E150 Electric storage

[jwax]

New-to-me Craftsman E150 Riding Mower is getting stowed for winter. Any advice on battery maintenance over winter? It's a Li-Ion battery, so is it best to leave it on the charger, or just periodically charge it during freezing temperatures?

 

[Cusser]

Owner's manual

 

[slomo]

Li batteries don't like being continuously charged. I would say top it off if you are done mowing for the season. Take it inside your crib for the winter. Top it off in the spring. Mow as normal.

 

[jwax]

Removing the battery involves disassembling the rear of the mower and seat. Terrible design.
And, upon startup this spring, it ran for 10 minutes, and now the charger flashes a, "E004" error code. Mower does not start. Searching for answers.

 

[GrumpyCat]

Removing the battery involves disassembling the rear of the mower and seat. Terrible design.
And, upon startup this spring, it ran for 10 minutes, and now the charger flashes a, "E004" error code. Mower does not start. Searching for answers.

It would seem your battery went bad during the winter, Lithium batteries do not like to be frozen.

 

[jwax]

Thanks for the reply, and I thought the same until I measured the battery- it's 54.5 volts. That is in range of the charger to complete the charge cycle, and run the mower. The mower doesn't make a sound when switched ON, usually a relay clicks closed. Testing the mower during the winter and it ran fine.

 

[GrumpyCat]

Voltage under load is the critical parameter. Voltage-no-load is a good starting point but is not a complete answer.

 

[jwax]

Thanks Grumpy, but when I turn the mower on, it draws .055 Amp, but will do nothing more. Usually a contactor goes clack, but I get nothing. Dosen't look like a battery problem, it's a problem detected by the CANBUS system. Anybody know how to troubleshoot that?

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

Thanks Grumpy, but when I turn the mower on, it draws .055 Amp, but will do nothing more. Usually a contactor goes clack, but I get nothing. Dosen't look like a battery problem, it's a problem detected by the CANBUS system. Anybody know how to troubleshoot that?

Trying to find a shop that will work on a battery Craftsman mower will not be easy. When people buy off brand battery equipment, this is one of many problems.

 

[jwax]

"off brand battery equipment"? MTD? Samsung? Don't believe these are off brands. What seems to be missing is distributors that are uneducated/uninterested in the ways of battery equipment and their maintenance.