so all my grounds are right and clean my battery is brand new. starts and runs fine. now after a day sometimes two but no more then 3 its dead as can b not even turning on any cab lights. i take the negative term ail off when i park it it last a bit longer like 2 days. any ideas?its a 93 dakota 2wd ext le got a few issues but i ccant seem to track this one down no power draw when hooked up to b battery. havent checked fuses but will replace all of them . trucks ragged. with 298k miles on original motor. was used as a mud truck. any ideas? any help would be great

 

if you are removing the negative post completely and the battery is going dead than its a bad battery....with either the positive or negative post removed there is no return path to the battery so no possibility of current draw.

 

thanks

 

Don't mean to hijack, but I had a similar problem with my '92 LE 4x4. Battery would be completely dead after it sat for a day or two. After a couple of batteries, I finally brought it to a reputable shop that I've had work done at before. They diagnosed it as being a draw down somewhere in the light circuit and recommended I buy a battery shut off switch. Bought a switch and connected it to the pos. side...it's been about 5 years and I haven't had a problem since.

- Mike

 

so where did ya get the battery with switch? also any idea about what to look for for drawdown? onlything i know stays on is the light around ingi switch

 

That's significant.

Two things - 1) shorted door switch for the lights; 2) bad time delay relay.

Does the overhead light stay on also, or just the ring light on the ignition switch?

If the former, check 1); if the latter, pull 2) out of the fuse block.

But you said you were disconnecting the battery and it was going flat. Which is it?

If you're taking the negative cable off the negative post and it's dying in two days, the battery is dead.

I mean, what current drain could there be? Might as well take the positive cable out, and then take the battery out; and if it STILL goes dead, well, there you go!

RwP

 

i have a 93 Dakota 3.9 Le ext cab 2wd and i have a problem with battery drain, im not sure but i think its something with the computer or maybe my radio, sometimes my battery will start dying after a couple hours or so of sitting, but if i disconnect the battery for a couple minutes and let the power drain out of everything its usually good for at least another month or two before the problem comes back, never bothered actually trying to fix it since the truck is damaged beyond repair so im just driving it until the engine finally blows or the transmission goes out completely, then im gonna part it out for another Dakota

 

Just to reiterate what Ralph said...

If the battery drains with the negative post removed then no switch or any other diagnosis is worth pursuing. It's a bad battery end of story.

I'd the battery is dying while connected that's a different story. But installing a switch should be a last resort....who wants to reset the clock and radio presets everyrime. That's silly. Fix the problem. If it's the lighting circuit then fix the lighting. A switch is just a bandaid.

As for the OP if the light is staying on at the ignition key then it's most likely your door switch or least likely the timer relay. I had the same problem on my 90 and it was a bad door switch...it was corroded shorted. These switches are normally closed held open by the door being closed...if the plunger breaks or the contacts stick then the switch never opens removing ground from the lamp...and it will kill your battery in a couple of days. Install an led instead of the incadescent and you might get a week

 

ralph only the keep light comes on. idk about door lights and roof as there is no bulbs

 

batterery tested today and full ccharge from advanced autpo. said its still good.