93 t/a power drain..just killed a brand new battery

[importeater38]

Battery died in my 93 t/a...it came with the car when i bought it almost two years ago. I put a die hard gold in it, everything seemed fine. I dont drive it all the time...i drive my truck when its wet out or when i need navigation. So 3 days goes by and it wouldnt start...So i jump it and let it run for an hour or so. I come back out the next morning...dead again. So, i have a drain somewhere. I heard a bad alternator can pull current and kill the battery...and i believe this is the original alternator...so im thinking about getting a new one and starting there. However...i did notice that i would reveive a small "shock" when i exit the car...as i usually put my hand on the door rocker panel. I figured it was just static discharge and noticed it more in the winter...but now im thinking i have a short somewhere and that this "shock" has something to do with it. Anyone have a similar problem and find a solution without going crazy?

Thanks!

[jdl]

Take the battery off and get it charged. Use a digital voltmeter across the battery posts, key on, 12.6 volts ia a generic for a fully charged battery. Then, start the vehicle, take a second reading across the battery posts, the second reading should be higher than the first if the charging system is working.

To check for drain, check amp draw, probably shouldn't be more than .050 ma. An older way to check is to use testlite between battery cable and battery posts, if the lite comes on, you have a drain. Pull fuses one at a time, when you pull the fuse on the faulty circuit, the lite goes out. Check for any lites that may have been left on in the vehicle, best time to check is in the dark.

[importeater38]

ok, just to be clear, its a brand new battery...so im not sure i need to go through all that. You seem to not think the alternator could be causing the drain? Ive read that some diode or what not can fail in an alternator and cuase this problem. Also, i need to pick up some type of multi meter to do all this current testing people always talk about...im a total rookie when it comes to electrical...is there a meter that you recomend? Trying to research buying the right one is difficult since im not sure what i need.
Thanks!

[importeater38]

what do u think about this one? looks like it has all the features i would need for anything down the line? I dont mind spending 100 bucks if its gonna save me time and money down the road.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Equus...motiveQ5fTools

[jdl]

Yeah the meter looks good to me. I can't guarantee anything you buy off ebay. The local discount store will sell digital multimeter for about 20 bucks, it doesn't have all the features of the higher priced one. The alternator could be an issue? I don't start with the alternator, but, whatever. Goodluck

[importeater38]

ok, i think i found and fixed the power drain. Multi meter was readying .260 with the courtesy fuse pulled and .600 with it in. Checked all the lights and found a loose bulb in rearview mirror. I pushed it back in the "socket" and the multi meter dropped back down to .260! Hopefully that was the only thing.