Recently bought a 1988 240 DL.. the battery WILL NOT stay charged.

1st. Fully charged battery would be dead in 24 hrs... groundwire on alternator disconnected. Spoke to the seller, "Hasn't worked right since we had the new radio put in"

2nd. Fully charged battery would be dead in 2-3 days. Miswired fuse box.

Now.. radio doesn't work... a fully charged battery still goes dead in a couple of days. It lasts longer if I drive short distances, If I drive to work.. 45 mins.. it drains the battery. The alternator was tested and is OK. Could it be the cables? Any help would be appreciated.

 

You sure the wiring and everything in the alternator is working? Because my car had the same problem and i got the alternator fixed and it worked

 

Well, had it tested and they said Yep.. it's fine!

 

also wanted to add... this morning battery read 12, drove to work.. it read 12.2 . It sat all day, started once, then would not restart, battery read 11.5

 

Make sure the Glove box light isn't staying on.

You need to connect a Volt meter inline with the Battery and see how many Amps are being pulled.

 

I THINK that the normal amp is 13 or 14?

 

When you test for Amp draw it is supposed to be between .025 and .050.

 

who installed the radio?