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I know it's an old thread but still useful. The question I have is: does the black cross brace between the wheel wells and directly across the bottom clamp need to be removed to pull the battery?
Originally Posted by Wullie Duff
Also, I don't see that black bar in your photo. Does it need to be removed?
Just replaced my 2012 XK battery, definitely a lead acid in my car. I pulled it out before getting the new one to verify. $122 from SamsClub for a Duralast.
Straightforward removal and replacement although a pain to work deep in the trunk. For the black bar you guys reference I didn't remove, but I have ratchet wrenches which made it a cinch to pull off the front battery retainer. Didn't have a deep well 10mm for the side retainer so my adjustable angle ratchet wrench was good for those also!
In another thread a guy recommended using a board over the spare tire to slide the battery in/out, I put a couple of 2x4's down for that purpose which was a very nice suggestion. Thanks to the OP for putting this together especially the window reset procedure.
I just bought a DuraCell AGM from Battery+ Bulbs. I asked the sales person if the unused vent on the other side needed to be plugged. He said No. Moreover, he said the neither hole went anywhere. There were there just to have a place to plug the vent tube into. The AGM batteries are sealed and therefore there's nothing to vent.
You got really bad advice! Yes, AGM batteries are sealed, but they include a pressure relief valve to expel excessive hydrogen gas. If you don't install the OEM vent tube into your new AGM battery you are risking an explosion of hydrogen gas in the battery compartment! All batteries produce hydrogen gas while being charged, but AGM batteries charge slowly and can absorb that gas internally except if they're being overcharged. All X150 models were designed with an alternator to charge the OEM conventional lead-acid flooded/wet cell battery. The OEM alternator has a higher rate of charge than an AGM alternator. Why risk blowing up your car? Install the vent tube. Don't let this happen to you!
There are many online sites where the question of automotive AGM (VRLA) battery venting is discussed. For example, from AGM Batteries - Batteries by Fisher:
"VRLA batteries attempt to avoid all of these problems by immobilizing the electrolyte. In doing so, the hydrogen is trapped near the plates, and is available for re-combining when the battery is re-charged. This dramatically reduces the water loss during repeated charge/discharge cycles, and generally makes them “maintenance free”. It also reduces the amount of hydrogen build-up to the point that no venting is required, and the batteries can be completely sealed, which in turn allows them to be used in any orientation without fear of spilling."
I think you missed my point. The X150 alternator is not designed for AGM and can overcharge an AGM battery, thereby producing excessive hydrogen gas. AGM batteries are not really completely sealed because of this possibility, and have a pressure relief valve to vent that hydrogen gas.
The statement you quoted is accurate when the AGM battery is used with a compatible alternator and battery maintainer.
Stuart
P.S. Real or fake, that video clip got your attention!
Last edited by Stuart S; 10-21-2019 at 02:29 PM.
Reason: Added P.S.
I'm covered either way since I plugged it in just so it wasn't flopping around. However, the hole doesn't go anywhere, at least as far as I could determine with a paperclip.
Really don't know what constitutes "extreme conditions" in this context.
Regarding the video, I think the XK owner left his cell phone in the boot :-)
Reviving an old thread... just got vaccinated and waited for 15 minutes with XK off at site. Went to start car... barely caught on 2nd try. As I drove home, screen and gauges went crazy, can't apply parking brake message etc. Barely made it home. Old battery was an Exide 49C purchased on June 3, 2017. Car was on a CTEK Multi US 3300 whenever not being driven. Picture below shows come crud on a few of the cell covers.... never tried adding water to the battery. Honestly, I never felt confident with the old battery... always worried about parking the car when away from the charger. Picking up this AGM in a bit... hopefully it lasts longer than under 4 years.
The battery companies concede that they suck and lowered the warranty to match.
It is a bit irritating that my car came with a flooded battery and Jaguar buried it in a place that you can't easily check the water level in the cell compartments. I should have gone with an AGM on my last replacement now that I think about it...
Picking up this AGM in a bit... hopefully it lasts longer than under 4 years.
That's the same one I picked up a month ago. It's been working well so far, but I do keep it connected to the CTEK. One thing to note is that it's very heavy and took me a while to put in. I found it easiest to place a cardboard box in front of the battery housing so that you can just put the battery on the box and slide it in. This also helps keep the wires out of the way. Hopefully it'll be a quicker job for you than it was for me.
I am laughing at your post as I type this... that battery weighs about 60 lbs, and you can only get one hand on the handle. I cursed out loud quite a few times trying to get it in... but mission accomplished. Those 10mm bolts on the front of the hold-down are quite hard to get tight, and of course, I forgot to put the cable holders on the posts, and had to take them off and on again. As soon as I started the car, I could hear the difference in the cranking power... I think I was short one or two cells on the old battery for a few years.
I am laughing at your post as I type this... that battery weighs about 60 lbs, and you can only get one hand on the handle. I cursed out loud quite a few times trying to get it in... but mission accomplished. Those 10mm bolts on the front of the hold-down are quite hard to get tight, and of course, I forgot to put the cable holders on the posts, and had to take them off and on again. As soon as I started the car, I could hear the difference in the cranking power... I think I was short one or two cells on the old battery for a few years.
You guys should have read the thread, the easy way was suggested in another thread and mentioned here, just put down some 2x4's front to back over the spare tire (or anything flat) and slide the battery into the spot. Easier than wrestling it at a bad angle.
Originally Posted by SeanU
One more question... there appear to be vent holes on both sides of the battery... should I block off the unused vent?
Absolutely!!! The battery should have come with a vent connector for the tube and a stopper that goes into the other unused vent. You don't want hydrogen accumulating in your trunk, you want it all to route via the hose to the outside.
You guys should have read the thread, the easy way was suggested in another thread and mentioned here, just put down some 2x4's front to back over the spare tire (or anything flat) and slide the battery into the spot. Easier than wrestling it at a bad angle.
.
WRONG!
The easiest way is to let someone else do it!
Bought my AGM at Pep Boys, installed for free!
WRONG!
The easiest way is to let someone else do it!
Bought my AGM at Pep Boys, installed for free!
Agreed! I bought a Bosch AGM battery for my 2013 XJ from Pep Boys in 2019 for $175.99 installed, and have had no problems. But I keep it on my CTEK MUS4.3 battery maintainer, as I'm retired and don't drive every day.
Just because a battery is brand new doesn't mean that it's fully charged. That was the case with my new Bosch, and my CTEK fixed that. For details, see: Bosch AGM Battery from Pep Boys
The only question is whether Pep Boys, or any other retailer, will install an AGM battery if their computer system shows only flooded batteries as correct replacements. AFIK, all X150 models were fitted with conventional, wet cell batteries from the factory. Just because kj07xk's Pep Boys store installed an AGM battery in his car doesn't mean that all battery retailers will do it.
I just bought a DuraCell AGM from Battery+ Bulbs. I asked the sales person if the unused vent on the other side needed to be plugged. He said No. Moreover, he said the neither hole went anywhere. There were there just to have a place to plug the vent tube into. The AGM batteries are sealed and therefore there's nothing to vent.
That's bad advice from the salesperson! Why do you think every battery manufacturer includes vent holes in their AGM batteries? Because every battery, regardless of type (flooded, sealed lead-acid, absorbed glass mat), produces hydrogen gas (KABOOM!) when it is being charged. Although hydrogen gas usually is completely absorbed by the mat in AGM batteries during normal charging and discharge, excessive gas from overcharging doesn't get absorbed and escapes out the vent. Without venting, the battery case will expand and possibly explode, with catastrophic results.
Sure, the likelihood of this happening is small, but why risk it when it's so easy to attach the vent tube and plug the vent on the other side? Remember that if your car didn't come from the factory with an AGM battery, the charging profile might not be suitable for AGM.
My Interstate battery had it's 10year anniversary this month (still tested good!) . So I gave my XK a birthday present and went to WalMart and had them install a Maxx H8;
900 cca's, 3 year warranty and free install $129. Was able to supervise the install too.
We have 2 WallMarts close by, so very easy..................My wife's XK8 still has a similar Maxx H8........... I do use Ctek's for both Jags.
WalMart doesn't list the XK, so called it a S type!!
I put an AGM battery in my F150.... and have had Dead and Dying problems ever since. Four different AGM batteries, cuz Free Replacement. The Electrical Genius who tried to find the fault with my truck said there wasn't any fault he could find, but maybe F150 hates AGM.
The AGM in the XKR works wonderfully well.
Quick update on the Duralast agm. Battery has been much more confidence inspiring than the battery I replaced. I really think the old battery was borderline defective from the day I got it. The new battery gives a noticeably stronger startup, and I will probably take the car off the Ctek for the rest of the year and see how it holds up. I drive the car mostly on the weekends, but it gets a good run when I take it out. As for the vent hole... I plugged up the unused hole just to be safe. My understanding is that they are more like "blow off" valves than vents on agm batteries as a safety if the pressure gets to high internally.
10-20-2019, 07:59 PM
