On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 23:44:30 GMT, "Falky foo"
wrote:

Ok.. but can you back that up with some reasoning or is that just a random
statement?

What I am essentially saying is that if the battery is old and was
allowed to discharge such that your charger said fault, then the
chances are, and without the ability to load test the battery from a
remote location, that the battery is probably junk. I can slow
charge a battery also - doesn't mean that the battery has the ability
to hold that charge.

It is also unlikely that you will be able to build a giant amperage
battery using an old battery in parallel with a new one. There are
established reasons for not doing this having to do with cell
resistance and the amount of lead, zinc and acid left in the old
battery after a few years of use or abuse. You could also make a case
for unbalanced load, but that's a little esoteric.

Probably the safest thing to do is to take it to a local mechanic and
have the battery load tested with a real load tester - one that places
a heavy load on the battery. If it's good, then you win. If it's
not, then you know for sure.

For my money, any old battery is immediately suspect if it holds a
charge or not and is changed regardless.

I apologize for the pennies comment, but the central concept still
holds.

Take care.

Tom

"The beatings will stop when morale improves."
E. Teach, 1717