Try charging it with a battery charger designed for car batteries. If it takes an hour or so to charge, it's probably going to be OK. If it charges quickly (in under a half hour) then it's bad.
If it's died due to age and use, no...
If it's a little used one that has been in storage and not mistreated (allowed to freeze etc.) they sometimes can be resurrected using an electrical desulfator device.
They work in conjunction with a trickle charger to elecrolyse the lead sulphate coating that forms on the plates when left idle and allow the plates to function properly again.
I've tried one on six or so different batteries, one week on each. Two of them recovered well, they others were still dead.
There are many different ones about, or you can get a kit to build your own.
Examples:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-Battery-Li...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Auto-Pulse-Lea...
Note that the supposed chemical desulphator powders/tablets generally do nothing at all or cause more damage.
RT had a good answer. Only thing I would add is even if its in good shape if you live in a freezing climate a dead battery freezing can kill even a fairly new battery. Charged batteries resist freezing but a dead one freezes fairly easily and just like anything else that freezes things expand and the expansion can cause internal (and sometimes external) damage.
No. A discharged battery can be recharged providing it is in good condition. If it has been discharged for a long time or it is an old battery it will resist resuscitation.
It depends on when and how it died and whether it is healthy (no internal shorts). Anyway, try recharging it overnight (no fast recharge) and see how it performs, especially in cold morning starts. If it tends to discharge in a week or so of normal driving, replace.
The best way is to load test it at a specialized shop. Beware because they sell batteries and tend to convince people to replace rather than recharge.
Depends on why the battery is dead and for how long. If it has been dead for a long period or has a dead cell, then no.
If the cells are not shorted out when tested with an inexpensive *battery hydrometer it can be recharged *@ 2 amps slowly.
As long as all the cells within the battery are still in good shape, usually yes.
put a charger on it and find out. Always charge a battery slowly
RT wrote the exact words I was thinking. It depends on why the battery is dead.
take it apart and put it back together again the same way it was built
