Should I have been surprised? Of course not.

The old battery had a dead cell and was replaced with a freshly charged battery. The car did not turn over upon installation of the new battery, so that issue was put off until the next weekend.

After I went through a bunch of “car don’t start” fixes, I went to try to start the car again and the battery was dead. So now I have a phantom drain.

I have confirmed that all the switches on the dash are in the up/off position. There was some concern that an aftermarket stereo may have been installed incorrectly. I double checked and the stereo is original. No answer there.

Other popular phantoms may be the boot light or maybe a stuck headlight motor. Once I get the battery recharged, I will test the lights and try to start the car again.

If any of those issues are not it, the prime suspect is probably the ALTERNATOR.

God Save The Queen.