Help! 94 Bonn Electrical problem

[jbond008]

My '94 Bonneville SSEi nearly stalled twice on freeway yesterday. All lights, gauges etc. would shut off for split second, engine sputtered, but then everything came back. Tried to start it again later, but there was no power to anything. Checke battery and all connections seemed fine, and a small lamp confirmed it had charge. There was a small puddle of what looked like solder-drip on the battery tray beneath the positive terminal. Tried to start again, and this time it fired up for no apparent reason, but ran rough with idle racing up to 2500 rpm and then almost stalling before racing up again, etc. Seemed to be missing too. It finally died, and then there was no power again. Later I tried jumping the battery, but that did nothing. I let it sit, and today it started up on the first try, but ran bad like yesterday. Also, seemed to still be an electrical problem, since when I unlocked it the power locks did not work, and the displays would flicker out when the engine came close to stalling. The battery and alternator have both been replace in the past year. Also have had crankshaft sensor replaced. Any ideas? Doesn't seem like a fuel problem (relay, pump, lines, etc) cuz of the electrical issues. What else should I look for? Any ideas would be appreciated, since I have a limited budget (limited car smarts too) and can't afford getting hosed at the dealer again (alternator, battery etc). Thanks!

[GTP Dad]

It sounds like you either have a bad battery or a bad positive terminal. Remove the terminal and check it to see what it looks like. There are times when the connection inside the battery will melt down due to overdraw or overcharging. Since you indicated that the locks wouldn't work then I believe you either have a bad hot or ground on your vehicle. Check the hot wire first and if it checks out try the negative side along with the ground to the engine.

[jbond008]

Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I pulled the terminals and the positive looks half-melted. Guess that explains the puddle! Also, before I did that, I noticed a clicking noise coming from somewhere in the vicinity of the glove box from the inside. Does that mean a bad relay (think I read that in one of the other threads)? What could be causing the overdraw on the battery? I imagine just replacing the battery is not the fix... On a possibly unrelated note, my check engine light comes on frequently, and when I had a mechanic check for codes, he said it looked like it had never been cleared in the past and he couldn't clear it. Is there a way to do this without that scanner?

[GTP Dad]

You can try by leaving the battery disconnected for a period of time. As for the battery issue have the output of your alternator checked. The voltage regulator may have go haywire and is putting out too much voltage for the battery to handle.

[jbond008]

Thanks again, GTP! I disconnected the battery yesterday after hearing that clicking noise. I will get it back in the shop that installed the alternator. Haven't checked yet, but am hoping it is still under warranty. If it is the voltage regulator, would the whole thing need replaced? And would the overcharging hurt the battery as well?