Ok so I was driving to work this morning... and all of a sudden my check engine light, Ebrake light, cruise control, and radiator light came on and there was a horendous belt squeel for about a second. I accelerated to get to the side of the road but when I accelerated the lights cleared except the check engine light. The headlights kinda flickered then went out and I only had high beams then 2 minutes later did it again and I lost the highbeams. So I was driving at the newport news shipyard w. no headlights. So I get to my parking spot and popped the hood and the looked at the battery cables and what not and the positive battery cable was hot as hell! I mean it left a blister on my thumb. I poured a drop of water on it and it sizzled.... what the hell happened?? Is it the alternator gone bad?

I would definitely start with the alternator.

Your cable being hot would lead me to think a short happened. Check all your connections, especially around the alternator, one may have come loose and contacted the other.

Good luck!

Get the battery out and check the positive wiring (white wires)from the alternator and battery cable to starter. Have the battery checked chances are the battery might be damaged. Batterys dont form a pure short so its not the cause. One or more cells could be damaged. Next I would take the alternator belt off and try to turn the alternator by hand, see if it spins. If it spins and all wiring is not shorted, pull the alternator and have it tested.

I am thinking the wiring around the EGR tube shorted, caused the alternator to see full demand and it tried to feed the short. The belt squeeled due to the sudden load on the alternator, you reving it gave the alternator more power to feed the short. The battery cable is hot becuase the battery also tried to feed the short at the same time.

Terry

~UPDATE~ So I went out to replace the alternator like everyone said I should. I got to looking and the white wires were lookin a little well done... I also noticed that the battery cable end is one of those universal ones from like autozone. The ones with the clamp type connector where you loosen the bolts and stick the cable and clamp it down well the white cables were attaced by running the bolts of the connector through the eyeholes of the white cables. Also as for my headlights... I thought it would be the relays or something but actually the bulbs actually blew. Both the low beams blew at the same time aswell as the high beams. So does anyone think its the white cables off the battery or would it be the cable running to the alternator? Heres a pic of the cables...