Hello,
I noticed (with some shock) that my 2005 XJR battery is not held in place securely.
Only gravity keeps it in its place, aided by a few pieces of foam which tucks it in left-right, but it is free to slide forwards-rearwards in that holder.
I also notice on the pictures now that the battery holder is cracked where it attaches to the car body.

I cannot see any sign of a brace or bracket or belt that is supposed to lock down the battery in place.
Can someone please share how this is supposed to work? I must be missing a part, but I cannot see where a bracket of some sort must attach.

Thanks!

 

Hi Leon,
You are missing the battery tie-down strap, which is a shaped rod with an eye at each end.
Here is the listing from the JLR classic parts

#4 is the battery clamp

Here is a pic of how it looks in my car.


Battery clamp
The problem I had when I needed to change my battery was that the previous owner had cross-threaded the upper bolt, and it was spinning the insert in the body. I got there in the end, but it was all Vise-Grips to the rescue.
If there are some salvage yards near you, try them. At a pinch you could bend up something out of some steel rod and wrap it with heat-shrink tubing.
Regards,
Pete M

 

Several parts it seems.

I cannot view your fotos.. not Pete's.. but having had my 2005 XJ8-L tray & c. clear apart and out to clean under the tray several months ago, the OEM is VERY well secured. Try this:

eBay battery tray for Jaguar X350

Should get plenty of fotos as well as prices, US$ $25 and up. CAVEAT: not all have the top brace nor the securing bits and pieces, of which...

The most critical are two wedges that fit alongside the base of the battery, one vertical bolt each, black Poly, metal insert, no resemblance to 'foam'. If you are fortunate, they are still with the vehicle.... "somewhere..".

They can be a bit fiddly to get aligned and the bolt started, might have been tossed in the well out of a fit of impatience. DAMHIKT... ah well.. may as well 'fess up:

I was about to bin the whole annoying shebang in favour of a Marine/RV generic 'perch' with an ignorant fabric ratchet-strap hold-down.

 

You do not only need the bracket, but also item no. 8 in the JLR listing posted above.

Best regards,

Thomas

 

Mine doesn't have #4, but #8 is there, and nearly impossible to remove. It tightens down to retain the battery, but undoing it, it will not come out unless I get some kind of tool in that tiny tiny gap to pry up on it while turning the bolt back with a power driver. Took me almost an hour to change my battery a couple of weeks ago!

 

Several shapes of seriously strong magnets are billeted here. Slap one on the side of the wrench or extension shaft, and 'voila!' the wrench tip is - at least temporarily - strongly magnetic.

Yah.. I have the grabbers & such of several types as well. This one usually works fastest and with the least-hassle. "Magnetism" doesn't - yet - even need retraining after a lunch break or **** call.