Sears has the group 49 battery that fits your XK8:
DieHard Gold: The Right Battery From Sears

If your car sits without being driven for extended periods, get the AGM version of the same battery for a few $ more:
DieHard Gold Size 49 Car Batteries: Enjoy Value and Durability - Sears

Just make sure the technician attaches the vent tube when he installs the battery. Batteries installed in the trunk need to be vented to the outside. This is something non-Jaguar installers often overlook.

 

Hi again. You will get quicker response if you open a new thread with your questions, but I'm not sure if you can do so until you have 10 posts.
You need a battery that is vented to a tube that leads out of the trunk (boot). Sears has good batteries as does Autozone, etc. They will list the correct battery for your car. It's big and not cheap, but it's a Jag, so nothing is cheap.

 

Anyone selling you a battery should have an application chart specifying the correct part number of the brand they are selling. Often the same battery size will come vented and unvented. Be sure that a vented battery is used and that the installer connects the vent tube.

 

Some Low Maintenance and All? AGM Batteries do not use a Vent Tube.

I have the Sears AGM Battery (Highly Recommended) and it does not use a Vent Tube:

DieHard Gold Size 49 Car Batteries: Enjoy Value and Durability - Sears

 

That is strange. I bought the Sears AGM and mine definitely had the vent port...and it is definitely the AGM.

 

What would happen if the battery was unvented? I installed an unvented 1000 CCA unit... so far so good.

 

Batteries give off (potentially explosive) hydrogen gas when charging...not good in a sealed trunk. In reality, significant amounts of gas probably would only result if the voltage regualtor failed.

In addition, fumes could be corrosive to the metal in the trunk.

In reality, the chances of an explosion are small...but the vent was put in for a reason.

 

Yep. Trunk-mounted batteries should always be vented. You're asking for several different categories of trouble if you install a non-vented one....

 

Are you referring to the slots underneath the edges of the top of the Battery? I guess that they are Vents. However you can not attach a tube to them that would lead to the outside of the trunk. They would be vented through these slots but only to the inside of the Trunk.

 

No there actually is a small round hole on each end of the rectangular cap. You connect the vent hose through an adapter that goes in the hole on one side, and a plug for the hole on the other unused side. I can post a pic later.

 

I found the 2 holes that you described. I phoned the Sears Auto Center that I bought the Battery from. They said that they get them on a pallet and without the Vent Kits that you described.

I had a Bentley Continental GT that used 2 AGM Batteries, mounted in the trunk, and there were no vent tubes connected to either of them.

 

Well, I had the vent kit from a previous battery that fit perfectly. It could be that the AGM batteries just use the same case as a standard battery and the holes really do not vent. I can't say for sure.

 

I pushed a Stiff Insulated Wire into the holes and it only went in about 5/8" before hitting something that seemed Solid.

There is a warning on the Battery that says that the Battery should not be mounted in a "Sealed" or "Air Tight" Housing, so some Venting is obviously going to occur.

The Non-AGM Batteries that I looked at at a local Farm & Fleet Store were also made by Johnson Controls and had what appeared to have a Identical Case as the Sears AGM Unit. No vent hole in the center of the Case, didn't examine the ends of the Caps, though.

 

Thanks for the insight! Is there anything I can do to vent a "non-vented" battery? The store will not exchange my battery once it has been installed

 

Days are getting shorter and colder, time to put 'her' to bed for the winter.
Given my battery experience that started this thread, I would appreciate some battery maintenance advice.
I have a Weather Tech 'smart charge' battery charger for lead-acid batteries 2-90Ah....it does not specifically state that it is a 'maintainer''. This unit was attached to the original battery.
Currently, I have it Semi permanently.attached to both poles of the battery with supplied eyelet terminals and clip to easily attach to the 'charger'..
Given most instruction that state that the neg cable be attached to a grounded frame, instead of directly to the neg pole, would this have caused my original problem?
If that might be the case then where does one attach the neg cable ?
Lastly, I prefer to keep the boot closed fully....with the 'charger' inside,
I have a new vented battery with hose channeled thru the hole.
Any reason for caution with this set up ?

 

Connecting the negative lead can result in a spark which can cause a battery to explode. With the battery vented to the outside this unlikely to happen. However it is always best to locate a ground away from the battery terminal. A good spot in the boot is the tie-down bolt for the spare tire.
I have a friend who was lucky to just get a few scrapes on his face and not battery acid in his eyes.

 

Hi all. Have only just joined. I bought my 1999 XK8 last week. A beautiful car.

Anyway, yesterday the drivers door handle broke. Went straight to the dealer and he wanted £351 for a new one. Ordered one off of EBay for £40 - waiting for that. Then in the afternoon all sorts of weird things started happening with the Electrics - Low Brake fluid, Gearbox fault, Low water, ASC (whatever that is) not working. Anyway after turning the key a number of times it started OK. So off to the pub I went, where it still is because same thing happened again.

So having read this I'm off to try and buy a new battery today to see if that cures everything.

Thanks for your posts and will update this later

Len

 

Problems all solved .............. Thanks all

 

Hi Len - glad to see you were able to resolve the issue. Seeing that this is your first post to the forum - recommend visiting our New Member Section to post an intro

New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum