08:03 PM
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OK, this should be the end of this matter (hopefully!).
Got the jeep to Prestige here in Vegas and they fixed the problem with the driver's side door lock button.
And guess how they fixed it: They changed the TIPM once again! So this jeep is now on either its third or fourth TIPM, including the factory-installed one. (I'm still not sure if they changed it once or twice at the Colorado dealership...the paperwork says once, but I was verbally told it was changed twice.)
They speculated that there was something wrong (crossed wire?) in the TIPM that was installed in Colorado. If so, not sure why that dealer was totally flummoxed. Then again, they're the same dolts who kept my jeep for two full weeks to do about two or three day's worth of work...then when I finally got it back, it had two new problems!
So at this point, everything is operating properly (as it damned well should be on a Rubi with only 6200 miles on it). No trouble so far from the wiring repair. But since it's still blazing hot out here I haven't attempted to get out and bang it around on any trails.
After the rodent damage was found, Chrysler Roadside Assistance told me they wouldn't pay for the on-pavement tow job (because the breakdown wasn't due to a warranty issue). However, when I checked recently I found they did in fact pay for it.
The only thing left now is to wait for reimbursement for lodging & food under the "trip interruption" provisions of the Maximum Care coverage...
Got the jeep to Prestige here in Vegas and they fixed the problem with the driver's side door lock button.
And guess how they fixed it: They changed the TIPM once again! So this jeep is now on either its third or fourth TIPM, including the factory-installed one. (I'm still not sure if they changed it once or twice at the Colorado dealership...the paperwork says once, but I was verbally told it was changed twice.)
They speculated that there was something wrong (crossed wire?) in the TIPM that was installed in Colorado. If so, not sure why that dealer was totally flummoxed. Then again, they're the same dolts who kept my jeep for two full weeks to do about two or three day's worth of work...then when I finally got it back, it had two new problems!
So at this point, everything is operating properly (as it damned well should be on a Rubi with only 6200 miles on it). No trouble so far from the wiring repair. But since it's still blazing hot out here I haven't attempted to get out and bang it around on any trails.
After the rodent damage was found, Chrysler Roadside Assistance told me they wouldn't pay for the on-pavement tow job (because the breakdown wasn't due to a warranty issue). However, when I checked recently I found they did in fact pay for it.
The only thing left now is to wait for reimbursement for lodging & food under the "trip interruption" provisions of the Maximum Care coverage...
Last edited by 702Rubi; 08-30-2015 at 06:01 PM.