The problem isn't with the batteries themselves, but with the connectors on the CU boards.
My i2 was sold to me throwing an E042 error no matter what batteries were put on the machine, new, swapped, or whatever. After performing this 'trick' on the batteries and using them to burnish the connectors on the CU boards, the i2 has performed flawlessly for the last 300 miles.
My X2 was sold to me having 'bad batteries'. The battery level meter would jump from 'full' to near 'empty' very quickly. Again, after performing this 'fix', that machine has also worked perfectly.
My i167 was throwing the red display + wrench like the OP. After again doing the 'fix', the machine started right up and worked fine. It does have a weak battery, but no more wrench icon on the display.
-i
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