my battery has gone dead on me like 4 times 1 time in a different vehicle and 2 or 3 in my pickup. my mechanic said it was good last winter when it went dead the first time and no lights were left on. the second time i had it in my pickup and was just listening to the radio and im almost positive it was in acc. and the last time it cranked for a second and felt strong then dead

 

Could be a bad cell, the battery will test good, but if it has a bad cell it will discharge on its own.

 

how can i check for a bad cell?

 

Auto parts store have battery testers, usually it is free. I takes some time but they can identify a bad cell, most of the time. I had a battery that tested good, but would not hold a charge, nothing else in the vehicle was wrong so I replace the battery and never had another problem.