starter solenoid
 

yesterday one of the guys from work jumped my car and happened to cross wires therefore the battery melted and the car wouldnt work...
SO, my dad and i figured that it was just the alternator fuse that had blown causing the car not to start. today, we replaced the battery with a new one and replaced the alternator fuse.
FIRST the car started up no problem..we let it run for about a minute and then shut it off
about a minute later, i tried to start it up again and got nothing so we waited about 5 minutes before trying again and it started right up.
we left the car running to avoid that happening again and i started driving home however when i started driving, the dash lights would flicker on and off. about 5 minutes down the road everything electrical shut off...the lights, turn signals, windshield wipers, etc. so i pulled in a parking lot and shut the car off. tried starting it again and once again got nothing.

we believe its the starter solenoid because usually when someone crosses wires the current runs through the alternator fuse and the starter solenoid before reaching anything else.
anyone have any ideas?

If the car is having a complete electrical power failure when being driven the issue is not the solenoid. Check the battery cables, connections, etc.

If power is OK but nothing happens when the ign key is turned to start it may be the solenoid.

The solenoid and chassis power have separate cables but a common connector at the battery.