I just recently purchased a 1990 Ranger XLT. Changed the starter out and then connected the battery. The problem is that both cables are black. I connected the one that has several small cables to the positive and the single cable to the negative. It sparked a bit, the lights came on inside the truck and the dash but wouldn’t start. There was also a strong electrical smell inside the truck after this. When I removed the negative terminal, there were small indentions left in the terminal.

Any idea if it was wrong cables connected?

 

So... you disconnected the cables and didn't remember how they were when you started?

You don't need to disconnect both terminals... just the ground (-). That would have left no doubt as to how to hook it back up. From the image, it looks like you reversed the connections and may have let the magic smoke out of some of the electrical system.

 

I would have if there was one but the battery wasn’t present and the starter removed already. First time working on vehicles so it’s a learning curve. Thank you

 

The one with two wires looks to be the negative, while the one arching over it is the positive that feeds the fuse block.