Lithium battery issues

[Ranger185VX]

I have a 15 FX20 with 250 SHO. Motor is shutting down at about 4500 rpm. The volt Meter goes crazy, from 12-17 volts . Only does this when boat is running not when ignition is on. Already replaced voltage regulator. I am running lithium batteries. One 12v cranking battery and two 36v trolling motor batteries. The boat will also loose power all together, dash electronics etc after about 3 hours . I believe my issue is the crank battery. Anyone else have issues with lithium crank batteries like this? I am also curious how peolle are charging them. I have lithium pros charger. Thanks .

[jdwo2212]

I read somewhere here that sho's and lithium batteries arent compatible. May wanna do some more research. Im no mechanic and i dont have experience with lithiums. But i do recall reading this.

[Ranger185VX]

Thanks, I will keep researching it. All the pros run them. They've been in the boat for a year with no issue. Bought the boat with them.

[1bluemcm]

I recall reading that too, that SHO and lithium batteries have some compatibility issue. If I can find the source, I'll post it here.

EDIT
This is where I read it, not a lot of hard details though. Sounds like Lithium Pros is the source, might be worth a call to them to discuss, even if that's not the brand you have.

http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread....%2ASHO+lithium

Here's another:
http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=734711

But then there is this from Lithium Pros website:
https://www.lithiumpros.com/product/...m-ion-battery/

Says compatible with SHO, maybe it's an issue of newer versions of the battery vs older versions. Other than that, I have no idea.

[dean c]

Swap out a lead acid to troubleshoot.

[Ranger185VX]

Thanks, good read. I appreciate it.

[Ranger185VX]

I am going to replace crank with lead acid next. Just not sure if how I'm gonna charge my TM batteries once I go lead acid for cranking. Right now the TM batteries charge off the crank battery which is connected to an on board 36v charger while the crank battery is connected to a 12v portable charger

[Marshfly]

Swap out a lead acid to troubleshoot.

Yep. Buy the cheapest car battery that has enough cranking amps you can find.

[John Jackson]

While I haven't had any problems like this, I do carry a spare Oddesey PCM2150 group 31 battery with me to tournaments. I've been running Lithiums for 1.5 years with no failures, just want a back up just in case. (I also carried a backup battery when I ran lead acid batteries)

From your post, I wonder if your charger could be the issue. Since Lithuims charge a lot quicker, it also means they load down the system a lot harder.

[Ranger185VX]

My charger was acting up a little . It ends the charge with 14.40 volts. I just bought a new charger and it's doing the same. Unless I have to run the battery down before charging it?

[kstolting]

I'm no expert by any means, but I'd be inclined to think it might be the Battery Protection Software built into the battery going haywire. Does it do this every time at a specific RPM or time interval, or is it more random?

[Ranger185VX]

It's random, couple times it didn't do it at all. Last week I left the ramp on the trolling motor, had 3 graphs and livewell going plus power poles, battery died after about 3 hours then would come back on and off. Was able to start it, take it for ride around lake to charge it back up and it was fine for about 30 min. Had to keep running it to re charge it. It's not my main switch either as the power poles would go out too and they are hard wired.

[Dh0ckey11]

It's random, couple times it didn't do it at all. Last week I left the ramp on the trolling motor, had 3 graphs and livewell going plus power poles, battery died after about 3 hours then would come back on and off. Was able to start it, take it for ride around lake to charge it back up and it was fine for about 30 min. Had to keep running it to re charge it. It's not my main switch either as the power poles would go out too and they are hard wired.

If your battery is too dead to run graphs, it probably wouldn't start the big motor. The voltage drop off on discharged lithiums is really steep, so if the graphs go, you are in a world of trouble. Something else is at play here, not just dying batteries.

[CatFan]

While it could be a lot of things internal to the battery or its interface, look at the simple stuff and make sure you don't have loose cables anywhere on the battery or the outboard ends.

[Ranger185VX]

Checked and cleaned all connections including the ground. I'm guessing it's the battery. Just replaced with an agm crank battery I will try it out tomorrow . Prob is now I can't charge my 2 lithium 36v TM batteries

[Hickory Legend]

They should charge just like before, off the cranking battery.

[Kevin Bennett]

I have a 15 FX20 with 250 SHO. Motor is shutting down at about 4500 rpm. The volt Meter goes crazy, from 12-17 volts . Only does this when boat is running not when ignition is on. Already replaced voltage regulator. I am running lithium batteries. One 12v cranking battery and two 36v trolling motor batteries. The boat will also loose power all together, dash electronics etc after about 3 hours . I believe my issue is the crank battery. Anyone else have issues with lithium crank batteries like this? I am also curious how peolle are charging them. I have lithium pros charger. Thanks .

Is this a Lithium Pros 12V battery? If so, please call us for troubleshooting and possible warranty repair. The behavior you are describing is either 1) the charging system is not regulating at 14.4V or 2) the battery's internal protection system is disconnecting the battery early (ie. lower than 14.4V) and once it does, the voltage is not stable in the boat. This indicates a battery problem. If it is 1), the voltage should be high with a fully charged AGM battery is put in the in the mix. A battery swap will not fix 1).

You mentioned your concern about charging the 36V batteries with a lead acid battery in the cranking position. The M1236 DC charger works fine in this condition. If you were to do this long term, we would swap that charger out for a different model with the settings slightly changed. For a few weeks its really not an issue to simply swap the LP for an AGM and continue to charge with the M1236 has you have been doing.

Lithium Pros batteries are compatible with the newer Yamaha outboards that are AGM and gel battery compatible including the SHO. The older outboards with less alternator rectification from the factory are the issue and they are an issue for ANY lithium ion battery.

[Kevin Bennett]

My charger was acting up a little . It ends the charge with 14.40 volts. I just bought a new charger and it's doing the same. Unless I have to run the battery down before charging it?

You do not have to run the battery down to recharge. (They do not have a "memory" like Ni-Cad.) Recharge when it's convenient.

Your 12V charger should end the charge cycle normally with a "green" light on most chargers.

[Ranger185VX]

Spoke to someone at lithium pros today. Hands down the best customer service in the business! And I thought power pole was the best! Shipping the battery back next week in a pre paid box from lithium pros. Couldn't ask for better service. I'm sure it's just a fluke thing. I have been running lithium pros TM and crank batteries for 2 years now and there's no comparison to AGM or lead acid. The weight reduction is reduculus and they run for ever. I have two 36 volt TM batteries that barely weigh anything and one 12 volt cranking battery that runs 3 Garmins, 2 power poles and live wells. Have fished the whole weekend without having to re charge. Can't wait to get this battery back! Thanks again to the guys at Lithium pros.

[kry29]

I would put your poles on a switch. They will drain the battery when they are hard wired. Maybe its possible the low voltage caused some issues