Need some info! I have a 68 camaro, for some reason my battery is being drained. I noticed after running the car for just a few minutes the alternator and voltage regulator were to hot to touch, i had the alternator checked and it was fine, i went ahead and replaced the voltage regulator and the horn relay as well, my battery was weak but it had enough juice to turn it over, it ran for a couple of minutes then died. Tried to jump start it and nothing happend. When i turn the ignition switch on everything else works fine. Like i said when i try to start it even when being jumped, nothing happends. Why would the alternator and voltage regulator get so hot, could i also have a bad switch as well or starter, any info would be a big help. thanks.

Usually when things are hot, alot of current is passing through. Battery may be in such a low state of charge, the alt is maxed out, or the battery has a shorted cell causing the above.

Unplug the voltage reg & disconnect the red wire on BAT terminal of the alt and externally charge the battery while you eat & read posts here. Then hook everything back up, and turn on headlights. Attempt to start. Lights should dim and starter should turn.

If not, then either the battery cables are too small, dirty connections at both ends, battery is toast, or ign switch is broken for the start position. A screwdriver across the battery cable to S terminal (purple wire) on solenoid will prove if starter/solenoid is good.

If engine starts, measure charging voltage at battery posts, should not be below 13.5 volts. The amount of charging the alt is doing can be felt by touching a screwdriver perpendicular to rear bearing. A strong magnetic field can be felt, the stronger the field, the more it is charging. Some heat is normal, but you should be able to touch the alt housing without a problem of being burned, a temp gun comes in handy.

Better yet, just disconnect the negative battery cable and charge the battery.

First though, measure the battery voltage to see if its low. Don't have a DVM? Get one.

Depending on the charger, it may take overnight to a few days to charge. The higher the available current from the charger the faster it will charge.

Once charged, measure the battery voltage with the engine off and the battery cable disconnected and connected. Make sure nothing that draws current is turned on. Measure the voltage with the engine running at idle and at a few thousand RPM.

There's more, but this is a start...

As mentioned above. I've seen a case or two where the Starter Field Coil was shorting to Ground.

This ain't nothing more than a missing ground wire for the voltage regulator!.....I had this same problem!....Hook up a ground wire from the voltage regulator housing to the radiator support.....You'll immediately notice the alternator and voltage regulator running cooler and charging normally!

This ain't nothing more than a missing ground wire for the voltage regulator!.....I had this same problem!....Hook up a ground wire from the voltage regulator housing to the radiator support.....You'll immediately notice the alternator and voltage regulator running cooler and charging normally!

A bad connection (missing ground) causing a drain on the battery? That's unexpected?

My guess would be a real short circuit somewhere or current drain. The regulator and alternator do get hot...that's normal. The higher the load the more heat that gets generated.

Have you discovered the test-lamp in series technique? It's been covered ad-nausium. Disconnect the negative battery cable. Insert a test lamp between the cable and battery (-) to complete the circuit. When current flows, the lamp glows. The objective is to get the light to go out. Start pulling fuses out for starters. The interior lamp fuse would be a good first choice. Hopefully one of the fuses will make the light go out completely. If so, you've isolated the drain to a circuit.

A couple other possibile problems may be discovered by removing the red (+) wire from the back of the alternator or disconnecting the regulator. If either of these things causes the light to go out, you may have a shorted diode internal to the alternator or a bad regulator.

In any event, keep pulling fuses, disconnecting connectors, and doing what you can to isolate sections of the electrical system looking for the lamp to go out. When you finally get there, you will have isolated any drain that exists.

Sounds like bad battery cables or poor connections at the battery, alternator trying to compensate and overheating it and the regulator in the process.