Power Issue

[cwindham]

Hey Guys,

I have a 1984 C10 Chevy. Here recently I have been having a lot of issues keeping a charge on her. Every time I turn on my headlights everything goes completely dead! My volt gauge drops all the way in the red. I have done the following recently;

- I changed the bottom two bulbs in the rear brake lights. I have checked the sockets for corrosion and I have no corrosion of any kind. My truck has been restored a couple years back and the brake lights and setup were completely replaced.

- I put a radio system in my truck (amp included). I had no problems before but maybe I disconnected a ground somewhere within the radio area.

I would like to note that I have bought a new alternator (two of them to be exact). I am taking it this morning to be tested to see if that is the problem and once I get back I will provide an update on it. As for the battery, I bought it new last year so I dont see it being an issue but I am going to run a test on it as well.

Also like to note that when I jump it off it will crank fine during the day. But when I turn those headlights on it over. It goes from doing fine straight dead.

So can someone let me know what is going on? The two things I mentioned above are the two things I did recently that could have caused the issue (radio/replacing brake light bulbs). So what ground wires should I check? Could you also let me know where they are located so I know where to look.

Thanks

PS I will provide an update on the battery and alternator once I get back

[cwindham]

Update:

I had my alternator tested and its fine. The battery on the other hand bad. Test stated I needed to replace it. So I bought I new battery. Now I am not feeling 100% confident that this is the main culprit to my issue. BC from what I read, if I had a ground issue it could have caused my battery to go bad.

So If you can provide a little insight I would appreciate it.

Thanks