Regulator issue? Please help!

[eclipseGSTud]

I hope someone can help me resolve my issues. I'm having trouble identifying the cause of my car not starting and the battery being drained. I replaced the battery with a new one, the alternator was recently replaced, and I went back to the mechanic shop to have them check. All I get for an answer from them is that I have a bad battery ("bad cell") and to replace it. I go to Kragen where I bought the battery and the guy hooks up the battery to some tester and tells me to rev the car to 2k rpm and turn on and off lights to check the alternator, starter, and battery. He told me that the battery is reading at a low voltage but is "healthy" and just needs a recharge. The meter he used showed around 11volts. The guy told me the starter is fine and the alternator is charging at 14 volts. When I turned on the lights, heater, etc the voltage went down to 12.XX voltage reading and he told me something in my system is causing low voltage and he said it might be the voltage regulator. I checked the Chilton repair manual and it says the regulator is part of the alternator. Can someone please confirm that the regulator the guy was talking about is part of the alternator or somewhere else? If it is located somewhere else where is it exactly? Is it normal for the voltage to drop like that when lights, radio, and other devices are turned on in the car?

 

[peypey's ride]

YES, the voltage regulator is a built-in part of the alternator. It is normal to have a slight drop in voltage when you turn on accessories. Have you checked to see if your positive and negative battary cables are good?

 

[tqmx1]

One other thing to check under the hood is at least one fuse and a trigger relay for the alternator. If any one of those is bad= no output.

By the way what is the idot light doing?

 

[eclipseGSTud]

I brought the car to a different shop for a second opinion. They're telling me there's a relay somewhere that's draining the battery. It still charges but if I leave the car and not drive it for about a week the battery will get drained. When I called them earlier they said they're still trying to find the location of this relay in the ignition system. I'll go there tomorrow morning and see if they have any updates. Yes, I have changed the battery cable.