Rebuild Snap-on Li-Ion Battery?

[renesisx]

Anyone know if it's possible to rebuild a Snap-On Li-Ion battery and get it working? Has anyone attempted this?

I have a CTB6187 battery that came with my impact gun, I bought both brand new on eBay. I only charged the battery 6 times before it wouldn't power the tool anymore. The LED display would still work, but no power out of the battery. Tool was fine. It wouldn't charge either.

I contacted Snap-On warranty and they told me to go sling my hook and get stuffed.

Now, I'm not going to buy any more Snap-On power tools in the future - going to try IR instead. But my friend would love this gun if I could get it working.

Seeing as the price from Snappy is like $225 for the battery - I was wondering if anyone had popped one of these open and tried to fix it? (it's one of the ones which was made in 2010, which I believe have faulty firmware on them)

 

[firebox40dash5]

I don't know about Snappy's, but I have about 1/2 a dozen Makita LXT packs that don't work. I've looked into rebuilding them, but from what I've heard, the problem you usually run into is the little computer chip in them that tells the charger what's going on with the pack, and even when you replace the cells, it still tells the charger the pack is dead, and a genuine charger refuses to charge it. With Makita I've heard of people using knockoff chargers that don't care about the chip and just try to charge anyway... just keep in mind improperly charging Li ion batteries can make them, um, explode.

Other than that, it's generally possible to pop them open and get new cells, I can't imagine Snap-On uses something uncommon that you couldn't find. Not much to lose breaking open a dead pack anyway.

 

[tjmonsen5]

snapon wont be any help because they just recycle dead batteries. wish i could help, but im sure there are some battery experts in here.

 

[billymade]

There are many places online that will rebuild battery packs; you could also check your local www.batteriesplus.com. If they can rebuild the pack; they actually do it onsite.

https://www.google.com/search?q=CTB...87,d.aWc&fp=2fcc5b756f2c45bb&biw=1280&bih=937

 

[bonneyman]

I've looked into rebuilding them, but from what I've heard, the problem you usually run into is the little computer chip in them that tells the charger what's going on with the pack........

Other than that, it's generally possible to pop them open and get new cells, I can't imagine Snap-On uses something uncommon that you couldn't find. Not much to lose breaking open a dead pack anyway.

Another example of "advances" just giving us the shaft.

I know an online place that rebuilt Ni-Cad batteries for the old Makita's. Would a Ni-Cad unit provide the amount of amperage the tool needs? If so, I'd have the lithium cells in them replaced with Ni-Cad cells that will fit the case. Perhaps it won't run as long on a charge, but, if it got the tool up and running, what the heck?

 

[pcmeiners]

I have not rebuilt these packs, but others. Li packs have a thermal sensor in them to keep the battery from self destructing due to thermal run away during charging. If you attempt to rebuild, you would need to salvage the sensor from the old pak and add it to the rebuilt pak. That said you really need a capacitor discharge battery welder to attach the tabs on.
Best to send the pak out to an online rebuilder as recommended, if you do not rebuild the pak properly it could pose a fire risk.
Not sure if the charging circuit would permit Ni-Cad replacements.

 

[GSteg]

Most, if not all batteries have thermal sensors. Of all the Nicad packs I've opened, they all had them.

The existing lithium charger should be able to charge the nicad since it's a dual charger. You can rebuild with nicad batteries and run it with no problems. The 4850 and 6850 guns came with nicad anyhow.

 

[ClrkLndeKmt'su]

I have a CTB6187 battery that came with my impact gun, I bought both brand new on eBay.

I contacted Snap-On warranty and they told me to go sling my hook and get stuffed.

Now, I'm not going to buy any more Snap-On power tools in the future - going to try IR instead.

Power tools bought directly from snapon already have a limited warranty, x amount of months. Refusing to buy anything else snap on power tool wise simply because they will not warranty something you bought with zero warranty is kinda silly to me.

On a different note you should try out batteries plus, as another has suggested.

 

[Packard V8]

On a different note you should try out batteries plus, as another has suggested.

Difficult to prove quantatively and/or from a small sample, but does it seem to anyone else the Batteries+ rebuilds don't last as long and aren't as strong as the OEMs?

jack vines

 

[The Ratchet Man]

Difficult to prove quantatively and/or from a small sample, but does it seem to anyone else the Batteries+ rebuilds don't last as long and aren't as strong as the OEMs?

jack vines

I've actually experienced the opposite. I had 2 Dewalt 18v batteries that needed to be replaced. I had dropped one of the roof onto the driveway while swapping batteries which broke the stalk off. I replaced that one with a new Dewalt. The other just wouldn't hold a charge anymore. I had it rebuilt by Batteries+.

The rebuilt one will consistently last another 15-20 min longer thani the OEM. Most of this use has been observed using a grinder. Haven't noticed any power gains but the longevity between charges is definitely noticeable to me.

Who knows, maybe the Dewalt had been on the shelf for a while. Just my humble observations. Batteries+ will see some more of my business in the near future.

 

[renesisx]

Thanks guys, some really great replies here!

I think part of the problem with living in the USA is the super short warranties that companies can get away with legally. I'm coming from Europe where most countries force manufacturers to put 2 year warranties on their products.

I actually didn't realise until now that Snappy's warranties on their power tools was so low. I love their hand tools, which is their core bread & butter and what they are best at, but others seem to be doing better in the power tools market, e.g. IR. It's just one of those things - you have to weigh up what each brand is best at, even the biggest Snap On whores like me need to look outside the brand for some items.

 

[renesisx]

I don't know about Snappy's, but I have about 1/2 a dozen Makita LXT packs that don't work.

Damn. That's a shame about those LXT packs. Mine have all worked flawlessly. Any idea what caused them all to die?

 

[redwrench60]

My local Batteries plus won't touch any lithium battery packs for rebuilding.......yet. They're nervous of the reactivity of lithium and moisture. They've built a dozen or so Snap-On. Makita and Dewalt Ni-cad batteries for me and they always end up with more capacity as long as you tell them to. They upgrade my Makita 14.4V 1.3ah packs to 3.4 or 4.0 ah nickel metal hydride cells.

 

[firebox40dash5]

Damn. That's a shame about those LXT packs. Mine have all worked flawlessly. Any idea what caused them all to die?

Not really sure. I have 2 working ones left, one full size and one compact. The full size is my oldest one of all of them, came with the original kit I bought. The compact is a few months newer. All the dead ones are the same age or newer. I think I bought them in summer '10, so not even 3 years old, max.

I bought a kit on sale last summer just because it was cheaper than a pair of batteries, the first battery died within a month, the other died in somewhere under 3 months. I think the first one was a victim of my boss overusing it, he doesn't get that the grinder is a juice hawg and only works a few minutes on a charge. My guess is he kept restarting it over and over when it would cut out, and killed it.

If you want any tools, lemme know, I just picked up an M12 Fuel drill, impact & light. Got a 1st gen BL impact, sawzmost, circ saw, grinder, and a never used regular impact from the aforementioned kit. I'm tired of buying batteries for the stuff.

 

[pl_silverado]

a good dealer will/can warranty it.

 

[bobcatdan]

I went threw this with my Milwaukee Lin ions. Nobody will touch them from a rebuilding stand point. If I have the model number right, your impact will except ni cad batteries. The Lin ion were an option until the latest model. I have read on here so I don't know if it is true is Lin ion have about a three year life whether they are used or not.

 

[padronanniversary]

I've rebuilt them along with a bunch of older dealt nicads. It was not hard at all

 

[GSteg]

Rebuilding lithium pack is not rocket science if it's just the cells that are bad. The problem is if the battery management system is the culprit. They're most likely proprietary so you won't find a builder who will have them in stock.

 

[cyato]

Damn. That's a shame about those LXT packs. Mine have all worked flawlessly. Any idea what caused them all to die?

In the beginning, I was under the impression that leaving the Makita batteries on the charger for too long was the culprit for causing them to die prematurely. There were stories/rumors of a batch of bad chargers. After doing some research and from personal experience, it seems like the worst thing for Li-Ion batteries is to let them fully discharge. The most common situation seems to be when a Makita Li-Ion battery is run down, then left unused for a long period of time, the battery monitoring circuitry completely depletes one cell of the battery. A completely dead cell appears like a short circuit to the battery monitoring circuitry, which causes the protection circuitry to kick in, which renders the battery useless. People that seem to have the most problems are occasional users that leave the batteries unused for weeks on end.

The new Makita batteries with a revised design (monitoring circuitry wired to two cells for longer storage time, from what I understand) have a “star” symbol embossed into the case. I’ve had several older “slim” BL1815 batteries fail at our shop and all but one failed because of lack of use. I haven’t had any of the BL1830 fat packs go bad yet. (I've advised everyone at our shop to keep their batteries charged.) My oldest pair are from 2007 and still run strong. I pop all of my batteries on a charger as soon as they start to run low on power, and don’t leave them on the charger more than overnight. This ritual has been working for me for the last 5 years. Maybe more info than you wanted but…

 

[firebox40dash5]

I can guarantee you that neither running them way down nor leaving them on the charger was the killer of my batteries, other than the one I mentioned. Before they started dropping like flies, I had 4-6 batteries to go through, and with the fast charger it was too easy to keep rotating them out. I never leave them charging more than overnight, and usually pull the pack within an hour of it finishing. They rarely sat for even a week, either, and I made sure to charge them when I was done to prevent the one cell problem, as well as to have them ready to go next time.

I almost wonder if the fast charger has something to do with it. Charging too fast is no good for cell life, and it's pretty freakin' speedy to charge a 3ah battery in 30 minutes. Milwaukee's charger (at least my M12) is slow as hell, and I hear a lot less about their batteries failing prematurely.