[Cobra20646]

Have to agree with Fixit.... sounds like the regulator is not cutting the voltage back and over chargine the battery.

Two type of alternators..... one with external regulator and one with the regulator as part of the alternator. And two types of internal units.... one that requires a "field" voltage to be applied (usually by the ignition switch) to start the alternator working (has two or three wires), and the "one" wire that does all this work via one wire.

Most auto parts houses have a test fixture to test alternators. Get it done first. And you could have cooked the electrolyte out of the battery as a result of it getting really hot, so you may be in the market for a new battery too.