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kokopelli40's avatar
kokopelli40
Explorer
Dec 05, 2013

battery disconnect

2004 Jeep wrangler. do you need to disconnect battery or can you put key in "Off" position and that will unlock steering wheel and put no draw on battery?
  • Jeep Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited (all models), you must have the ignition key in the first position to unlock the steering wheel. Even with all accessories in the Jeep in the "off" position, this first key position will still cause the Jeep to draw 2+ amps continuous. A fully charged battery will be incapable of starting the Jeep after ~5 or more hours of towing. To remedy this "problem", simply remove the Ignition Off Draw (IOD) fuse before towing and press it back in when you're done. Please note that Jeep advises disconnecting the cable from the negative battery terminal. This works too but may be more disruptive to channel presets, etc.
  • Yes, you can turn the key one notch forward from the lock position.