2G The dreaded parasitic draw!

[Musashi450]

Hey guys,
So here's my deal. I'm doing an entire overhaul on the car and everything was ripped out and put back in. So far I've gost most everything working except for a heating issue I need to figure out and then this charging problem. It started when I went to go start after everything was in. I noticed the battery had no charge, jumped it and it all turned over. Figured I'm good to go, but then came back the next day and the battery is dead. Ok I needed a new battery anyway so I went with an optima red top. Same problem occurs. I've checked the voltage while the car is running and its about 13.5V. This means the alternator is good right? I've rechecked all my grounds and with the exception of one smaller one that I can't put on yet, they all look good. I was also reading in other posts that one can have internal shorts which may cause drains. The fact that I dont have doors, hatch, and hood on the car wouldn't matter would it? Also no lights are being kept on at any time. Guys this is driving me crazy so any help is greatly appreciated and I'll keep everyone informed. To be honest electrical isn't really my thing so I'm hoping to get the help of a wiseman on this that has some good experience with that.

 

[Musashi450]

Hey again luv2Rallye, long time no see....er type. Yeah I finally was able to get a decent reading via your FAQ. Turns out I was drawing about 140 milliamps exactly so just at the upper end of acceptable. And about the putting the meter across the posts....I learned the hard way but luckily my meters had fuses built in. 2 physics classes later, I fully understand why I'm a moron for doing something that a 4 year old could have figured out not to do. But BIG thanks for the FAQ. You give a very frustrating electrical problem a very logical series of tests which forces one to come to atleast some type of definitive conclusion. Kudos