E T X S E R I E S L I T H I U M B A T T E R I E S
18
Troubleshooting
The ETX Lithium battery is an extremely reliable battery with a longer useful life than
comparable lead-acid batteries.
Despite the high reliability, you may encounter situations where the battery does not operate
as expected. Here are some potential issues you may encounter with the appropriate
troubleshooting procedures.
Problem
The charger shuts down during the first few seconds of charging.
Possible Causes and Solutions
Are you using a Constant Voltage (CV) charger? CV chargers may trip when first connected
to a drained battery due to a high inrush of current. If this happens, reset the charger and try
again. If the problem continues, try using a different charger.
Problem
Zero voltage at the terminals or un-stable voltage (voltage reading drifts slowly to zero).
With a lead-acid battery, finding a very low voltage at the terminals often indicates the
battery has reached the end of its life. With an ETX Lithium battery this may not be true.
Possible Causes and Solutions
The ETX series lithium battery has built-in over-discharge protection circuitry, which
automatically disconnects the battery if the voltage drops below 11.5 volts (98% discharged).
When the battery is “disconnected”, the voltage at the battery terminal should be zero.
Some volt-meters may initially indicate a voltage, but it will decay to zero within ten seconds
or so. For a drained battery, simply connect the battery to a charger to restore charge
(charge with 2A for 20-30 minutes), and then re-check the voltage. If the voltage is 12.8V or
greater, the battery should be ok and can be fully charged. Not all chargers will charge a
battery that displays zero volts, so check our website for a list of compatible chargers, and
specifically chargers that will work for recharging an “over-discharged” battery for which the
BMS’s over-discharge protection has activated. This condition is sometimes referred to as a
BMS reset.
Problem
The battery seems to suddenly stop working.
Possible Causes and Solutions
A lithium battery voltage remains relatively constant while discharging, but when the battery
runs out of power it does so abruptly. Try charging the battery for 30-60 minutes at 1 – 2
Amps. If the battery still does not work, or the measured voltage is less than 12V, the
battery may be permanently damaged and needs to be replaced.
Problem
The battery does not hold a charge.
Possible Causes and Solutions
There may be a problem with the vehicle charging system: While the charging system is in
operation, it should output approximately 13.9 -14.6 volts. If the voltage is below this level,
the charging system needs to be repaired.
