Glove box light for me once.
Here is what I would do. Electrical geniuses
@67Dart273 or
@AJ/FormS please feel free to correct me if needed:
1. Like
@Car Nut said, disconnect the battery when not in use. It only takes a few seconds to hook it back up. However, if you drive at a lot, and/or if you have a modern radio with preset stations you don't want to lose. skip step 1 and find your problem.
2. I LOVE 64 Sport Furys. With the exception of a clock, I cannot think of anything that would need power with the key off. Try what
@dartfreak75 said first. I had a problem with the glove box light staying on. I found that when I was in the garage at night and when I turned the light out, for some reason I cannot remember, I saw a sliver of light coming from the glovebox on an old car. So the hot bulb trick will work. It could even be a dome light.
3. If you have a good multi meter to check for current flow, that is great. If not, you can buy one of those circuit testers with a light in the handle. When you complete a circuit with the pointy end of the tool and the alligator clip end of the wire, the light comes on. With the key in "OFF", remove the positive cable. Using a circuit tester see if there is current flowing from the terminal of the battery to the positive cable. With the exception of a clock, there should not be. If there is current flowing, you have a draw, but where?
4. Assuming you have a drain, pull all the fuses and carefully note where they went. If there is still a current draw, like
@AJ/FormS said, the alternator could be your problem. If this is the case, unhook the alternator. If the drain goes away now, it is the alternator, because all fuses were pulled. New Alternator, Easy Peasy.
5. If the alternator is not the problem (UGH!), then start putting the fuses back in one at a time, checking for current flow between the positive terminal and the positive cable each time. Here is where a helper comes in handy. If installing a fuse results in current flowing between the positive battery post and cable, you have identified a fuse circuit with a drain with the key off. Once you identify a fuse circuit with a drain, carefully note which fuse it is in and pull the fuse back out. I would do it like this because you COULD possibly have more than one problem circuit. Once you have identified the fuse(s) responsible you need to identify each and every item drawing power from that fuse and isolate them one at a time to see if the draw goes away. A wiring diagram will help. I think most owner manuals also detail what items each fuse feeds. This is where a helper REALLY comes in handy, because getting in and out of the car a few dozen times is a pain, specially if you are under the dash. Unplugging is the best way to isolate an item, but some plugs can be hard to get to. Regardless, isolating things is the only way you will find your problem. I don't know about old Mopar clocks, but I do know that some old car clocks did not need current all the time. The had a set of points in them that closed when the clock spring wound down, and when the points closed, a quick shot of electricity would wind the clock. But I seriously doubt a clock would be the culprit.
6. If you carefully isolated every possible item requiring electricity on the offending fuse circuit, you could have bad wire causing a dead short/grounding. Although that would likely cause a fuse to blow, it could happen.
