GM-GMC: battery keeps getting drained, starter solenoid, auto parts stores

Question
My 1996 GMC Jimmy......drained my battery
...so I replaced the battery 3 weeks ago...
...it still drained the new battery
...so I put on a new starter with solonoid
....and it is still draining the battery
...I have a new alternator...but the one on there seems to charge....should
I go ahead and install the new alternator?
....or am I throwing away money...
....If there s a short in the ignition switch ...would that be the next
thing to replace?
.....What should I do??


Answer
It is a little late to ask about throwing money away...the problem was much more likely to be the alternator than the starter/solenoid.

That does not mean that your alternaotr is bad, however.

What should be done is that an ammeter gets connected between the battery's positive post and the cable.  A check for current draw is then made with everything turned off.  The draw might only be in milliAmps (thousandths of an Amp) but that will kill a bettery over time.

Your old alternaotr can be tested for a bad diode by taking it to most auto parts stores.

If it isn't the alternator, each circuit will have to be tested, with an ammeter, to find the source of the drain.