car battery playing up

[g26yev]

hi,
i have a problem with my battery on my nova. when i got the car, i drove it back, and left the battery connected and it sat for 4 or 5 days. went to start it and it was dead. so jump started it and fired up fine. if i disconnect the battery after using it, then connect when i want to drive it it works fine. but if i leave it connected it dies. what could be the problem

[mowgli]

you have a drain, obviously.. the alternator is an obvious culprit.. if you disconnect that & the charge holds, then you're sorted.. failing that, you need to disconnect the batt +ve terminal, connect a volt meter between it & the cable & then methodically start removing fuses until the drain stops..then use the haynes to identify where its draining to

[meritlover]

could be the above, or it could be the battery. Have it load tested. If you've just got the car its an unknown quantity and has probably been sitting around for a while.