The battery needs to be replaced in my 2007 xk convertible. The old battery leaked all over the battery tray and the sheet metal underneath it, and there is significant corrosion. I would like to remove the tray so I can do a complete clean-up job. It seems to be riveted in place. Is that the case? Should I just leave the tray in place and clean up the best I can?

 

Yeah, mine was the same way. Lots of baking soda and water. There's a plug under the spare tire that once popped out will allow it to drain.

 

^^^^ +1 - then follow it up with a rubberized paint or something like Plastidip to prevent further corrosion.

 

Thanks to Ranchero50 and Sean W. I have some plasticote stuff and brushed it all over the battery tray area after I cleaned up the corrosion the best I could. I hope the new battery won't repeat this problem.

 

Make sure that your new battery is properly vented to the outside. Otherwise, the hydrogen gas that occurs during charging will produce corrosive vapor in your battery compartment and damage your car. And possibly explode.

 

Stuart, thanks for the tip about venting. The vent hose was attached when I removed the old battery, but I'll check and make sure the hose isn't kinked or plugged. Now I'm wondering if that had anything to do with the extensive corrosion on and around the battery tray.

 

The PO's of my poor car kept the rear panel off and a 15 amp charger hooked up all the time versus just replace the battery... Looked like old soda had been poured across the top from it overflowing when overcharged.

With the new battery and occasional topping off with a tender the battery stays new looking. I sprayed LPS3 on the corroded bits to keep them from getting worse.

 

This reason alone makes AGM battery the only sensible solution for the XK.

 

Thanks to all for the insights and histories. I got a new battery at a pretty decent price ($130) but it was coated with dust and looked like it had been sitting for a long time. It has a label on it which could be the date code (31/16) from the manufacturer in Germany. I hope that doesn't mean it was made during the 31st week on 2016. But if it doesn't hold up, at least is has a 36 month full replacement warranty. I guess I'd be willing to go thru the hassle of replacing it again if it failed within that time. I will maintain it as necessary, with an onboard Schumacher 1.5 amp charger.