Won't Start!!!! (electrical related)

[nozerider]

OK, my X recently developed the problem of the battery dying, alot. 3 times in the past 2 weeks. So i have been jumping it, and it goes dead within 2 days again. At first I thought my battery wasn't holding a charge, but it is only about a month old. My other idea is perhaps the alternator is shot.
Any ideas? I don't wanna buy anything till I have an idea what will fix the problem.

 

[old mechanic]

You can get your Alt checked out for free at most auto stores. Call them and find out which ones do it for free.
Then go from there.

 

[Opera House]

Buy me a plane ticket and I'll fix it. First, does the alternator light come on, either when the key is just turned on or when it is running. The regulator in the alternator is turned on by this circuit. Second, check the 15A fuse in the distribution box under the hood. Some have reported the fuse contacts getting corroded and alt not charging. Third, with the engine not running use a test lamp to check for voltage at the output bolt of the alternator. Just an auto lamp will do. There is a fuseable link between the alt and the battery. This may be open or there is a bad connection. Fourth, unplug the connector at the back of the alternator a couple times to clean the contacts. There is a down side to all that salt air.

 

[Thunderbird-88]

You may want to check to see if your interior lights are shutting off after getting out of the vehicle. I ran into that problem, which I still have. I had to take the bulbs out until I can find out how to cure the problem. My dome lights stay on sometimes, other times shut off like they should. Door panel lights work as they should. 2 days would kill the battery. I haven't had a dead battery since pulling the bulbs.

 

[Digger196]

I had the problem of the X not strarting some times and other times it would. It turned out to be the battery terinals were so badly corroded that the power wasn't getting made. After a good cleaning it starts everytime.

 

[MrShorty]

There is a systematic way to find a parasitic drain as suspected.
1) Put an ammeter in line with one of the battery cables.
2) Ammeter should read several mA of current, as the computer and radio are always drawing power to maintain memory. If it's reading a couple of amps, then you have something draining the battery.
3) Start pulling fuses from the power distribution box or disconnecting suspected electrical components and see what effect each has on the drain. If the current drops off, then you've found the circuit/source of the drain and can go from there.