Truck keeps dying!!!!

[64Magoo]

Magoo keeps dying on me if I leave the battery connected for more than 24 hours with it off. I have most of the electrical (ie, battery three times, alternator, wiring, grounds, voltage regulator, etc.) I don't leave the lights on, my cigarette lighter and horn aren't even hooked up, yet there is a draw somewhere. I don't know if my turn signal is on (even though visibly it isn't) which would cause the leak? Anybody have a similar problem? The problem has gotten so bad I installed a battery quick disconnect on it which works great when I remember to use it!

[LILRED66]

If your battery is holding a good charge, a low draw like a cigarette lighter, dome light, turn signal or factory radio, should not drain your battery overnight. Using a multi-meter, should isolate the drain. Good luck with the problem.

[poorboy]

Your turn signals will not work without the key on. Here's a way you can trace it with a volt meter. Use a multimeter that can handle 10amps.Even the ones you buy at Walmart can do that now days.
Disconnect the positive cable from the battery.
put the red lead from the meter to the + connector on the battery.
put the black lead from the meter to the cable.
At 0.04 or less most batteries will last 2 weeks.
If you have a lower reading than this I would suspect the battery or a faulty connection with battery cables or grounds.
Anything higher than 0.05 then you start pulling fuses.
Now you know what circuit to start tracing.

[poorboy]

Looks like me and LILRED66 were typing at the same time.

[kris's66lwb]

i had the same prob and no electronics were hooked up execpt unedr the hood and i found out that my alt wasnt carging the batt

[64Magoo]

I had the alternator tested twice and it is only about 2 months old. This is the third battery so I would hope I haven't been dealt three bad ones in a row.

[72lb4x4]

Make sure you connect the leads to the meter correctly. Typically, there are a negative connector, which you plug the black lead into, not that the color matters.

There's one for volts and ohms.
There's one for low current up to about 300mA. Depends on the meter.
There's one for high current up to about 10A. Depends on the meter.

You want the high current one.

Typically the high current isn't fused and will fry that part of the meter if you exceed the max current...

[greg64]

Poorboy has the technique. You need to first discover if you have a leaky circuit (probably). At least knowing that will put an end to new batteries.

Another suggestion I have is to disconnect the battery completely while testing and use a battery charger to power everything while the meter is in the circuit. This will provide a natural "current limit" so you don't fry the meter when you find the problem. On these old trucks lots of circuits are unfused, and you might have a wire where the insulation is worn through enough to lightly contact ground. But, when you discover this, you may "fully" complete the circuit and spike the current. In fact, this is likely because if the circuit was grounding out after the load (light, etc), the light would be partially on. Since you're not seeing this, it is probably a hot wire that is touching ground a bit.

Just be meticulous about your checks and you'll find the problem in no time.