When we got the 2004 s60 from our Grand Daughter, it had an Interstate battery connected to the vent tube in the trunk. A local mechanic put in a Napa Legend battery, part # 7548, but did not connect the vent. The Interstate had an obvious one vent outlet to connect to. The Napa battery has two vent holes - on the end side of each cap, but came with no connection piece as the Interstate had. Should this Napa battery be vented? Thank you. Tom

 

the reason for the two vents is that this battery fits multiple cars which may have the vent tube on different sides. Connect the near side and plug the other and you should be good to go. Yes you do want to vent the battery as the charging cycle creates hydrogen gas which happens to be flamable... under the hood this isn't a problem, in a sealed area like the trunk, it is.

https://ricksfreeautorepairadvice.co...pposite%20side.

 

Thank you, mt6127, for this reply. 216 views and nobody disagreeing - obviously, you typed the truth.

I used to do all of our vehicle maintenance, doing so mainly to be assured it was done right. But, my 76 year old mind and body now limits me doing so.

We acquired our 2004 s60 from our Grand Daughter, I agreeing to do so because of how important it was to my wife. We paid her nicely for it, though it had 170,000 miles. I had never been responsible for a vehicle with such high mileage.

In this small town, there is only one Volvo service, a business with a good reputation. However, the current mechanics seem to be inexperienced. The old adage - it takes a village to raise a child, comes into play with me, in that it takes scrutinizing customers to encourage better mechanics. I copied your words and what the battery manufacturer told me in an e-mail to the shop owners and they replied in appreciation. I in turn replied that some oversights may have serious implications and venting the battery in the trunk may be one of them. Had I not uncovered the battery to check on their work, it would have gone unvented indefinitely. They had put it in for me while doing other work, charging me less for it than had I bought it for myself and they did not charge me for installing it.

I still do basic maintenance, like changing the cabin air filter yesterday. I had put in a Bosch HEPA filter 2 years ago and with only 6,700 miles, I was surprised to see how soiled it was. We avoid gravel roads, so it was mainly from filtering forest fire smoke and ash contaminates. Holy smoke!, dose not apply here, other than an exclamation of surprise.

Thank you again for your words of advice, which I hope by passing them on to the mechanics, will be of be of benefit to the other Volvo's they service. Tom

 

You should vent the battery outside the trunk floor, using the hole and grommet that is there. Leave about 3 inches of tubing hanging from under the trunk so that it stays outside.

Typically the vent tube gets left in the old battery. If you visit your Volvo dealer, he can give you a vent tube from a core battery. Also, there is a vent hole on the opposite side. There is a plug that needs to be installed on the side that is NOT connected to the external vent tube.

Not only is the hydrogen gas explosive, the venting in a closed area can create a corrosive environment. DEFINITELY vent to outside.

 

Thank you, tony1963, that's the way I have it now. I posed the question because the obvious had not been done - the vent tube, still in place, was not connected to the newly installed battery, by a shop mechanic. And before connecting the tube, I blew in it to make sure it would vent. Because of what was not done, that it was left undone, I requested clarification. Tom