Dakota Lithium Battery issues
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,036
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Dakota Lithium Battery issues
I just put in a Dakota Lithium starter battery to replace my dead battery. It starts the engine great and saves almost 20lb, but I'm having issues with my headlights, blower motor, and headunit power cycling every couple minutes. With the engine off but key in the run position, I'm getting a steady 12.9v on the digital gauge, and everything seems stable. With the engine running, it seems to constantly cycle from high 12v up to mid 14v, which is when I get the radio and stuff blinks off for a second, and the voltage swings back down. I've contacted the manufacturer, but figured I'd hit you guys up for ideas as well. .
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2013
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Moderator, Tech Contributor
Joined: Sep 2013
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From: Cape Coral, Florida
DVOM is Digital Volt Ohmeter….you can check voltage, current and resistance (ohms)….Can you check VOLTAGE at the alternator B+ (thick red wire) ??…see what the voltage is there with the car running with a load on the engine…headlights on, blower on…if your voltage is good at the alternator but low at the battery you have a connection issue either at the battery or where the alternator B+ and the positive lead of the battery connect at the starter solenoid…can also be an issue on the ground side of the charging system…you can compare the voltage AT the battery to the alternator voltage…they should be close to each other.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,036
Likes: 119
DVOM is Digital Volt Ohmeter….you can check voltage, current and resistance (ohms)….Can you check VOLTAGE at the alternator B+ (thick red wire) ??…see what the voltage is there with the car running with a load on the engine…headlights on, blower on…if your voltage is good at the alternator but low at the battery you have a connection issue either at the battery or where the alternator B+ and the positive lead of the battery connect at the starter solenoid…can also be an issue on the ground side of the charging system…you can compare the voltage AT the battery to the alternator voltage…they should be close to each other.
Moderator, Tech Contributor
Joined: Sep 2013
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From: Cape Coral, Florida
Voltage should not go down to 12.5…a fully charged battery is 12.66…it may be that battery….never saw anyone on here use a lithium battery in their car so who knows ??
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2013
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It's supposed to be a straight drop-in, but I don't know. For what it's worth, I also put in a hyper flash module for LED turn signal bulbs at the same time. Now that I'm having issues, I'm kicking myself for changing 2 things at once. I wonder if I could jam my wife's car battery in the my battery tray to test it with a normal battery. It would be slightly easier than digging into my dash again.
Moderator, Tech Contributor
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 15,610
Likes: 4,061
From: Cape Coral, Florida
It's supposed to be a straight drop-in, but I don't know. For what it's worth, I also put in a hyper flash module for LED turn signal bulbs at the same time. Now that I'm having issues, I'm kicking myself for changing 2 things at once. I wonder if I could jam my wife's car battery in the my battery tray to test it with a normal battery. It would be slightly easier than digging into my dash again.
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Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2013
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Yeah, I'm going to do that tomorrow. The more I'm reading, the more it's sounding like the voltage regulator took a crap though. I killed the starter a few months ago, now the battery and possibly the alternator took each other out. Man I love driving old cars. lol
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,036
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What brand did you end up going with? Alternators cost a good bit more than I was expecting for a new non-remanned unit. I usually like to put in upgraded components when stuff wears out, but looks like Powermaster is kind of the only option, and it get pretty horrible reviews on Jegs.
Racer
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 469
Likes: 162
From: Port Birmingham AL
TRANSPO M520
https://www.ebay.com/itm/181869809493
ALTERNATOR VOLTAGE REGULATOR Pontiac Montana 3.4L 2002 - 2005 2542499
Replaces: Valeo 2542499
Specs
12 Volt, B-Circuit, S-F-L Terminals, 14.6 Vset
Valeo IR/IF Alternators
My stock alternator had a Valeo 2542499 regulator.
Larry
https://www.ebay.com/itm/181869809493
ALTERNATOR VOLTAGE REGULATOR Pontiac Montana 3.4L 2002 - 2005 2542499
Replaces: Valeo 2542499
Specs
12 Volt, B-Circuit, S-F-L Terminals, 14.6 Vset
Valeo IR/IF Alternators
My stock alternator had a Valeo 2542499 regulator.
Larry
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,036
Likes: 119
TRANSPO M520
https://www.ebay.com/itm/181869809493
ALTERNATOR VOLTAGE REGULATOR Pontiac Montana 3.4L 2002 - 2005 2542499
Replaces: Valeo 2542499
Specs
12 Volt, B-Circuit, S-F-L Terminals, 14.6 Vset
Valeo IR/IF Alternators
My stock alternator had a Valeo 2542499 regulator.
Larry
https://www.ebay.com/itm/181869809493
ALTERNATOR VOLTAGE REGULATOR Pontiac Montana 3.4L 2002 - 2005 2542499
Replaces: Valeo 2542499
Specs
12 Volt, B-Circuit, S-F-L Terminals, 14.6 Vset
Valeo IR/IF Alternators
My stock alternator had a Valeo 2542499 regulator.
Larry
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,036
Likes: 119
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,036
Likes: 119
Unfortunately the car seemed to behave normally with a regular battery installed, and returned right back to its unstable behavior with the lithium battery installed. Voltage at the battery and at the alternator didn't seem nearly as unstable as my dash gauge would suggest. It read around 13.8-14.2.
Moderator, Tech Contributor
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 15,610
Likes: 4,061
From: Cape Coral, Florida
Unfortunately the car seemed to behave normally with a regular battery installed, and returned right back to its unstable behavior with the lithium battery installed. Voltage at the battery and at the alternator didn't seem nearly as unstable as my dash gauge would suggest. It read around 13.8-14.2.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,036
Likes: 119
This battery has brass screw in posts. I was working on snugging up connections, because I actually accidentally loosened one of the posts while checking if the post to cable connection was snug. I over tightened the damned thing and snapped it off flush with the battery. Nothing a bolt extractor couldn't fix, but it sure felt sketchy drilling into 13lb of lithium battery. Of course it's not the thread size one can get at autozone, so now I'm sunk for today.
Pro
Joined: Jun 2022
Posts: 691
Likes: 317
From: NW OH
check the voltage drop on b+ and ground going from the alternator to the battery terminals. Most of these lithium batteries turn on and off with built in electronics so they don't over charge or over discharge and if you have bad connection that will add to the mayhem.