So I had this electrical problem. Last May at 52,000 miles. The battery spontaneously died while at a baseball game. My wife insisted she hadn't left any lights on. We had the car towed home. The alternator tested good. We replaced the battery and did not have a problem for another year.
Last week at 60,000 miles, I drove the car home from a restaurant, stopped at the store for ten minutes, and when I came out the battery was super dead. Usually if the battery is dead, it clicks when you try to start it. It was so dead, it clicked when I turned it to 'on'. When I turned it to start, it went all black, no dash lights, no radio, nothing. I was able to drive it home after I got a jump.
I tried to have the alternator tested, but the tool was broken at the shop, and my good multimeter was loaned out. So, I decided (against better judgement) to replace the alternator, even though I hadn't proved it was bad. After about two hours of replacing the alternator (first time, $120, 2 hours labor) and the battery (second time, 30$.5 hour labor), and it was still draining the battery according to a volt meter.
So I finally broke out the meter and tested the battery for current with the key off, and Voilla!! there was current, so I pulled the fuses starting with the 30's until I got to the cooling fan fuse. It turns out there was a .1 amp short from the coolant fan fuse to chassis ground in the main fuse block in the engine compartment that was sucking down the juice. I pulled the fan relay, which disconnects all wiring outside the block and the ground was still there. Which meant that the short was inside the block.
I disconnected the battery and sprayed the block with electrical cleaner and it appears to be working normally now.
There is still a ground but it's only 5 milliamps. so using the battery mumbo jumbo calc of drain times time =amphours. It should take the battery about 100,000 hours to discharge. Well, it should be fine for up to a week at least.
I was wondering if anyone else has seen problems with wierd shorts in the main fuse box.