My dad has a 91 F-150 XLT Lariat with a V8. i might sound dumb saying 'with a V8' but i dont know the history of Ford trucks. anyways, the truck died on me on my way back home after i dropped him off to work. i was putting the truck from reverse into drive and it just died. i turned the key off, put it back in, turned it, the dash and everything lit up, but when i tried to start it, the heard just one click. sounds like its coming from the starter. thats what it does every single time i try to start it. but i left the truck there over the afternoon and came back around 5pm. the battery cables were still hot! at this point, it seems like everytime i charge up the battery and hook it up, the truck keeps making the clicking sound and the battery cables heat up really quick. they heat up even when the ignitions off. so can someone tell me whats wrong, what they think is wrong, or what i can do. we've determined its not the battery, all the truck does is drain it when its hooked up and make the click when we try to start it. and yes, we've tried jump starting it. help!

 

Starter solenoid shorted??

 

how would i determine if thats the problem? or is the click a symptom of that?

 

1. Is it Hot?
2. does it have power on both posts, even with the key off? (It switches power to the starter during "CRANK" only...)

 

yea the battery wires a hot once i hook them up to the terminals.
umm yea there power at the posts, i negative sparks when i hook it up after the positive, that suggests that there's power doesnt it? so what do i do know?