hydroboost replacement, now alternator smoking hot

[TLanier]

Ill post everything i can think of that may be an issue, so someone with more brain cells than me can tell me what the heck is going on.

when i bought the truck last summer, i noticed that the brakes were funny. the hotter outside, the worse the problem. when i went to apply the brakes, the pedal gave alot of resistance, felt stiff, wasnt going thru the travel, and i wasnt slowing. then when i gave the pedal more push, all of a sudden the pedal depressed, the brakes kicked in hard, and the rear often locked up with a shuddering jolt. this didnt, and doesnt happen every time, but often.

both rotors were replaced, and pads, and drums checked. didnt help. abs sensor in the rear pumpkin (i have rear anti lock brakes) replaced too. one fellow told me to check the fluid in the power steering, that if it was red, it could be screwing up my hydroboost. sure enough, it was red, auto tranny fluid, not good for the hydroboost. figured that the brake prob was the valve in the hydroboost getting hung up then coming loose and hitting hard, due to the fluid.. guy before me had been running crap. i flushed it out, and put in valvoline power steering fluid.

still did it, so i figured it had already damaged the hydroboost, and to replace that.

fast forward to today. ive been living with the problem, and decided to change the hydroboost. got a remanufactured one at napa, put it on, flushed the old fluid, put in new fluid, started and stoped the truck, turned the wheel back and forth, checked level, added more, repeat, until all was well.

i went for a test drive. the brake application seemed smoother. then......it did it again, albeit with less force. it was better, but the prob was not gone. prob still there. i was really ****** i spent $260 and didnt fix the prob.

then, the abs and brake light came on as i was driving. next, i saw smoke coming from under the hood. i was just a few blocks from home so i got back to my driveway. when i opened the hood, there was smoke coming out of the alternator, and it was really hot. i checked the alternator fuse and the abs fuse and both were good. my voltage was still reading 14v in the dash. the batteries were not hot, nor the cables. and i didnt spill any fluid near the alternator, so thats not it.

next i noticed that the brake lights in the tail were on, but the pedal was not depressed ( i was out of the truck) and the key was out. i checked the brake switch at the brake pedal lever and sure enough there was no contact between the brake lever and the switch. apparently, there were slight differences between the old and new hydroboost unit, and now the switch no longer made contact. i had been driving around with the brake lights on. this must have tripped the abs and brake light im guessing. but why was my alternator smoking?

i elongated the holes in the brake switch bracket, and moved it so i got brake light on/off function. then i drove the truck around the block again. the abs and brake light were not on anymore. so far so good. then, i noticed the smoke coming from the alternator again. #@&$##!!!!!!!!

im at a loss. just yesterday, i cleaned all my battery terminals. they had become coroded and the batteries had died. after i cleaned them, i checked each battery independently, and each had same voltage. i checked the alternator when engine running and no batteries hooked up, and it was putting out 13.6 volts, seemed fine. hooked all back up and truck started up fast as lightning again. alternator was fine.

what in the world is wrong with my truck?

1)why are the brakes sticking, then abruptly unsticking, and locking the rear brakes?

2)why did replacing the hydroboost not fix that, even though it got a little better?

3)why is my alternator smoking now

4)what does a stuck brake switch mean, would it cause my alternator smoking?

5) why, after i fixed the switch, would my abs and brake light go back off, but my alternator still smoke?

PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME HERE!?!?!?!