[hamjet]

OR:
(Remove battery cable from battery and see if it sparks when you touch cable back to battery post. Remove Alt wires, then see if battery cable still sparks. Take your own chances with sparks around a battery.) Alot of good advice, but I would remove the ground from the opposite end of the battery, like from the engine. it doesn't happen often but sparks near a battery can be bad. also wear safety glasses at minimum when fooling with bats...google exploding auto batteries, it'll scare you... it did me...