Hello to all.....new to this, and imagine that battery venting has been done to death, but hope this may be useful to someone. When I took possession of mine last Fall, a new AC-Delco battery had been installed the previous day. The vent tube was, of course, on the boot floor. This battery had an issue, was replaced under the quite decent AC warranty program. (hence the bit steep price, I suppose). Neither battery came with any vent hardware. This particular one has a vent hole on each side. Was rather entertaining to contact AC-Delco via every possible e-mail, social media, listed phone number, trying to find out venting information. Absolutely no one that I came in contact with had any idea what I might do. Interesting. Was not too hard to accomplish, took a bit of digging to find the proper bits....numbers may be of use to someone in a like situation.
Dorman makes several venting kits...this one contains (one) elbow, a length of hose, plus a couple of grommets that will make a fine addition to your "...now, where did I put that ?" collection"



You will need (two) of these kits. Also will need to locate a 3/16 "T" fitting at your local parts emporium.

Cut hose to length, and attach to the fittings before pressing fittings into the vent openings. (less chance of that "snap" sound 8-). They fit rather nicely.



If you wish, secure the hose to the back of the battery to keep if from flopping about too much. The supplied hose is a good fit in the hole in the original vent grommet.



Installed today, the Jag was fired up for the first time since last November. No horrid noises, and ran rather nicely, even with the at-least-a-year-old "gasoline". I did have to smile. Let the games begin !

 

Why not just pick up a sealed AGM battery?

 

I use a sealed battery so no vent required. The problem with vents is they can cause rust.

 

I have a lion battery from eurocarparts and there is no way you can fit a breather on it its totally sealed and non serviceable, I don't know how it breaths or does it needs to?

 

"Why not just pick up a sealed AGM battery?"
I am not a big fan of glass-mat batteries in this application. They are great, if used in a regularly-driven vehicle, and are less sensitive to vibration. However, they are more sensitive to over-charging. I think this is Not A Good Thing for an older Jag, for several reasons: Because the vehicle may often sit unused for periods of time, while other bits are being attended to, the battery will lose charge, as we often do not take the time to disconnect it while we are busy with those other bits. When we are ready to give it another go, we clamp the charger on it, or jump-start it. AGM batteries like to be charged low and slow. Although they are sealed to prevent spills, fast charging will produce hydrogen gas, and these batteries will vent this gas when they reach somewhere around 2-3 psi of internal pressure. Also, older charging systems are not as sophisticated as are current, and will not recognize that an AGM battery is installed, and may charge at a fixed float voltage setting of aound14.40V (2.40V/cell). This can overcharge the batt, especially on a long drive, with the resulting hydrogen production.

Not sure about the batteries from Euro Car Parts, other than they will be venting a gas from somewhere.....need to control that, or do not seal it up in the boot.

As to vents and rust.....the vent hose needs to end outside the vehicle, and be long enough for the open end to be in the air flow to dissipate the gas. If so, there is no problem.

Besides, the AC-Delco: Was new. Came with the vehicle. Venting it cost me less than $10 USD. And I think I will find some other place that I will need to spend $200+. 8-))

 

I have worked with SLA/VRLA batteries for quite a few years now both in Military equipment and now in oldie mobiles, while AGM batteries and any other battery for that matter can be damaged by to high a charging voltage my experience with AGM is that they are extremely tolerant. I have seen recommended bulk charging voltages listed on the WEB between 14.4 and 14.8volts for AGM and I can tell you from experience 14.8volts for AGM is fine

GEL I would not touch and never recommend to customers even though we charge a lot more for them.

AGM batteries are generally not sealed they are Valve Regulated VRLA and will vent when the pressure in the battery is above a few psi.

The problem with corrosion in a vented battery is that the vent pipe under the car is easily blocked and then the battery can vent into the boot.

My recommendation would be to use a sealed calcium battery, this is what I use. Bulk charging voltage is 14.7volts. Been in my car now for 5 years and still going even after a major discharge due to a faulty alternator.

 

Is another of those topics that is infinitely faceted, can go on forever. Just need folks to remember that [I]any[I] lead acid battery, "sealed" or not, can produce the Hindenburg Killer......be appropriately careful.

 

Hydrogen!!!!


In my lengthy but techicaly limited experience with batteries, I have gleaned that a slow charge is best for all.


A few years ago, I sold my "dumb" charger and bought a "smart" charger. Same brand. Schumacher. The latter has charge options.
And the Schumacher tech was helpful in explaining the "dumb" vs 'smart'
options.


Carl