OK, this is getting rediculous.
I’m on the third charger in about 6 months for my Makita 18V lithium ion battery drill, and now it too is failing. Fan is screeching, and then stops turning all together. They have been good about replacing the first two at my local dealer (not big box), but I think I might be starting to wear out my welcome.
Has anyone else had problems with these chargers? Is this a known issue?
Steve
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Replies
doesn't seem normal for Makita. Have you tried shooting WD-40 in all the holes ;^)
I have one. I hope it isn't a lemon.
I have two of those Mak chargers (had one for about 2 years and the other for a year), no problems.
I did have a Bosch charger catch on fire last year though.
I was going to mention another thread here that referenced bad chargers, until I realized it was yours from a few months back.
Couple of people at JLC complaining about the same thing. Loud fan noise and then nada.
I've had mine about a year and no problems at all.
Have you tried the newer quick charger? (the one for both the white and blue LXT batteries) Maybe you can convince your dealer to try that for your fourth?
That's what they replaced the last one with...no luck.Steve
Same deal. I have two chargers, the one I normally keep in the van started screeching, then no more fan. It still charges the battery, but I don't use it, afraid the heat will ruin the battery.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
Its winter time. Charge it outside
I'm sorry to read this.
My Makita charger has had intermittent loud fan noises from day one.
Four months or so now and still running though.
Keeping my fingers crossed.
If your tool dealer is any good, I wouldn't be worried about wearing out your welcome. That's why you shop there, and not the big box store: customer service. They should have their Makita rep involved by now, making it right for you.
"He said "Buck up baby, it's okay. The sunlight on the floor will always fall." ~ Sarah Harmer
I also hate to hear this....I have 2 chargers and so far so good
Is your power okay? You know to never use a inverter or genset to charge?
Maybe the outlet you charge from is faulty...check it with one of those plug in outlet checkers and a multitester (for voltage)
Good luck
Deja vu all over again. BTDT. You are not alone.
Similar problem - fan noises and seemed to take forever to charge - like the light stayed red and stayed and stayed. Put the battery on the backup charger and it charged up OK.
They shipped me a new charger gratis. Got about a year out of that one. However, the first one died in five seconds of getting the first battery put on it. Kerplunk. Flatline. And a Merry Christmas to you.
I would say that their chargers are a tad bit tender and delicate. I noticed that while I have warranties for all the tools in the kit, the charger pamphlet does not seem to mention a guarantee.
The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
yep,
Loud, annoying, whining noises upon initial start up. Keep meaning to take mine in and get a new one. Rep said the problem has been fixed and that I should be able to get a good one for exchange.
Don't know if this is helpful, but there's a charger featured in Tools of the Trade this month, that's a universal model.
http://www.10ctech.com/index.php
Kind of pricey, though you can get models that charge more than one battery at a time. http://www.toolking.com/Search.aspx?keyword=10c
And you'll need an adapter for the LXT batteries.
http://www.toolking.com/10CTechnologies_10CLI01.aspx
But if the Makita charger keeps breaking down, perhaps this is a decent option.
My fan screeches like a louisiana neutria shot with a pelet gun ( a rat like animal), then quites down. Makita should recall the chargers and fix them. These tools were too expensive to have a piece of #### charger.
Made in China, right?
My fan also has been loud. I took mine apart(screws under rubber feet) to look at the fan. You can carefully plug in the battery without the charger cover. No noise. I put it back together, still no noise. Maybe a slight misalignment somewhere.
Gee, my charger makes that really annoying/concerning/WTF noise on occasion as well...Although I really shouldn't complain. The batteries make excellent paperweights when it's cold out, that's a nice feature. I'm glad too, because that's about all they've been good for once the temps started to drop in the fall. I won't even bother with them unless they go from my warm house to my warm truck to a warm jobsite location. My Milwaukee V28 stuff doesn't seem to be as bad, although it will wear down a lot faster if it's chilly. So for now, I leave the Makita set in the basement where it can at least stay warm. I'll get back to using it in the spring when it warms up... assuming I haven't sold it off by then. Not a nice feeling for an expensive setup like that. I'm no more impressed with than my older NiMH stuff from Makita and at twice the price I'm starting to wish I had just gotten another 14.4v impact/drill kit. I must say though, I am impressed with Milwaukee's lithium line, so much so that I've been considering making the switch over. Who knows...
I gotta agree with ya. The Makita LXT batteries just suck in the cold. No two ways about it. I love the tools themselves.... but the cold thing is a killer. Had I known exactly how cruddy they'd perform in the winter, I definitely would have gone a different route. Which route, I'm not sure... but a different one definitely. I'm a framer.... I'm never working in a controlled environment... so in the winter, the tools are virtually useless to me.
And my charger makes that terrible sound too. Bummer.View Image
I was thinking I might try a neoprene beer holder/insulator over my Makita Li batteries in the cold...I think it might fit...wonder if putting a hand warmer in there would work for extreme cold (without overheating the batt.)?
Glad I never bought one.
The larger batteries of the Milwaukee 28v take longer to get cold, both becasue of the larger mass and since they make more heat when in use. Milwaukee 18v Lithium are supposed to have full run times down to -4*F that is better than Makita 18v Li during cold weather.NiCads are best in the cold (and as a plus are inexpensive--though relatively heavy).I use Bosch 18v cordless in the cold (during the MN winter). The Makita 18v stuff has been good for me, but I just use it in warm houses (and I lug it inside at night--no heated garage).Tools that will use both NiCad and Li-ion batteries are attractive for anyone that needs cold performance and wants the light weight and longer run times for warm work. Too bad Makita Li-ion batteries are not "back-compatible" with older NiCad or NiMH tools.Milwaukee, Dewalt and even Ryobi now offer back-compatible stuff in Li-ion (though I hear the Dewalt new batteries work on old tools, but the fit is off a bit).
My charger makes a horrible sound as well, but I don't use my drill on a daily basis.
Maybe it's about to die. !