This was on Sunday, but an update on Betty:
Still haven't found the cause or gotten rid of the drain, but we did locate where it's coming from. One of the wires from relay next to the voltage regulator that then goes back through the firewall has a constant 1 amp draw. My friend marked the wire and is going to write up a summary of what he found that I can take to a mechanic. I'm not doing anything until I get back from Europe, but there's a shop I drive by everyday, Corvallis Auto Electric, where I plan to take the car. I'm thinking that if they specialize in automotive electrics, they might have a better handle on the problem than my regular mechanic.
Sam also soldered a couple of broken light bulb connectors, but what a pain in the ass getting everything back in. Everything is so freaking tight under the dash. To plug the right turn signal and parking brake light into the cluster, the A/C duct to the driver's side outlet has to be removed, but when putting it back in, the duct keeps popping them out of their sockets. We finally got them in, but one of the dash lights popped out, and not only that, the bulb fell out into the cluster, and we could not get it back out, so it's rattling around in there. Sam didn't have one, but I have a small magnetic wand, so I may try to get it out. And of course, I'll have to repeat the whole damn process with the A/C duct.
We also unplugged the ignition switch to test it, and getting all that back together was another pain in the ass. Wriggling around under the dash unplugged the cigarette lighter, A/C fan and light bulb for the HVAC cluster. And the only way to get to the light socket is by pushing the radio out of the way. We got everything plugged back in but then in putting the radio back in, it pulled the bulb out again. :dammit: By this time, it was nearly 4:30, 100º in Pullman, and I had a 400+ mile, 7-hour drive home, so we said f*ck it. I'll deal with it later.
Got home after midnight, fighting high winds from Pullman all the way to past Cascade Locks on I-84 in the Columbia River Gorge. Betty has the aerodynamics of a brick, so I was constantly correcting to stay in my lane. Between the frustrations of the afternoon and the long-ass drive, I was beat by the time I got home.
Hoover was a trouper, however. He dozed some, but spent a lot of the trip with his chin resting on the top of the seat back looking out the window.