Quote:
Originally Posted by Mudeprived
What is involved in a stress test? Any way to duplicate the test at home? I got a multimeter.
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The more common term is "load test", and you can DIY duplicate it by watching voltage while attempting to start (with as much electrical load on as possible, so radio, seat heaters, fans on high, rear defroster, etc...) If it drops below 10vdc, it's done.
No reason to DIY it though, every auto-parts store will do it for free. Same test will check the alternator, which could be the reason the battery is having issues and if not identified, could cause your replacement battery to die and early death too.
FWIW, I've seen batteries that show 12.7vdc with no load and struggle with 6vdc with a small load. Some were older, a couple were within a few months old and one was new right out of the box (that was a PITA to troubleshoot, easy to assume a new battery is good and neglect testing it).