Ford Repair: Starting, ford crown vic, starter relay

Question
87 Ford, Crown Vic, 5.0
Would not start. Turned the key & got a click.
Felt the battery cabels & they were warm/hot epecially the neg cabel.
Battery tested ok so I pulled the starter. Tested the starter & it did not turn so I replaced it (tested the new one before installing & it worked fine). Turned the key & got the same click & noticed I got a spark on the pos cabel at the battery. Also replaced the starter relay & still get the same click/spark.
Any ideas?
Thanks, Bob

Answer
From the description of the problem, it sounds like a bad starter. But if you saw a spark at the positive battery cable, that indicates a bad connection.  I would use battery cleaning tool that has the wire brush for the cable ends and the scraper for the battery posts (don't scrape off too much or the ends won't tighten).  If the battery is dirty and/or corroded, I would also clean if off with lots of baking soda dissolved in warm water and a brush.

I hope this helps,
Dave