Battery not holding a charge!!

[TalonTsi56]

Well first i have a a/t 96 tsi . heres my problem. At first i noiced my car throwing a a/t temp, brake, and battery light like really dim. After a little while the lights got brighter and my battery just all of a sudden died so i figured it was the battery givin out cause it was pretty old. When i got a new battery and it was the same story. So i thought it was the alternator. I went and put a new alternator in. the next day the same shit again exept the alternator/choke fuse got so hot on the connection to the alternator melted the plastic. (didnt blow the fuse or any other fuses) Then i realized the idiot i bought the car off of didnt have a good ground to the negative battery terminal. So bought a good ground strap, grinded some metal, spider washers etc....Still didnt solve my problem... Can someone please help me!!! im thinking that something shorted in the harness but i dont know where! oh i also have a check engine light from not having my O2 sensor in the back of my exhaust (custom exhaust getting it takin care of tomm) Help Me

 

[Defiant]

My guess is that you fried the new alternator with that bad ground, but I have no idea why this had been in "Advanced Tech > Tuning & Engine Management".

 

[luv2rallye]

So bought a good ground strap, grinded some metal, spider washers etc....Still didnt solve my problem...

By ground strap I hope you meant the negative battery cable to the starter casing bolt (ground), not just the ground strap to the car body.
To find shorts: http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=179481