1995 neon wont start after i changed the alternator why?

i changed my alternator in my neon.. and now the car wont start ... i go to turn it on and all i get is a clicking noise... lights and everything else willgo on but the engine wont even try and turn over
1995 neon wont start after i changed the alternator why?
got a volt meter ? battery should read 13-15v if charged. if battery is good , make sure those terminals are clean and tight. car should start with out an alternator even installed. it only charges the battery and powers all electrical accessories when the engine is running. a charged battery %26amp; starter is what starts the car. sounds like the battery could be the problem all along. might have bought alternator for nothing.
1995 neon wont start after i changed the alternator why?
depending on the symptoms of what the car was doing before you changed it, the battery could be dead as well.
This does sound like a weak battery, the clicking is the starter trying to power up and it cant so it releases and click...



Try turning on the lights then turn the engine over, if the light go out it is the battery.



If you ran the battery dead enough you could have shorted cells.
Need a new battery. If possible, go to your local parts store (after a jump, of course), have them throw a load tester on the battery to read how good it is. Sounds like the battery is shot, and since you've determined the alternator was bad, with nothing going to that battery for x amount of time will kill the cells in the battery. Change it, should work. But I'd test it first.



If a new battery doesn't fix the problem, check your starter. The contacts may be bad, and you may need to resurface/replace them. Also, check your starter sylinoid. This is only if the battery doesn't fix the problem.
Your car should start without the alternator even installed. The battery sounds dead. If it died a lot before you replaced the alternator, it's probably bad. Or, the connections to the battery aren't clean and tight.