I own a 97 civic coupe. A while back I found out my alternator was overcharging my battery. Before I could take it in to be fixed my battery ended up exploding. Now my power doorlocks do not work and everytime I try to replace the fuse to them it blows up. My biggest problem is that my battery drains all the way when my car is not running so I have to unhook it everytime Im not driving so that my battery does not die. I am pretty sure that I have a short somewhere but Im not sure where. I cannot really afford to take it in anwhere right now. I was wondering if someone would know how I could fix this myself. Anyone else have this problem?

 

This is a pretty generic write up, but this is not something I find easy to put on paper so others can understand what I am trying to say.

Testing your electrical system for shorts:

Make sure EVERYTHING is off. All lights, key, everything. If you have a light under the hood – remove it. Make sure your car doors are closed as well.

Disconnect the positive terminal from the battery. Connect a 12V test light between the + side of the battery and the positive terminal. If you have a short, it will light up. Assuming that it is lit up, start removing your fuses one at a time. Pay very close attention to the test light. If you remove a fuse and the light goes dim, but does not extinguish, this circuit has the possibility of being part of the problem but not the entire problem. Continue on until the light goes out. Once the light goes off this is definitely a problem circuit.

To troubleshoot it farther, you will probably need a wiring diagram for your car, a multi-meter, and some time. If your Chiltons manual does not have a good wiring diagram in it, then your local library will probably be your best bet.