2000 V70-XC dash lights for ABS traction control on

[precopster]

Or a parasitic drain in the electrical system. Run the engine at idle and take voltage measurements at the alternator + cable ( thick red cable) where it connects with the alternator then compare the voltage with what is at the battery + terminal.

[abscate]

So the ABS and traction lights are off now. But, now my battery keeps dying. I got a brand new battery yesterday and the car cranked up. But, this morning I try to crank it and it doesn't work. What could be draining or killing my battery?

Thats not an alternator "not charging problem", it sounds much more like a short somewhere. A large current drain is a dangerous problem and not a place to learn electronics. You can easily end up burning up your car. A smoking battery means you have 100s of Watts of electrical power going somewhere it shouldn't, and you need to sort that out.

Look at all your cables for wear spots and grounding on metal in the engine compartment - if you can find the short you can replace the cable - otherwise take it to a pro for safety.

[BEJinFbk]

Or a parasitic drain in the electrical system. Run the engine at idle and take voltage measurements at the alternator + cable ( thick red cable) where it connects with the alternator then compare the voltage with what is at the battery + terminal.

Parasitic drain is a very good possibility,
but you're describing the test for voltage drop
caused by bad cables and/or cable connections.

Parasitic drain is tested for with the car off, a battery cable
removed and an amp meter reading taken between the battery
and the car. A normal reading should be around 25-35 milliamps.

If it's higher, you can start pulling fuses until you see it come down
and isolate the branch circuit that'sdrawing too much current.

[precopster]

I know that I was describing the measurement for voltage drop; should have made a paragraph after my first statement.

As the OP isn't exactly comfortable under the hood I thought I'd lead him to the parastic drain procedure after he did the voltage drop test.

As far as the smoking battery I would defintely follow abscate's advice if you're certain the battery is smoking.

[alex7]

So after I recharged the new battery I got because it did not have a lot of power, I used a volt meter/tester on the battery right as I cranked the car.
Before being cranked, it was showing 12 volts, which is normal. But, after cranking the car, the meter was reading 17 volts, and climbing from there. While it read 17 volts, the battery was spitting out acid. So I turned the car off. Wouldn't a bad alternator cause such a high battery voltage?

[precopster]

Was the engine running while measuring the 17 Volts? If not the alternator is not being used when engine is shut down so the only culprit here is probably a shorted cell in the battery.

You could try any other battery or disconnect the positive lead of the battery while the engine is running and continue to measure voltage. If it's still 17V with engine running and positive lead disconnected it's definitely an alternator issue.

Also very dangerous needless to say.

[BEJinFbk]

Sounds like you've got a faulty voltage regulator.
It's job it to monitor system voltage and tell the
alternator whether or not it should be working
and putting out power or just spinning until
power is needed.

It's a replaceable part of the alternator that can be
swapped without actually pulling the whole thing.

[alex7]

Where is the voltage regulator on the alternator?

[precopster]

Was the engine running while measuring 17 volts?

[alex7]

Yep, the engine was still running when it was measured at 17 volts. It would have kept climbing higher than that but, I turned the engine off because it was spitting out acid from the battery.