Anyone smoke a XC4.0 M12 battery yet?

[ScottsGT]

I did yesterday. I was helping a scrap guy cut apart an old car in my driveway. Temps were about 100 degrees. The guy showed up with a busted Skil recip saw, so I loaned him my 110V Sawzall and I used my M12 Hackzall to cut through the sheet metal. About 5-10 min into my work, the Hackzall stopped and I could smell smoke. First thought was I fried the tool. Looked down and smoke was billowing out of the battery and the case was swelling and melting in one spot.
Popped off the battery and tossed it about 30 ft away to cool off.

Just sent a message to Milwaukee to see how the warranty process goes. Of course I don't have the sales receipt anymore! Who saves those damned things anyway?

 

[Know Wosad]

I just bought one a while back and have about 300 screws to drive this weekend.
Maybe I should wear a helmet

 

[ScottsGT]

At the least, a fire extinguisher and a safe place to toss the battery if it starts smoking! Ever see a Lithium battery catch fire? Ask Boeing about it.
Hmmm.....Milwaukee Fire Extinguishers. There's a new marketing item for them.

 

[Ign]

The battery's date coded if it didn't get melted. That's how warranty works. But I believe it's 3 years on the M12 XC's (2 on the compacts)

 

[TomB19]

I just bought one a while back and have about 300 screws to drive this weekend.
Maybe I should wear a helmet

You'll be fine.

If the OP was using the non FUEL Hackzall, it doesn't have the control systems to back off when the current draw is too high or the battery temperature is excessive. These are a couple of the great features of FUEL. You can work them hard and they will protect themselves.

 

[firworks]

If Milwaukee sends you a new one and tells you to throw away that old one I'd pay to flat rate it to me instead. I'm trying to get a hold of broken Milwaukee stuff to autopsy. They might want you send that one back though.

 

[Know Wosad]

If Milwaukee sends you a new one and tells you to throw away that old one I'd pay to flat rate it to me instead. I'm trying to get a hold of broken Milwaukee stuff to autopsy. They might want you send that one back though.

Rent a stadium. I havent had much luck at all with their ****....I keep buying it tho
I'm currently leaning DeWalt again.
There's always August

 

[ScottsGT]

It was a non Fuel. Could be the issue. Milwaukee responded that they want the battery and the Hackzall to check it out.
Thanks for the info Tom. I won't work it as hard next time!

 

[lightning02]

If Milwaukee sends you a new one and tells you to throw away that old one I'd pay to flat rate it to me instead. I'm trying to get a hold of broken Milwaukee stuff to autopsy. They might want you send that one back though.

ill keep you in mind when i replace one of my 2.0 m12 batteries. it still works but the casing is starting to come apart.

have a friend with that same Hackzall. its broken on him 2 or 3 times already. he doesnt have kind words to say about it lol

 

[TK-421]

At the least, a fire extinguisher and a safe place to toss the battery if it starts smoking! Ever see a Lithium battery catch fire? Ask Boeing about it.
Hmmm.....Milwaukee Fire Extinguishers. There's a new marketing item for them.

Seen it on BattleBots, it's actually really cool when it's not your battery that is going up.

 

[kunkernator]

Lithium polymer batteries are even more interesting when they go!

I am sure it should be covered under warranty. As I do like Milwaukee tools, I have not had positive experience with their warranty division.

 

[rice rocket]

It was a non Fuel. Could be the issue. Milwaukee responded that they want the battery and the Hackzall to check it out.
Thanks for the info Tom. I won't work it as hard next time!

The protection SHOULD be on the battery as well as the device, because the battery has explosion/fire potential.

Maybe Milwaukee disagrees though.

 

[firworks]

The protection SHOULD be on the battery as well as the device, because the battery has explosion potential.

Maybe Milwaukee disagrees though.

The battery needs to have over discharge and overcharge protection either on the pack itself or on the tool using it(I'll check when I get home). That's the minimum you need to safely run a lithium battery system. If lithium batteries are charged above 4.2V or below 2.5V they will be damaged / 'splode. They also have a temperature sensor on them which that Hackzall should have been reading and should have deactivated the tool if the pack was really getting too hot. The only tools that don't check for the temperature sensor as far as I know are things like the lights which are very low current draw. I'll check when I get home but you can try it yourself by putting electrical tape over the T terminal on your battery. If the tool blinks 4 lights at you it is indicating that it can't read the thermistor and won't run.

 

[S4cruiser]

I recently purchased brand new m12 fuel combo ki a month or so ago. Came with one of the big batteries and one small one.

First time I tried one of the drills/impacts with the small battery, saw smoke and the battery proceeded to get very hot. Left it in the driveway for a couple hours to cool down. Attempted to charge it just to see what it would do (stayed close and watched it). After a minute or so the charger identified it as bad.

Still need to take it to the local service dealer and swap it out for a new one.

 

[PSYKO_Inc]

I've gotten my hackzall pretty warm cutting up tree limbs in the backyard, but haven't seen smoke yet. Maybe I should take it a bit easier on it since was bought used and therefore no warranty...

 

[kball]

I've seen smoke come out of my non fuel hackzall. Didn't hurt the battery though and it still works fine.

 

[PureLeaf]

interested to hear the warranty outcome

 

[Rarified27]

I have a non-fuel hackzall purchased in 2011.

It gets warm enough put down even through gloves and eats batteries fast. It's the least impressive of my M12 stuff and was really only effective a few times because of it's portability. Certainly not for power or size- I can get my 18V saws in places the M12 won't go because of it's unnecessarily tall profile.

No interest in the fuel version either because of the similar profile.

Regarding the 4.0XC- I have one that's never even become warm. Packs a good punch and run time, but makes my M12 1/2" drill just as heavy as the 18.