I have what appears to be water drain on left side of battery. It's stuffed with crud. Is it water drain and how do I clean out? Garden hose?


Also I have clear hose with black elbow running left to right under Vin number toward battery. It's disconnect. What is it ;where does it get connected

Thanks for any help!

 

You might be talking about the battery vent hose. This should be connected and clean otherwise you'll get battery acid in your trunk.

 

You think clear hose with black elbow is for battery acid?

Or do you think black rubber hole in bottom left of battery compartment is for battery acid or maybe just water. I guess I'll fill it with water and see where it goes .

Thanks

 

No what I mean is you need to have your battery vented or else the battery can explode and get acid in your trunk...

 

Thanks . Do you know exactly how battery is to be vented.

 

The drain thing you ould just pick out with your fingers then there would be no need to rinse, it drains into the area of your fuel tank and out the bottom of the car.

The hose with the rubber elbow you are talking about is the factory battery vent hose that would normally hook up to the battery, many of the newer batteries are semi maintainence free so they do not have that connection on them.

The reason most batteries explode like the one in wross's picture is from a process called treeing. The battery acid get to low in a battery and it does not charge or work right. The a spark inside the battery from an internal short ignites the gas within the battery... KABOOM!

That is why if you have a battery that requires some maintenance you should make sure it is topped up several times a year.

There was a post on this before and here is a link and here is what I copied and pasted for them.
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...art-car-4.html

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Note, you can tell your friends that a tree made your battery explode.
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The most probable cause of internal battery explosions are from a combination of low electrolyte levels below the plates in the battery, a low resistance bridge is formed between or across the top of the plates, and a build up of hydrogen gas in the cell. The low resistive bridge is called "treeing" between the positive and negative plates. When current flows in the battery, a spark can occur and ignite the residual gas in one or more of the cells. A second possible cause is a manufacturing defect in the weld of one of the plate connecting straps causing a spark igniting the residual gas. Another source of internal battery explosions is caused from a direct electrical short across the battery's terminals. The battery rapidly over heats form the high current and can explode. The largest number of internal battery explosions occur in hot climates due to the loss of water in wet "maintenance free" and low maintenance starting batteries. Most internal battery explosions could have been prevented if the plates were always covered with electrolyte. Please see Section 3 for more information on preventive maintenance

14.5. Do wet "Maintenance Free" (Ca/Ca) batteries require maintenance?
All lead-acid batteries require some preventive maintenance, some types more than others. The term "Maintenance Free" generally refers to a wet, sealed lead-acid car and deep cycle batteries with calcium added to the positive and negative plates. (Please see Section 7.1.3 for more information on these types of batteries.) In hot climates, the water is lost due to evaporation caused by high underhood temperatures and normal charging. Water can also be lost due to excessive charging voltage or charging currents. Using non-sealed wet Low Maintenance (Sb/Ca) batteries (with filler caps) is encouraged in hot climates so distilled water can be added when this occurs. (Please see Section 3. for other preventive maintenance procedures that should be performed on lead-acid batteries.)

 

thanks everyone. I blew out drain hole with hose and it seems clear. Battery is sealed and requires no venting or maintaince, but I'll call Interestate tomorrow to see that there are no recalls or problems.

 

AFAIK even sealed lead acid batteries need to have some sort of vent (either a spring controlled valve or pressure released vent plugs) as they produce gas when charged. Which Interstate battery are you using? Mine requires a vent tube.

 

yes, I called Interstate today and they said it does need to be vented. Vent outlet was hidden under label, that I had to peel off, to expose.
THey will send me adaptor kit to go from oval vent on battery to tiny round clear hose from car.

Still not making much sense since battery vents harmless hydrogen into same compartment that contains cabin air filter and through which water passes as it rolls down windshield??? It seems very open to outside so why vent unless to keep a tiny bit of hydrogen away from cabin air filter? At this point am I going to guess that the tiny vent line is open and so won't cause accumulation of gases in battery if clogged?

 

Harmless hydrogen... sure if nothing goes wrong. If so, kaboom! Believe me they wouldn't have designed a vent system for the battery if there wasn't a reason, even if its a remote possibility, especially in a car the the gas tank in front, lol.

 

Yes but battery compartment in 996tt is open to outside so why isn't chance of venting greater that way than through tiny tube??

 

Actually from what I've read on Renn, its sulfuric acid fumes that need to be vented to prevent corrosion. Like a lot of things its a case of being safer than sorry as people have run cars with wrong battery without catastrophic failure, but its generally best to err on the side of safety.

 

well Interstate says its only possible to vent Hydrogen even if battery is failing badly. Maybe in 01 there were other batteries on market? I guess I'll hook up vent as long as I can determine that the tiny tube is still open after all these years.

 

The battery vents hydrogen gas, so Interstate is correct. Sulfuric acid bubbles along with it, which is why there's a hose. Sulfuric acid under the bonnet is not good for metal parts.

You really need to read more or you'll wear out your welcome with these Basic Auto 101 questions.

 

No really he does not have to, if he wants to ask then it is his choice, this is a public forum. Spending days searching through miles of un-necessary info to answer a few questions is not want everyone is about.