Battery vent

[X5 4.6IS 2003]

Hi
I fitted a new Bosch S5 battery a few weeks back and thanks to some of you guys i now know i need to vent it but i dont have the vent adapter or tube, can anyone help with where you can buy these please

Thanks
Terry

[X5Sport]

Items 2 & 3 here.......parts diagram should do the trick.

Richard

[lynxjock]

why do you need to vent it by the way ?

[ITBarbie]

I didn't fit one to mine last year have I missed an important post?  Just read about possibility of gases building up that may be dangerous if they leak into cabin.  Is there a possibility of corrosion as well?

Not in the mood to stick my tail feather in the air getting the battery out a again! Lol

[X5Sport]

Yes, and yes.

Charging a battery generates hydrogen gas which in the right mix will blow your tail feathers off!  Very rare though.  The other product is water vapour so you can get condensation forming right by all those expensive electronics.....

And you should not need to take the battery out.  The vent pipe goes on top and out via a drain somewhere (haven't got mine anymore so can't check).

And of course you have a small 'bomb' in the battery leads anyway.....cuts main power in the event of the airbags going off and leaves only a small power connection in place (so the airbags go off)!

Richard

[ITBarbie]

Oh well a job for when the weather gets better along with cleaning my pitted running boards.  Thanks for info

[jaynana]

[quote="X5Sport"]
Yes, and yes.

Charging a battery generates hydrogen gas which in the right mix will blow your tail feathers off!  Very rare though.  The other product is water vapour so you can get condensation forming right by all those expensive electronics.....
[/quote]

from memory the bosch S5 has 2 vent holes on either side. the car has only one vent tube so it leaves one hole open. so unless there's a 'valve' in the hole of the battery the 'gas' would go down the least resistance path which is into the car anyways,.. right?

[X5Sport]

New Bosch batteries come with plugs to fill the unused holes.  They're moulded into the corners of the top from memory.  Snap off and insert as appropriate.

R

[storminmike]

[quote="X5Sport"]
New Bosch batteries come with plugs to fill the unused holes.  They're moulded into the corners of the top from memory.  Snap off and insert as appropriate.

R
[/quote]

This is true. I fitted an S5 in the wifes car 2 weeks ago, in the dark and cold. The battery comes with covers over the terminals (to stop shorts) and IIRC the little plug was moulded and attached next to the postive side. With it all being white it could get thrown away I guess

The plug can be shoved in with the battery in place. The hole would be on the drivers side of the car and the small pipe along with a 90 degree bend shoved in the open hole on the passenger side

The battery is actually held down by a plate on the drivers side with a long thin bolt. Is the tube missing or the battery dropped on top of it?

The battery can be got at in 5 minutes once a socket set is to hand...piece of P and I get nervous easily

floor out
spare tyre out
2 nuts 2 bolts and compressor loose....then tipped back
and there it is IIRC

[X5 4.6IS 2003]

Hi all
As Richard says the S5 comes with a plug to use in the the side you do not use, the tube etc was not fitted by the last owner and is now missing, it is a pain trying to find anywhere that sells these.
I have allready got moisture build up in just a few weeks.

IT Barbie, i'm not sure what type of battery you have but i have been told that some are sealed so may not need it but i don't know how true this is, i would check your type of battery to see if it needs venting prior to sticking your tail feather in the air lol

Just glad i found this out, does anyone know if this is noted on the battery itself as i never read anything :-[

[X5Sport]

Even sealed batteries need venting when used in confined spaces.  All our BMWs have had vents as the batteries are all in the boot.  The S5 is a sealed battery as it uses AGM tech rather than a liquid electrolyte like the old 'wet' lead acid batteries.  No topping up.

The part numbers to get a replacement from BMW were in my post earlier.

Richard

[Sanj]

Old pics but should help...

Vent hole:



Vent pipe:

[lynxjock]

Hi guys, was at car vision yesterday having all my new toys fitted, took a brand new Bosch S5 battery along to start with and the old battery was not vented, a lot of moisture build up in the battery bay and also some gunk in the corner which John the installer felt was acidic ? Not sure how long the battery was like this as only just bought the car. The new one was fitted and the vent tube tie wrapped into place so hopefully all sorted before this thread I never knew the battery needed venting so once again, thanks for the info

[X5 4.6IS 2003]

Just an update for anyone else looking for a quick and easy vent, i bought an angled adapter and a breather tube from Halfords fits well.

[DougieV8]

The vent tube was missing on mine with a vauxhall astra battery in place!

I replaced battery with a more appropriate sized one and vented with some tubing and angle pieces - i think they were some old fish tank spares!