Quote:
Originally Posted by Genbiltstein
Disconnect the negative lead from the battery. Use a light tester and jam the point into the negative pole. Clip the other end onto the negative lead you disconnected. If you are experiencing a short the light will light up.
Disconnect and reconnect one fuse at a time until the light goes out.
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The clock always runs, and some other items also consume a small amount of power as well. These items could cause the light to turn on, even though they are not a "short" or a major drain. That's why you need to use a meter to measure the actual current draw. Otherwise you could end up chasing down a false "short".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Genbiltstein
Maybe an alternator. Those diodes when they do short will cause amp draws.
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That is correct... if you can measure the abnormal current draw, try disconnecting the wires from the alternator, and see if the current draw goes away. If so, the alternator is bad. However, I'd be surprised if this were an intermittent problem... usually the alternator is either good or bad permanently.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Genbiltstein
Put a trickle charge on the battery to keep the charge up. Do disconnect the battery from the negative terminal. Trickle charge plus time equals a healthy battery. I garantee it!
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Trickle chargers are great. No need to disconnect the negative terminal though, just don't turn the key on if you're worried about sensitive electronics. Most trickle chargers don't put out enough juice to damage anything (unlike bigger chargers, or "starter booster" units). If your car will be parked longer than 2-3 weeks at a time without being driven for at least 15-20 minutes, a trickle charger is highly recommended. They're only about $25-$35 or so. You can even get solar ones for cars parked outside.
