hey i just recently bought a 87 toronado and i am having various electrical problems, like the locks locking and unlocking by themselves, the headlight opening and closing by themselves and i was just wondering if anyone knew some of the main causes of this.

 

Did the previous owner die in this car ? Try tighting all your body grounds. Locate the interior harness wireing find that ground if it is looseit will cause this

 

Thanks we shall look for all grounds.
Another question, there is a drain on the battery...could a faulty alternator cause this? The reason I ask is I would like to take it in and test it but I don't want bother if this can't be a possibility.

 

I have the same car, and the same problems. I never did get mine fixed, but learned quickly not to leave the keys in the car when you get out. especially running. And... this will kill your batteries quickly.

 

Could be anything from a loose battery cable to faulty relays or the body control module. Your best bet in helping trouble shoot the problem is to check your onboard diagnostics for trouble codes, and if you intend to keep the car you really should get one of the many chassis service manuals offered on Ebay. That manual has every little detail on that car ( except how to take the door panels off, but other than that it's extremely detailed including highly detaile troubleshooting guides and related tests that you run through the IPC. Let me know if I can help with getting you started on checking trouble codes. Also I have lots of parts for that car should something need to be replaced.