alternator relay melted, battery keeps leaking...need help...

[240esseckz]

i was wondering what was wrong...first my battery started leaking...(new battery) than i got another, that one is leaking, and my alternator relay on my fuse box melted...i was wondering what was wrong...i bought some new battery cables before this started happening...4guage negative, 2 gauge positive, someone told me to ground the negative, i did...the melted alternator relay got hot again, melting more...plus still leaks battery...i was also wondering if i can drive with the relay melted...until i am able to replace...please let me know...thanks...

[slipnfall]

You should check the standby current draw of your battery(with car off). You'll need a multi-meter(RadioShack/auto parts store, >$20)-Disconnect negative battery terminal-Connect leads on multi-meter properly(follow manual)-connect positive lead of meter to battery negative terminal-connect negative lead of meter to battery negative cable

report the current draw. This should *not* exceed more than, say, 5-15mA or so(rough guess).

In general, a battery leaks when it overheats(excessive current draw). There's usually a safety vent(even on AA alkaline batteries). If this isn't enough to relieve the heat, the fluid will continue to expand and come out the vents.

[slipnfall]

also, always set your multi-meter to it's highest current setting *first*, then adjust the range down for better resolution.

[4cefed]

Um, your voltage regulator may be toast. If you get it running right again, ie, relay replaced. Check the output voltage. The only time I've seen batteries pop is when they get overvoltage. (or frozen) Good luck.

[slipnfall]

^^^ very good point. More likely that than over-current draw.