Husqvarna 536 LiXP battery problem

ghostice · Oct 5, 2022

Hey all, I've been fiddling with my battery top handle since going for a bit of a ride when my groundman choked off on the porty and sent me for a wobble. The saw didn't appear to hit anything when the tree top went (it was on my belt and I had left stubs to hang onto just in case). But after the ride, the battery had to be forced into contact into the housing a bit more to get the green light. A real pain as I chunked down the spar a bit till we could fell the rest. Back home, cleaned the thing up, blew out saw and battery in the Cave of Wonders and it seemed to work OK. Fine. Yesterday took the thing along to a birch job and again, battery didn't click - click into position. No green light. This AM back again in the Cave of Wonders however I noticed the battery tab on one side of the battery was just a little more in or forwards into the housing than the other. Pulled it out with a screwdriver and added a little graphite powder for lube and now it seems to work again. Will I trust it. Not really. These are BLi 300's so they're heavy but they last. Talked with Walkers Saw Shop in Nanaimo (great folks) and they hadn't heard of this problem. Wonder if anyone else has seen anything like this? (other batteries were with some landscaping gear so I'm going to fiddle around with them today)

Mick Dempsey · Oct 5, 2022

Dunno, but good luck getting another battery, none available in France or UK by all accounts.

ghostice · Oct 5, 2022

Thnx - not just saw batteries - we were trying to get a part for our Miele dishwasher - told wait was 5 to 6 months - went to look for new ones - told wait could be 3 to 4 months (for other brands too). Such is life now in Trudeau's Canuck-istan. Soon we'll be lining up for bread in -35 C outside . . . . and walking - gas is now $1.73 to 2.19 per liter for regular now. If you're ever thinking of visiting Canada for holiday, forget it - they are tearing into your wallet at every turn now (Gov't has OK'd VISA or other credit card merchants are OK to charge the CC fee to customers now - so another 3 -4 % on top?). Gotta end - now it's just become an open ended gouging free for all.
End Rant.

Mick Dempsey · Oct 5, 2022

Was chatting with a coworker on the way to the site today.

We agreed the days of anything you want on the door the next day are over, cheap reliable flights anywhere you like are over.

We’re going to have to pay what things cost from now on.

Stumpsprouts · Oct 5, 2022

ghostice said:
Hey all, I've been fiddling with my battery top handle since going for a bit of a ride when my groundman choked off on the porty and sent me for a wobble. The saw didn't appear to hit anything when the tree top went (it was on my belt and I had left stubs to hang onto just in case). But after the ride, the battery had to be forced into contact into the housing a bit more to get the green light. A real pain as I chunked down the spar a bit till we could fell the rest. Back home, cleaned the thing up, blew out saw and battery in the Cave of Wonders and it seemed to work OK. Fine. Yesterday took the thing along to a birch job and again, battery didn't click - click into position. No green light. This AM back again in the Cave of Wonders however I noticed the battery tab on one side of the battery was just a little more in or forwards into the housing than the other. Pulled it out with a screwdriver and added a little graphite powder for lube and now it seems to work again. Will I trust it. Not really. These are BLi 300's so they're heavy but they last. Talked with Walkers Saw Shop in Nanaimo (great folks) and they hadn't heard of this problem. Wonder if anyone else has seen anything like this? (other batteries were with some landscaping gear so I'm going to fiddle around with them today)

Given the incident you describe, sounds like it had some kind of physical damage from the ride. You’re probably the best person to diagnose and fix the problem as long as you follow the logic of it.

Rooted.Tree.Solutions · Oct 5, 2022

ghostice said:
Hey all, I've been fiddling with my battery top handle since going for a bit of a ride when my groundman choked off on the porty and sent me for a wobble. The saw didn't appear to hit anything when the tree top went (it was on my belt and I had left stubs to hang onto just in case). But after the ride, the battery had to be forced into contact into the housing a bit more to get the green light. A real pain as I chunked down the spar a bit till we could fell the rest. Back home, cleaned the thing up, blew out saw and battery in the Cave of Wonders and it seemed to work OK. Fine. Yesterday took the thing along to a birch job and again, battery didn't click - click into position. No green light. This AM back again in the Cave of Wonders however I noticed the battery tab on one side of the battery was just a little more in or forwards into the housing than the other. Pulled it out with a screwdriver and added a little graphite powder for lube and now it seems to work again. Will I trust it. Not really. These are BLi 300's so they're heavy but they last. Talked with Walkers Saw Shop in Nanaimo (great folks) and they hadn't heard of this problem. Wonder if anyone else has seen anything like this? (other batteries were with some landscaping gear so I'm going to fiddle around with them today)

The plastic tabs on the side of the battery are fragile. We just broke one of ours the other day. It still works but we’ve almost dropped it out of the saw twice now. I’m not sure if it’s repairable or not.

Mowerr · Oct 5, 2022

Yes I agree, we have the husky blower and pole saw that has this problem. I think it happend over time from bad tool storage. Sometimes it works then sometimes you gotta take the battery out and put back in to get the green. So if you got battery tools I'd recommend storing them Ina good spot they won't be flying around in the back of a pick up. Or take the battery's out when traveling

evo · Oct 6, 2022

Maybe you can find a old worn out battery and try to swap the plastic cover. I'm nearly certain I saw a photo where someone took one apart.

ghostice · Oct 6, 2022

Mick Dempsey said:
Dunno, but good luck getting another battery, none available in France or UK by all accounts.

Seems you're spot on - dealers have saws - no batteries. One BLi200 on Amazon.ca is listed for $949.00 Can tho - kinda gouging, no? Baileys sez they may have more coming nearer end October, maybe. My batteries' stickers say they are made in Poland - I'll forgive 'em - they have other bigger things on their minds over there . . .
Thanks for the reply's everybody - some comfort in knowing I'm not alone. Meanwhile, back to gas saws . . . and the utopian dreamers total battery/ electric conversion of society takes yet another hit (as common sense seems to be lacking these days).

Vicente · Oct 6, 2022

I haven't had issues with my husqvarna yet, the battery and the way it mounts have never seemed as solid as the setup on my stihl 161t.
I don't think battery saws will be feasible as a full replacement for at least another 5 years, the tech and price point just isn't there, I haven't priced the ap500 batteries for stihls bigger rear handle yet but I'm guessing if your cutting wood you'd have to have 3 or 4 per saw to make it through the day even if you're able to charge as you work.

Bart_ · Oct 6, 2022

Said my dealer "Stihl on backorder, not in yet."

A little soapy damp cloth cleanup of my Dewalt drill helped my battery retention mechanism slide and work better. Rust and dirt dust in my case.

ghostice · Oct 6, 2022

So thought I had it fixed stuff yesterday cuz I got click - click and a green light but, Noooooo, this AM took the 536 LiXP outta it's bag and same thing - stuck battery tabs again, no green light nor happiness. In the spirit of documenting things in this computer age, here's some pictures of the problem child battery:

No working:

Pulled rearwards with a screwdriver and once again Click-clicks Ok but with no trust from me anymore . . . :

This time some teflon oil in there (and prayers) . . . . we'll see.

Addenda 06-Oct-2022 PM : (this is like the Laxdaela Saga in Iceland which goes on at some length) - I found this afternoon in playing with it more that if I pull the clips of side tabs on the battery out to their end stops, insert battery and click-click I get a green light. If I take saw with this battery and shake it from side to side without being a maniac about it - no more green light. Obviosly battery not being held securely. So what's a Canuck supposed to do? No new batteries to buy at inflated prices. Stuff to get done before it gets so cold up here, Polar Bears don't go outside. Got it - five rounds of black electrical tape stretched tight and voila - shake test and still green light!
I should mention that I unscrewed the four tiny screws on the battery and took a look at the two clips and their metal springs - both looked the same and no visible damage to either of them or the plastic slots the fit into. Mystery. I didn't try flattening the metal clips a bit though.

saucerboy · Oct 7, 2022

ghostice said:
So thought I had it fixed stuff yesterday cuz I got click - click and a green light but, Noooooo, this AM took the 536 LiXP outta it's bag and same thing - stuck battery tabs again, no green light nor happiness. In the spirit of documenting things in this computer age, here's some pictures of the problem child battery:

No working:
View attachment 83994

Pulled rearwards with a screwdriver and once again Click-clicks Ok but with no trust from me anymore . . . :
View attachment 83995

This time some teflon oil in there (and prayers) . . . . we'll see.

Addenda 06-Oct-2022 PM : (this is like the Laxdaela Saga in Iceland which goes on at some length) - I found this afternoon in playing with it more that if I pull the clips of side tabs on the battery out to their end stops, insert battery and click-click I get a green light. If I take saw with this battery and shake it from side to side without being a maniac about it - no more green light. Obviosly battery not being held securely. So what's a Canuck supposed to do? No new batteries to buy at inflated prices. Stuff to get done before it gets so cold up here, Polar Bears don't go outside. Got it - five rounds of black electrical tape stretched tight and voila - shake test and still green light!
I should mention that I unscrewed the four tiny screws on the battery and took a look at the two clips and their metal springs - both looked the same and no visible damage to either of them or the plastic slots the fit into. Mystery. I didn't try flattening the metal clips a bit though.

View attachment 84000

I've been using this elastic ski strap since I had dropped my battery in a tree, works great.