[Shop-talk] Stranded by a bad car battery.

[Dwade Reinsch]

 This afternoon I was sitting in the 2016 Honda Odyssey van waiting for granddaughter to finish a theater activity and I went to sleep in the front seat.  Had the radio and inside lights on.  When she finished and came out, car would not start.  Completely dead.  Electric seat would not come back to driving position, etc.
Here's the question:  In the old days a weak battery would give notice by cranking slowly, etc., before failing.  This is the car I drive regularly and it gave NO warning.  Luckily, I could call son-in-law and he came to help.  Would not start with good set of booster cables.  Would not start with 15 minutes of charging on cables before attempting to start.  So in the morning I'll take pickup and tools and pull battery, get a replacement, and move the van home.
Does anyone have a suggestion for identifying a failing battery before being stranded?  (Battery is about 4 years old.)
Thanks,Dwade
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://autox.team.net/pipermail/shop-talk/attachments/20240110/5c272ee0/attachment.htm>