Hole in Top of Battery

MTHALE

MEMBER
2007 JEEP LIBERTY

Hi, my mother and I did something really stupid. We were trying to jump start a car, and I believe she mixed up the cables. The red clamp melted and the wire came out and was really hot, and it burned a small hole (pinky size) in the top of the battery case. It does not seem to have done any damage inside; however, I'm worried about fumes or poisonous air coming in through the front of the car. Any help would be appreciated.

2 Replies

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,871 POSTS

Batteries give off hydrogen which is explosive. There is a product that makes sealing that hole real easy. Head to the Chrysler dealer's parts department and ask for a tube of silicone gasket sealer but it has to be the gray stuff, not the black. Sand the area around the hole to remove the shiny surface, wipe it clean, then coat and cover the area with about a 1/8" thick layer. It will set up in 20 minutes and get hard in an hour or two.

I used this to patch a hole in the bottom of a new battery that had been dropped, and it is still holding today after Ma hit a piece of metal on the highway with my '88 Grand Caravan and put a 2" x 3" hole near the bottom of the gas tank over 20 years ago. You won't need the whole tube of sealer, and it will get hard in the tube if you don't use it in a few months, so you might ask one of the mechanics if they have an almost used-up tube that you can have.