ORIGINAL: Robbidos
If I interpret that properly, when I take the pack out of storage, check the voltage. If the pack (4 cell) still around 4V before charging, then it has probably survived storage without a seperator failure?
Any voltage shown on any cell is OK, that cell is not shorted. If you read 4 volts or more that is fine, less than four volts and you will have to probe the cells to measure individual voltage, or just charge for a few minutes at C/10 and see if the voltage goes above 4 volts.