ram 1500 alternator? or bad fuse?

[Ram1500]

hey i got a 1997 dodge ram 1500 4x4 and i thought my battery went dead so i replaced it didnt work. so i thought it was my alternator so i went to autozone and they said it was good so now it might be a fuse but which fuse do i look at and where at? thanks everyone:mad:

[Tbird100636]

hey i got a 1997 dodge ram 1500 4x4 and i thought my battery went dead so i replaced it didnt work. so i thought it was my alternator so i went to autozone and they said it was good so now it might be a fuse but which fuse do i look at and where at? thanks everyone:mad:
Is the battery going dead overnight??? Is it not charging???

[Ram1500]

like it is going dead overnight then i will charge it up and it will last about 4 days then it will go dead again

[Tbird100636]

like it is going dead overnight then I will charge it up and it will last about 4 days then it will go dead again
You need to do an Ignition Off Draw test. You need a multimeter that reads amps. Have one lead hooked to the negative battery post, one clipped to the disconnected negative cable. Make sure the battery is fully charged before you do this. Wait at least a half hour and check the reading. It should be no more than 0.030-0.035 amps. Any more than that and the battery will go dead faster.

[xxnshcxx]

Because it is lasting 4 days leads me to agree that the Alt is still good, sounds like the belt may be slipping. Check the tension. If it were a bad Alt or something in the alt layout it would drain in no time, 10 minutes or so. Because it is taking so long to drain makes me want to say its a short somewhere. You can also use a basic low voltage electrical tester (The one that looks like a screwdriver with a lightbulb in it and a wire with a gator clip on the other end). These are usually less than $5. To use, disconnect the neg battery terminal and clip the wire to the negative cable and touch the pointed end to the battery post. Make sure the car is off and nothing is turned on. If the light comes on there is a draw on the battery, usually cause by an electrical short. To narrow down where the short is, simply remove each fuse one bye one. If the light goes out when the fuse is pulled then you can check the fuse chart to help narrow down where the short is. Make sure your doors are shut. If your door is open and the interior light is on that will give you a false reading. Good luck.