‘Oh No... Something Blew the Battery Up:’ Customer Tells Mechanic His Car Won’t Start. Then He Checks the Battery

"Not something you see every day."

Customer Tells Mechanic His Car Won’t Start

Photo by: AdobeStock

Nina Hernandez

By: Nina Hernandez

Nov 19, 2025 at 6:00am ET

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A mechanic got what he thought was a routine call about a car that won’t start. When he took a look under the hood, he quickly determined the problem.

Facebook user CarHax Fernando is a car repair video aggregator. He reposted the original video by @gtohockeyguy about two months ago.

In the video, @gtohockeyguy explains, "The customer states, ‘Car won’t start.’ Well, something blew the battery up. So, yeah, we’re gonna start with the battery. In case anybody wants to know what the inside of a battery looks like. That’s what it does."

In the caption, Fernando writes, "Car towed in for a no-start. Quick inspection revealed the battery top had literally cracked open from internal pressure. Not something you see every day."

Viewers React to the "Cracked Open" Battery

In the comments section, viewers reacted to the sight of a cracked-open car battery. One person simply said, "Oh. Oh no."

Others could only crack jokes at the situation. "I think the battery needs to be changed," said one helpful viewer.

Another person remarked on Fernando’s decision to put the cover back on the destroyed battery. "Did that fix the problem?" they asked.

Someone else joked, "Just needs a charge."

Gallery: The experiment: when a car battery is on fire

The experiment: when a car battery goes on fire

Can You Fix a Cracked Car Battery?

This blog from Battery Guy explains that Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) battery cases can sometimes crack during a collision or due to overcharging. Obviously, physically dropping a battery can also cause the case to break.

According to Battery Guy, this will generally require a full replacement. Yes, car batteries are constructed so that the acid is contained within a gel or mat. That’ll keep you from making a mess under the hood until you can get a replacement. But, bottom line, the battery won’t run as it should for as long as it would normally.

However, the severity of the crack does seem important to note. In this Reddit post to r/SolarDIY, a user posted a photo of his battery terminal with a crack in the case. Commenters on the post actually said he might be able to get away with patching the crack with a bonding product like J-B Weld.

"I ordered a case repair kit from IBE and it was hot melt glue sticks," wrote one person. "The repair held for a few years until the battery was replaced."

Repairing a Cracked Battery Case

On a motor vehicle StackExchange forum thread posted about seven years ago, a person said they were trying to repair a cracked plastic casing on an Everstart 12-volt battery. "Did some research and decided to give JB weld a shot because from what I’ve read so far, it’s supposed to be resistant to acid and will bond to plastics, but during and after application it began to bubble up in some areas. So I’m wondering if that wasn’t the right thing to do."

What do you think?

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Comments

In response, one person wrote, "Epoxy is a good choice for plastic, but it won’t keep the crack from expanding without some help. I find that epoxying a piece of fiberglass mesh tape across material works well in a lot of cases. If I were looking to seal a battery, I’d first fill the gap with epoxy, then bridge the crack with a small piece of fiberglass mesh tape."

Motor1 contacted Fernando via email for comment. We also reached out to @gtohockeyguy via TikTok direct message for comment. We'll update this if either responds.

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