I need to charge the battery. (only partially discharged due to interior light on overnight). How do you turn off the lights in the boot (trunk) while charging? If I close the boot lid to turn off the lights, how does the hydrogen gas from the battery escape? When I open the boot could there be a spark that can ignite the gas?
Submitted by stevejag@sbcgl… on Mon, 12/23/2013 - 23:32
David,
What year and model is your car? I don't think it's possible for your interior light to be on overnight. Same goes for the boot lights. All interior lighting is controlled by the body computer, and will go off after about 20 minutes if left on. Open the boot and leave it for a while. If you come back 30 minutes later I think you will find they have gone off.
As far as the battery gassing; it should have a vent tube connected to vent the gasses outside the body. Check for a small elbow on one edge of the battery, and see if a tube doesn't run down through body and out, at the corner of the boot in front of the battery.
Don't fret about opening the boot and igniting any gas. I've seen many that didn't have the vent connected and the most that has happened is some pretty heavy corrosion of the floor pan and exposed metal screws, bolts etc.; sometimes even corrosion of the gas tank.
Cheers,