electrical help needed

[blt2krl]

Well a copule of days ago I went out to the old battle wagon and the battery was deader than a door nail. The bat. was only 4 mons. old. So I went to checking and found the alternator was pumping out 16 volts plus I couldn't get the bat. to hold a charge. I replaced both and know the seatbelt light on the gauge consule won't turn off after the vehcile is started. I cut the wire that ran to the seatbelt when I durabak the interior. I never had a problem with this before. I also had the bat drained down agian. I'm wondering if any one has had this happen to them. I would like to know where to start. I belive I have an open circut somewhere. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Joe H.]

Probably the best way to figure out what's draining is to pull the fuses one by one while you have a voltmeter hooked up to the battery and a known good ground. It'll take a while, though. Didn't Firetruck Mike do this?

[Brown Bear]

To do a quick check to see if you have a drain, pull the cable off the neg. post of the batt, and put a voltmeter between the cable and the post. Make sure all sources are off, including the underhood light. If you get voltage, you've got a drain.

Also, I'd check to make sure your seatbelt wire isn't grounding out.