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I attempted to do some regular battery maintenance on a recently acquired vehicle. The cells were all low on fluid so I added some distilled water to each cell. However, one of the cells was obviously not holding water. I assumed it may have frozen or cracked somehow.

After pulling the battery out for further inspection I noticed that there was a small hole drilled near the base of the battery into that particular cell. I added some more water and it all leaked out of the small hole.

I inspected the plastic holding box to see if there were any drill holes in it that might indicate someone had accidentally drilled into the battery. No holes.

Any idea why someone would have drilled a hole at this location in the battery?

Notice the drilled hole in the base.

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    Have you had service such that the battery would be out of your sight during an extended period of time? The small hole you have might have been overlooked and hidden someone else's attempt to create an early battery failure.
    – fred_dot_u
    Commented Mar 12, 2019 at 21:32
  • The vehicle was used so could have been any time before purchase but it has not been in for service since its been in my care.
    – Rich C
    Commented Mar 12, 2019 at 22:01
  • Perhaps the battery was swapped form another vehicle just before you bought it....
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Mar 13, 2019 at 13:16
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    weed eater cord, (lol) don't forget the bailing wire!
    – Moab
    Commented Mar 15, 2019 at 22:40
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    Managed to repair a small crack by melting the case material with a soldering iron (small electric before we get comments about gas etc) ... but depends on material, thickness etc etc...
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Mar 16, 2019 at 10:30

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The hole is so clearly defined that it certainly must have been created with a drill. Such things do not happen by accident or a slip of a tool.

I believe you are seeing signs of sabotage. The question of motive remains and must be deferred, subject to investigation.

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    In certain models of older Corvettes (C3's, if memory serves), you could drill a hole through the side of the car fender and drain one of the battery cells. This would allow the thief to defeat a level sensor of the alarm in the car, which could then be hoisted up onto a tow truck and hauled away. Pretty nefarious, but it was done. This might be something along the same lines.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Mar 13, 2019 at 1:08
  • Mysterious holes can and do happen by accident, even on very expensive vehicles.
    – Edward
    Commented Apr 12, 2019 at 2:14

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