[Roadtrip]

Use a jumper cable and attach one end to the NEG terminal of the battery and the other end to the engine, thus by-passing the engine ground strap and see if it makes any difference. If it does, the ground strap is the offender.

As a matter of PM, I just got finished using CRC electrical cleaner spray to clean every single spade terminal I could find in the engine compartment. I also took a small dremel tool with a wire brush attachment and brushed the terminals bright. I found all of them very dirty, corroded, and oxidized. Pay particular attention to the 3 wire terminal connectors at the alternator and the voltage regulator. It'll take a small jewelers screwdriver or paperclip to push the lock tang up so the spade terminal will slip out of the plastic connector.

I think you've got a ground problem. Is the throttle cable heating up when you try and crank the engine? If so, that would point to a bad ground strap. What happens is that, since the ground strap is not carrying the load, the current passes through the throttle cable and can actually melt the casing.