Car battery. I am confused

[BleedingOrange]

A load test right after it is fully charged will tell to if it is still a good battery, or not. A voltage test doesn,t really mean much.
Like many others have stated, I would replace it.

 

[Oaktree]

I buy three year replacement warranty batteries. After three years when I get another, I keep the previous battery, because it's still good. I turn in another for the core charge.

I do the same. I've got a couple outbuildings with no electricity to them. I've got a small "maintainer" solar panel and an old car battery in each to power 12 LED lights for when I need to go there at night. I just rotate the old car batteries thru these.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Did you disconnect the battery from the car and it lost voltage overnight? Or did you charge it while it was still in the car?

That wasn't clear.

All charges were done on back porch. Removed from car

 

[MossRoad]

All charges were done on back porch. Removed from car

OK then. Probably new battery time. 5 years.

The only reason I asked was if it was left in the car, there could have been parasitic drain, intermittent drain, etc.

 

[RjCorazza]

Auto parts stores around here use newer conductance electronic testers. They are generally accurate in estimating a battery's condition, but not as absolute as a real load test that is more black and white. Drawing a large current load on the battery while observing the voltage drop is a time tested, real world test.

I use a conductance tester on my batteries to document normal battery capacity decline, but wait for a failed load test to condemn.
A 3-5 year old battery that leaves me stranded (without external causes like bad alternator or parasitic loads) gets replaced.
A charged battery that goes from 12.6v to 11.6v overnight is either bad, or the vehicle has a excessive parasitic load that is killing the battery,

 

[Popgadget]

Here’s a link to an impedance type tester that does a good job of testing the battery’s condition without putting a physical load on it. It will read the actual capacity of the battery in CCA as well as other units.
I have had very good experience with them, both extending the life of older batteries, and catching failing newer ones.

AUTOOL BT-460 Battery Tester Lead-acid AGM GEL Battery Cell Analyzer 4‘’ TFT Colorful Display Auto Battery Testers Car Battery Analyzer Suppor 12V Vehicles & 24V Heavy Duty Trucks https://a.co/d/7M4CnLG

 

[R134a]

I have several Fords & 1 takes the same battery. I replaced it at 8 years old. Same issue. The deal is that it lost capacity. Now I used to get 12 years out of a Motorcraft battery. Car would sit overnight in 0 F temp and easily crank. Only got rid of it because it looked nasty. The quality of the plates makes the battery and your not gonna see that any more. So....buy a new battery.

 

[workinonit]

I have an old school load tester. It will ferret out a dead battery every time.

 

[IndyJay]

 

[ovrszd]

My rule is if it won't start a vehicle after sitting overnight, replace.