Ok heres the deal my 1996 Ford Bronco XLT 351 auto the battery is being drained for some reason It drained down low enough to mmake it so I had no lights no nothing so I went and had it charged so today I hooked the battery back and started it sounded pretty good so I turned it off and let it sit for an hour or 2 and went back out to start it up again went to start it and lights went on but then faded out and heard a load clicking noise coming from under neith the passanger side of the hood and would start but since then its been about 5-6 hours I'll go outside and check to see if the lights are working or not they are working good but any ideas what the problem(S) could be i might have a open circuit some where but I don't know where to start looking

 

It is possible that the battery is going bad. Do an acid test or take it to a parts store. Most of them can do a load test on your battery to see if it holding a proper charge under load. Also might check to see if your hood light goes off when it is shut. I don't know if there is an easier way but you could also hook a meter to your battery and "watch" the voltage. then start pulling fuses one by one to try and at least narrow it down to a circuit.

 

Take it to a garage or even"do I dare say it I know most people dont like them "Auto Zone, they do have the tester to check your battery and alt, also check your cables for corrosion, I had a neg, cable that had split its casing down at the bottom where it bolts to and kept losing its charge , when I replaced it the battery stayed charged.

 

Definitely check or have the battery checked first. If you have an open circuit, you can check it with a meter at the battery but it won't tell you where the problem lies. Not to mention that an open circuit that can drain a fully charged battery in a few hours has to be something larger than just a clock or computer circuit. It would almost have to be a short which will eventually lead to a wiring meltdown or a lighting circuit which you will be able to see once it gets dark.