battery drain electric issues

[nictherom]

i have a 72 chevy i installed a new battery sounds of dixie horn and radio my uncle decided he was gonna "fix" all my jimmy rigged wiring yet today when i went into walmart i came out and my battery was dead got a jump drove home on the way home my lights were dim except when i would come to stops they would get bright again then the radio started flicking on and off on its own then i started hereing thumping sounds from the engine compartment my distributor is run off the battery so im thinking that had something to do with it any ideas on wat the hell is goin wrong with it this time

[panhandler62]

It sounds like the alternator and possibly also the ignition circuits are incorrect.

I would start by printing out the wiring diagrams in the stickies above and compare them to what you have. If everything is in the right place then we can start testing the circuits to see what's up with it.

[nictherom]

thats what i was hoping it wasnt. any idea on the thumping sound when i pressed the gas to accelerate above about 25 mph hour i heard thumps after traveling about a half mile at 25 mph suddenly the noise disappeared. noise almost sounded like an old train ehaust less ping and more pop

[panhandler62]

I'm not sure I want to speculate on that one. ... Is it "thumping" when you are sitting, or only when driving?

[nictherom]

after checkin all the wires for a short and stairing at my alternator for 30 min in the rain i discovered a loose ground wire off my alternator im assuming that is the source of all my problems thank you for the help

[nictherom]

tightened the ground got a jump and ran engine for 30 min turned truck off and it started right back up after 10 seconds and this morning my battery was so dead it wouldnt even click so i think its fixed however im wondering if the lack of a solid ground is enough to drain my battery as quick as it was draining and input?

[nictherom]

ok so had alternator issues found out it wasnt grounded properly so i re ground it jumped it and let it idle for 30 min then it started up just fine so i went to to work got out of work it started up a lil slow went to get gas and boom wouldnt start jumped it and drove home but head lights wouldnt come on at first and my radio is flashing on and off tryna figure out if its a battery issue or alternator issue but assuming since it runs once jumped its a battery issue and once i figure out wat it is wat should i do? im to mad at my truck to think right now so some outside input would b greatly appreciated as soon as possible

also if its dead in the morning does that mean i have a drain to deal with too?

ugh so much frustration

[Handfull 54]

I would take it over to the local Sears and have them check out your charging system and the battery. I suspect the alternator. An easy way to check for a drain is to shut off everything leave your doors closed and disconnect the battery positive side. It helps if it's a little dark inside your garage. When you go to connect the cable see if you notice a spark. If you do it shows an open circuit somewhere. I do not know if this will work if you have a radio that has a constant wire connected to it to keep the clock and display up to date. I'm sure there will be more help posts on the way. I hate electrical problems so I sympathize with your problem.

[nictherom]

i would agree it was the alternator but once jumped my truck runs just fine and today i let it idle for 30 min and it started up 3 hours later for work and 8 hours later after work but then died at the gas station. my battery has been drained like 3 times due to my stupidity could it b that it isnt charged enough by short term uses of the alternator? if so ive been told i should get it recharged? unsure of wat that means but could i have killed my battery?

[nictherom]

o and my radio has a constant wire but is also hooked to a power switch when i park it i turn off the radio and kill the switch and lights r off my previous drain was from the ungrounded alternator im thinking if that makes any sense to u electrical guys

[dmwphoto]

the battery should be recharged fully on a battery charger. The Alternator is designed to maintain the battery charge but will have a hard time charging a depleted battery.

[nictherom]

ok thx that makes sense does it make sense that the battery was drained by the unproperly ground alternator or should i continue to search for a drain

[dmwphoto]

The battery drain was likely due to the poor/no ground on the alternator. Charge the battery fully on a charger. Then take it to an advance auto or similar and have them test the battery. I suspect if you repaired the ground you will be fine.

[panhandler62]

A ground can cause a lot of issues.

If it is running well and appears to be charging now but ends up dead after sitting for a few hours then something is drawing current when the truck is off. You can verify this but shutting everything off and then disconnecting either battery cable and hooking up a test light between the cable end and the battery terminal.

If nothing is on there should be no current and the light shouldn't light. If the light glows then something is pulling current. You can then identify which circuit is responsible by pulling the fuses one at a time. Once the problem circuit is identified you can troubleshoot that.

"Last thing added" is often the culprit but since you also had some re-wiring take place at the same time the issue is a bit clouded.

[panhandler62]

I merged your two threads together.

Making sure the battery is fully charged is also a very good suggestion.