Replaced alternator & car won't start HELP

[hoybox]

I just replaced my alternator which had gone bad. I also had to install a new battery as the last one was cashed. The new battery is fully charged and i have power. Lights don't dim nor does the power shut off when i turn the ignition however all i get when i turn the key is a click. When the alternator was going out i was about 8 miles from my house and prayed that i'd make it home before it shut down completely. i made it fortunately. by the time i did the battery was pretty much completely dead and there was absolutely no power. would this affect any other parts of the electronics system? what do i do next? btw it's a '99 bonneville. any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

[Boreas]

Are you sure the battery connections are clean?

Same thing happened to be without the battery and alternator change. You can still have dome lighting but if your battery contacts are corroded or dirty the car still will not have enough juice to start up.

[alphalanos]

make sure its grounded properly

[hoybox]

i'll check it out. another question i do have though is exacly how tight should i attach the contacts to the battery. i think i overtightened last time and ended up leaking battery acid all over the place. i attacked the contacts with a wire brush for quite a while just before i put this battery on and they look pretty clean. thanks for the suggestions.

[alphalanos]

You dont want to tighten it so much that the posts get pulled out. Just enough so that you can tug on it a bit and it wont come loose. Double check all you your cables and make sure you plugged the alternator in as well.

[hoybox]

i checked on it and sure enough i tightened the positive contact about an 1/8 of a turn and the car took off. thanks again for the help. one more thing (this is kind of a strange question), after i let the car run for a few minutes the engine compartment started to smell sweet like perfume. i checked the lines and i handn't bumped the coolant hose off or anything. do they sometimes lube the inside of the alternator with something in particular during manufacture that would cause the smell?

[alphalanos]

That's possible. Just keep a close eye on it and make sure nothing is smoking or anything.