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Subject:Re: charging system problem? battery sitting for a while.
From:tolga
Date:Sat, 8 Jan 2005 23:37:17 -0500

Hi Dennis,

How do I figure out if the battery has a shorted cell without just going
to buy another?  If I recharge it overnight and the voltage goes up
higher, to the 12.65V or so that Alistair mentions, does that mean it
doesn't have a shorted cell?

Thanks!
  Tolga

>If the battery has a shorted cell, the alternator will have difficulty
>keeping up. Operating this way during an extended drive will cause the
>battery to overheat, boil, make nasty smells, etc., in addition to
>straining and eventually damaging the alternator.
>
>Dennis