Hi --

I'm trying to revive a 1994 Geo Metro that's essentially been just sitting
because of an electrical problem (the battery goes dead).

The guy who had been driving it says that the 6-year-old Sony CD player
(which is back in the hatchback area) doesn't work at all, but that he
would often hear it "clicking" repeatedly when he was driving the car.  He
speculates that the malfunctioning CD player attempting to cycle is what
was then draining the battery while the car was off.

He drove it for many months by jump-starting it and just letting the
battery go dead between uses, so I'm assuming that the battery is shot.
However, there's obviously no point replacing the battery without
addressing the underlying issue.

It seems to me that the best place to start is by disconnecting the CD
player as near to the power source as possible THEN replacing the battery
and seeing whether the problem persists.  Sound logic?

If so, the next question is, where am I looking -- and how do I know what
I'm looking AT -- to disconnect as close to the power source as possible?
(Without, er, disconnecting something else that I'd rather not be
disconnecting, y'know...)

(There *are* 3 visible wires running into the CD player itself: 1 red and 1
white, which are easily unplugged from the CD player; and 1 black, which
resists being unplugged, so it's either a very tight connection or not
disconnectable -- I didn't want to force it.  I unplugged the red and white
ones... whatever they are... but since presumably this could just as easily
be a short along the wiring between the dash and the back of the car where
the CD player is, I'd much rather disconnect nearer the power source if I
can.)

Thanks for any light anyone here cares to shed!  

-- Michelle

Please, Don't Breed or Buy While Shelter Pets Die.