Observe during winter. Wet cells wear out by loosing reserve capacity and an ever increasing self discharge rate. Last winter if it didn't fire right away (as usual) when cold you could hear the starter struggle as the voltage sagged. Also got in the habit of running the charger long enough to give the battery a surface charge (~20 min.) if the truck hadn't run for 3 or 4 days. Works absolutely flawlessly now but I'll need to replace before winter. Swapping out batteries is easy (for the most part anyway) but no fun when it's 10 above and the hawk is flying.
Or have it tested under load as someone said. That'll give you an idea of how it'll handle cold conditions.
Hey, changing valve cover gaskets was something I could do in high school without screwing up too badly. And the valve covers leaked (warped I guess) until I discovered Permatex #2.
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Occasionally a battery will drop a cell particularly if it's abused by a hard starting vehicle. Grind and grind and not only does the deep discharge wound the battery but you can generate enough heat to the point where the plates warp and short out. Getting the vehicle tuned up so it starts easily is half the battle. (Geez I'm wordy this morning)
Last edited by nighthawk; 07/20/19.
