u/Clean_Salamander_921

I've posted to r/Vanagon as well but I figured the more minds the better! Apologies for formatting I'm on mobile.

I recently upgraded or replaced a good chunk of my electrical components in my 1985 VW Vanagon. Alternator and alternator cables, fuses, instrument panel, and battery were all swapped out last week. After the upgrades I was able to start the old van up and do a couple drives around town to test the new speedo and tach, which worked perfectly. Now I'm back after being away for the weekend and the van won't start. The battery is reading 20V on my multimeter, and yes I already checked the multimeter to make sure it isn't faulty. Any ideas what could cause that? I'm going to start diagnostics with the loose connectors to the radio and other dashboard electronics that are currently unplugged, but I don't have any idea what could be causing such a high reading on the battery.

Last week I finally managed to get my alternator, fuses, and instrument panel upgraded with the GoWesty kits. I was able to even do a couple successful drives around town with no problems after I popped a brand new battery in since the old one was on its way out. After a couple days of being out of town, the darn thing won't start and the battery is reading 20V on my multimeter and I'm once again stuck diagnosing electrical issues. If anyone has any suggestions for where to start looking for electrical issues I'm all ears.