Dying Battery - The Fix

["Brian K" <bk@br213mail.nrel.gov>]

Thanks to those who posted ideas on my dying battery problem.  I poked around
for a while and could not find an obvious solution.  I could not find any
shorts and all switches, except the lockout switch for the rear windows,
worked fine.  I took it in to a local shop (Hiedelberg Motors for those of you
in Denver) and $50 later it appears to be fixed.

One of the previous owners decided they did not like the lockout switch for
the rear windows.  To defeat this, they connected one of the lockout switch
terminals to a 15A service on the control unit for the window regulator
(located on the auxiliary relay board).  This did defeat the switch but it
also kept part of, if not all of, the relay board energized even when the key
was removed.  This is apparently why the light swithes stayed on, and why the
heater fan would work, and why the rear defroster would work, etc, all with
the key removed.  They believe that the drain was coming from keeping the
relays energized.  After removing the jumper connection (and a nearly melted
15A fuse put inline) all is fine.

The mechanic also noticed a lot of other nonstock wires, mostly cut out.  He
believes the previous owner had an alarm system and possibly a monster stereo
installed at some point.  When it came time to sell, they just cut the wires
and yanked out the equipment.  I hope there aren't any more little surprises
left behind for me to find.

Thanks again for all the help,
Brian