Alternator

[GrandAmSE]

Battery will not recharge. Which if funny cause the volt meter reads 13volts all the time but the car will never start without a jump.

[Andrew]

Replace your battery. Your alt is putting out the amps to charge it but the battery wont hold.

[GrandAmSE]

I did. Still the same.

[19Cutlass94]

Then you probably have a short somewhere draining the battery when its off.

[GrandAmSE]

Another thing is the other day the headlight switch started smoking. I turned off the lights and it stopped. The switch still works. Could a short in that switch be killing my battery?

[19Cutlass94]

yes.

[GrandAmSE]

Goddamn headlight switch! How do I find the short in the switch and correct it? Do I need a new switch? If so how can I stop the short till I can get one? Still need to drive this car.

[ToroToro]

Hook up an ammeter to the battery, and pull the fuse for the headlights. If you notice a large drop in current draw, you know where to start at least. I would replace the headlight switch and inspect as much of the wiring that can be easily reached. Hopefully that'll do it.

 

But if it's another circuit causing the drain, you need to keep pulling fuses until you find the problem. I forget exactly what "normal" current draw is, maybe someone else can chime in.