# Dakota lithium battery



## Fishshoot (Oct 26, 2017)

I had a lithium battery with my f70. Relion brand. The f70 didn’t like the voltage spikes and kept shutting off. Even voltage is very important for f70, spikes will cause the motor to shut down.


----------



## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

Appreciate the heads up on the engines qurkes.


----------



## CKEAT (Aug 26, 2015)

So there are no lithium cranking batteries that will work with f70?


----------



## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Li batteries are very very different depending on the brand and the chemistry being utilized. its not just as simple as saying Li batteries. In all the research I did I was down to either using Li Pros or not going with Li. They use Lithium Iron Phosphate which is the best chemistry IMO (ex chemical engineer).

So look closely at the battery chemistry when making a decision. And the company itself. There are a bunch of "companies" coming out with Li batteries. Just do your due diligence.


----------



## CKEAT (Aug 26, 2015)

I have been speaking with the fella at stealth 1 charging systems and he seems to think they are a no issues with a lithium pro on the F70. I will ask him about these voltage spikes.


----------



## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

CKEAT said:


> I have been speaking with the fella at stealth 1 charging systems and he seems to think they are a no issues with a lithium pro on the F70. I will ask him about these voltage spikes.


Please elaborate as i am looking for battery...


----------



## CKEAT (Aug 26, 2015)

I would recommend calling Danny at stealth 1 charging systems. He can help you. Great charging systems too. DC and AC units


----------



## Tautog166 (Jul 7, 2018)

Also find out if your alternator will work with any lithium battery you’re thinking of.


----------



## Gmullek (Mar 18, 2019)

Fishshoot said:


> I had a lithium battery with my f70. Relion brand. The f70 didn’t like the voltage spikes and kept shutting off. Even voltage is very important for f70, spikes will cause the motor to shut down.


Just curious, which model battery from Relion. I've been researching what to use on my new skiff that will have the F70 and considered Relion. I'll probably stick with either flooded lead or possibly AGM for now but haven't ruled out lithium.


----------



## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

Need to change to agm battery as lithium seems out d question.


----------



## [email protected] (Feb 19, 2014)

Relion https://www.batterystore.com/marine-batteries/


----------



## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

Word of caution. Read your owner’s manual for your outboard. Suzuki is very clear that using a lithium start battery will void your warranty. I don’t know about Yamaha but it is worth checking.


----------



## tjtfishon (Feb 9, 2016)

jay.bush1434 said:


> Word of caution. Read your owner’s manual for your outboard. Suzuki is very clear that using a lithium start battery will void your warranty. I don’t know about Yamaha but it is worth checking.


Do you have a reference to the exact language here? For Suzuki to state as you do that "using a lithium start battery will void your warranty" would actually put them in a position to pretty clearly violate a federal law. I'm not disputing they might have some kind of lithium battery warning language, but I find it highly unlikely that it is as strong as what you posted.


----------



## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

I'd like to see that. I haven't looked at my manual that closely but I did call Suzuki when my Evo was getting built and I was still considering Li Batteries and they told me they did not void the warranty.


----------



## Bonesonthebrain (Jan 2, 2020)

All my Suzuki manual says is that they do not recommend sealed, agm or gel batteries, guess they only recommend flooded batteries to ensure the charging system will work correctly.

But do not see how any federal law would be violated if they did void the warranty for Li, most Li batteries I have looked at require a dedicated charger.


----------



## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

ifsteve said:


> I'd like to see that. I haven't looked at my manual that closely but I did call Suzuki when my Evo was getting built and I was still considering Li Batteries and they told me they did not void the warranty.


I called Suzuki customer service and asked point blank. He said it was a very common question. I think his words were, if there is a problem and it is determined you had a lithium battery, it would void your warranty and not be covered. 
I’ll look it up in my manual when. I get home in a couple hours.


----------



## tjtfishon (Feb 9, 2016)

Bonesonthebrain said:


> All my Suzuki manual says is that they do not recommend sealed, agm or gel batteries, guess they only recommend flooded batteries to ensure the charging system will work correctly.
> 
> But do not see how any federal law would be violated if they did void the warranty for Li, most Li batteries I have looked at require a dedicated charger.


I work with OEM warranties as a primary function of my job as a distinct manager for Subaru. There are a lot of inaccurate statements made like this by dealers and even customer service reps which are often contracted/outsourced for many companies. 

There is almost no way a warranty can be made “void” short of a total loss. There may be a way but it’s not something I have ever come across or can even guess. What is possible is that a warranty claim can be denied if something outside the normal or recommended operation is PROVEN to be the cause of the failure. For instance if something failed in the electrical system of the outboard failed and they determined the cause to be a battery that was not specified for the motor was the cause, that particular claim could be denied. The burden of proof would be on Suzuki to show that was the cause and no future claims for this or any other components covered by the warranty would be affected. 

The federal law is the Magnusson Moss Warranty Act which is the same law that says you don’t have to take it to a dealer for scheduled maintenance to maintain your warranty...also a commonly misunderstood issue.


----------



## tjtfishon (Feb 9, 2016)

jay.bush1434 said:


> I called Suzuki customer service and asked point blank. He said it was a very common question. I think his words were, if there is a problem and it is determined you had a lithium battery, it would void your warranty and not be covered.
> I’ll look it up in my manual when. I get home in a couple hours.


Void is an inaccurate description of the enforcement. A claim may be denied but the warranty is not void.


----------



## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

Bonesonthebrain said:


> All my Suzuki manual says is that they do not recommend sealed, agm or gel batteries, guess they only recommend flooded batteries to ensure the charging system will work correctly.
> 
> But do not see how any federal law would be violated if they did void the warranty for Li, most Li batteries I have looked at require a dedicated charger.


So my manual (2014) says the same as Bones' manual, "the use of maintenance free, sealed, or gel cell batteries is not recommended because they may not be compatible with Suzuki's charging system." I also looked up the latest edition of the manual for the DF60a, which is the motor going on the new boat, and it says the exact same thing. I guess the CS rep gave me some fake news. Thanks guys for helping me dig out the truth. I guess I'm back to looking at LiFePO starting batteries.


----------

