Hello Mopar friends,

I own a very stock 1973 Charger Rallye. It developed the dreaded parasitic battery drain lately. Battery is in good shape. A little over a year old. Wiring never messed with. No added accessories.
I confirmed that there is a parasitic drain the old fashion way. I used the test light method. (I removed the dome and trunk lights). Light was bright at first, then went dim and stayed dim. I did not measure the amp draw.
1- I pulled all the fuses one by one.
2- Disconnected the steering column harness.
3- Disconnected voltage regulator.
4- Disconnected alternator (and broke the battery stud in the process).

First Question: What's do I do next? Nothing above helped.
Second Question: Build sheet says 45 under alternator. Is that a code, or did it leave the factory with a 45 Amp alternator? 3438713 is stamped on the alternator I removed but who know if that is original. I can't find that number in the parts book.

Thank you all in advance for your help.

glove box light, trunk light, under hood light

Does it have a clock?

Back of the alt gauge. My first car was a 73 and that is what I found after weeks of aggravation.
Todd

Thank you all for your responses.
I will check the glove box light. I removed the trunk light. I don`t have an under the hood light.
I have the Rallye instrument cluster with tach. No clock.

Todd: Question regarding the alternator gage. Gage functions properly. Were the wires shorted on your Charger ? Is that what I'm looking for?

for many years I have had some dimming light issue related with brake lights, dome light and it was even ABLE to melt down the fuse cavity ( I think is the #3 ? or 4?). Once I touched the fuse end and burnt my finger baddly!!!!. When this happened I was loosing brake lights and dome light began to dimm a bit and believe it or not I haven't been able to track it down because was really a random issue. True is my car is in pieces since 2013 so I can't give more info or search for the issue.

Have you noticed if when you shut off your car your dome light keeps ALLMOST UNNOTICEABLE lighting up. At day light you could need to remove the lense, because even at nights is BARELLY noticeable.

I would pull all the fuses and see if there is still a draw. One other item is the horn relay. Do your horns work? If so then the relay is fine. Last item is headlight doors? Not sure if that year has the hidden headlights. If so unplug the motor. Going back to the fuses if the draw is gone with all of them removed you can install them one at a time to see if the draw comes back. Also I just thought of the key light. Check the timer relay. The key light does not have to work but the timer relay could be activated causing the draw.

Forgive my questioning but it will be helpful to solving the problem.
1. Battery may be in good shape but may not be fully charged. Charge level can be measured by checking the acid density, or with a volt meter.
2. How was the test light connected?
I ask because you're description sounds like it was connected battery post to ground, and if so, would indicate a very low battery.

With the information so far it seems at least as likely that there is a charging problem as there is a parasitic drain.
What you should do next:
1. Check the battery charge condition. If it has removable caps, make sure the acid is over the lead plates. Put the battery on a slow charge. With no load on the battery, voltage should be near 12.8 volts once fully recharged.
2. Alternator. There are other clues as to whether the one stamped 3438713 is an original. If you post a photo I'm sure some people can help pointing those details out. I'll take a quick look at my notes for that part number after I post this.
The 45 on the build sheet is a great clue but probably need a cross reference to know what it represents. Standard option alternator was called a "41 amp". The next 'rating' up was 50 amp. Based on the Dodge shop manual it appears that the 1973 ratings are the output avalable at 1250 rpm at 15 Volts. I mention that because often ratings are the maximum power available but there seems to be no standards.

In any event the damage to the alternator output stud is critical to fix. Fortunately the '73 up alternators are easy to fix. You can open up the case, unbolt the alternator stud and install another.
The fact that it broke makes me question its condition before you removed the output wire. If poor, it could have been restricting current output and therefore reducing the power available to recharge the battery.

A 73 charger should also have a map light on the underside of the dash pad above the instruments.
Might check it too.

Folks many thanx for all the responses. All good stuff.

UPDATE:
Battery has 12.6 V.
Parasitic draw 430 mA.
I can separate the two positive red wires (starter wire and relay wire).
There is no continuity between the lighter wire and ground.
There is 16 Ohms resistance between the heavier red wire and the ground.
There is no loss with only the lighter wire connected to the battery.
Connect the heavier wire, and loss is back.
The heavy red wire is of course the one that goes to the starter.
This points to either having a starter wire problem, or a starter problem.
Very easy to check. I will do that this week-end and report back.

Again, a big thank you for all the help I was given.

Well folks, picture of the problem is attached (I hope).
Both wires that connect at the starter motor are cooked. I had to peel back about 6" of insulation.
The Black plastic holder is melted.
I will remove the starter to get it checked.
Problem is I can't find the positive battery cable for a small block. It is available for big block cars but these are about 4" too short.

Any suggestions how I can repair what I have. These wires are very close to the factory exhaust so it has to be a high temp solution.

that is one nasty battery cable !
if the cable in the link is too much money for your budget, it is possible to make up individual leads of the correct gauge wire, then get creative with a couple of large zipties to space the cables the correct distance apart and keep them in position. think nascar style spark plug looms.
use marine grade heat shrink for the terminals. that stuff is heavier than the regular stuff, and has a heat activated glue that seals out any moisture.
i have done this multiple times with great success.
this is only providing you are not after a concourse restoration.
if so, the cable in the link is the correct course of action.

I would replace starter no matter how it test out,

For sure buying the reproduction battery cable. Waiting for a call back from Vans.
I'll always be on the lookout for an NOS or very nice used one. Nothing but the best for my 73 Charger and 70 Challenger.

CSK: My starter is the original to the car. I had it gone through 2 years by A & B Electric in Burnsville, MN.
I am dropping it off Monday for them to dis-assemble and check it out. That was my plan all along.
So my question CSK is there something specific they need to look for? Should I have them replace everything except the outer case? I do have spares on the shelf they can use for parts if needed.

I appreciate all the help. Have a good week-end everyone.

I am sure they know what to look for, tell them what happened with the current draw

Don't forget to look at the negative cable, issues there can cause problems elsewhere.

Vans informed the battery cables are on back order. Oh well......