What and how to fix my car after crossing the battery cables. my dash lighs are so dim there hard to see, nothing when trying to start it.would my starter button bypass the soleniod??

make sure car is in park or neutral, if still nothing, make sure battery terminals are clean, just because the dash lights work does not mean there is good enough connection at the battery to start the car. Make sure battery is fully charged. If still nothing, sometimes giving the starter a tap with a hammer will get it going again. Good luck.

is the engine running at 800 rpm or more.
if engine RPM is way low the Alternator will die out.
trans light , where is that? name it. exactly
lets focus first on the engine, and RPM
does the dash have a tachmeter, ? yes, then use that.
we keep a hand tachometer (optical , ready for no tach cars)
RPM is everything.... maxwells laws. and such.
1: rpm 800 or more all the time. rule 1, do not skip this.
2: belt to ALT not slipping'
3: battery good. terminals on battery cables tight both ends and
NOT PACKED in green corrosion, .
4: alternator case is grounded good.
5: The connection and ALT, all good.
6: you key on, and the dash charge light must turn on,
if not fix that now, on old cars, the dash light , causes the ALT to self excite, if the lamp burns out the alternator boots up DEAD.
or fails every other car starts. (does)
7: new alt is the wrong alt. zillion wrong ones, only 1 works.

try the spare key if you have one may well be the transponder in the key not reading to allow it to start

Might need to check the main circuits for a blown fuse or fuseable link.
There is a fuse wire between the alternator and battery.

You need to have a good battery in it. There are to many computer controlled opponents. Put a new or known good battery in it and try it. If it doesn't start then check for fire at the plugs and fuel pressure at the fuel rail.

Clean your Batterys positive and negative connections both post and cables then charge Battery

Evidently, you shorted out something. Strange that the accessory / dash fuse hasn't blown. 1) Unhook the CD, tape all the loose wires and see if dashboard operates normally. 2) make sure you are hooking the CD yellow wire (battery) and the red wire (ignition) to the proper sources. A normal CD installation has nothing to do with the dash/ dimmer circuit.

Hi, The problem is likely to be the starter soleniod, but check all your connections to battery first

try over riding the starter relay on the fender ,it has one there right?. dont go to a mechanic yet. the engine aint seized. if it doesnt have this relay then i would get the alternator tested. if you want to test it yourself it can be costly for the right equip. autozone usually tests for free. i dont know were you live so if theres not an autozone. let me know if you cant get it tested.

Is the battery light on when key out of switch?