I looked at a 1974 bug conv. and the owner says it has battery drain?
I think the battery has a dead cell and will not hold a charge.If I put in a new battery and drive it 5 miles or so will it stall if the new battery is not charging. Is the aternator cooked? I hate electrical, you have to be smart.
I remember parking on a hill and jump starting my car ,and it ran until you stopped.
Would a bad ground stop the car in 100 miles or so.
You should be able to run 5 miles with no problem, as long as it's day (no headlights) and not raining (no wipers).
As far as anything else, you have to fix one problem at a time. If the battery is bad, replace it and then look to see what else is/is not functioning properly. There should not be a drain on a '74, unless it has a later radio with memory. Once the battery is replaced, unhook the positive lead and put a test light in line (key off, all accessories off, interior light off). If it lights, then you have a draw and need to find it.
I have learned about elec. current when I was a kid. First sparks at the end of my electric blanket in the middle of the night.What a show!!!!
Later I put my hand up a pinball machine to get free games. Very bad move I was the ground.That went up the arm.
Tried to fix the latch on microwave. Removed plug,went to work and i was ground again.
So how do you use a amp meter and are they cheap and can you use one for the house and car? I fixed the lock and switch in my steering colum in my 1974 bug . What a hassel but done.
