92 Jetta New Alternator New Battery wont start still!!!!

[Micheleb]

Ok...I am so over this car that I want to cry....please someone help me. I bought a brand new Bosch alternator and a brand new battery. The car ran fine for two days and then this morning go out and its dead...battery has full charge and nothing wrong with the new alternator can someone help me with what would be draining my power overnight?? This car is old and has nothing on it like an alarm, it doesnt even have a radio in it...no lights are on in my dash...please help me someone before I go outside and torch this car or send it off a mountain...please please

Michele

[Doug Tatham]

There are a few things to check before you torch.
Check the charging system:
Take your car to a parts shop (autozone, discount autoparts, pepboys... -they'll usually do this no charge in hopes of selling parts) and have them check your charging system.
If you want to do a quick check yourself, start the car then (carefully) remove the negative cable from the battery. It helps if you loosen the bolt in advance. If the car isn't charging and the engine is running off the battery, it should die immediately.

If the charging system is ok, I would then have your ignition switch checked out. Also check your fuse box to see if there is anything directly wired to it (some people tap wires directly off one side of a fuse when mounting stereos, CB's or other such things). I've seen live wires hanging under the dash before. I would also check your cigarette lighter (Remove it for a few days, see what happens).

If you don't smell smoke, the battery must be slowly discharging through something that provides some resistance. You can always try removing fuses one at a time to non-essential components to see if you can locate the power drain. Another option would be to pull a different fuse each night, then put it back in the next morning.