battery maintenance

[Scalmanini Steve]

Just one addition (that I posted a few years ago):

If you see no pinches in the vent hose, that means
nothing.  You have to blow through it to be sure
it's clear (without putting your lips on the battery
end, silly.  Use a straw or barbed fitting between.
And wear rubber gloves when handling that end and
wash them after).

Mine was blocked 3-4 years back.  The cause seemed
inevitable for everyone yet I had never heard of it.
There's a clamp/guide (bent-over sheet metal?) waaaay
up on the underside of the chassis where the hose is
held up over the rear axle.  The force from the clamp
had finally collapsed the hose over the years as the
hose assumedly weakened with age.  I had to pry it
open a little with a loooong (~18") screwdriver with
the car in the air on a full-size hydrallic lift.  No
problems since (I check it every 30K tuneup).

Steve
Ukiah, CA

PS: I wish this list had a list of aftermarket
batteries that fit our cars (read with the right
size vent hole in the correct location).  I was
surprised back when I dealt with the above problem
that the Interstate battery recommended for our car
did not have a useable vent (I think it was oval
instead or round, and maybe on the end instead
or the side like Audi's ... or vice versa).

--------------------------------------------------
...

-vent hose connected to the battery, no pinches.
The vent hose MUST be in place...and for that matter,
the battery must have a vent connection, unless it's
something like an Optima or similar Valve Regulated
type.

...

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