taillights don't work/fuse blowing

[joyride]

what would cause this?

the brake lights work when the pedal is pushed in, but besides that...nothing.

i've replaced the fuse a couple times now, what could be the problem? do i need to take out the taillight lenses and visually inspect the wiring, or crawl underneath and check out some grounds?

anyone else ever had this problem? Thanks in advance for any help!

sorry meant to say this is a 99 yukon...

---------- Post added at 11:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:37 PM ----------

Just looked at the fusebox underneath the hood and on the driver side of the dash....i found nothing wrong with any related fuses either...but you'd think there would be...i'm...confused.

 

[blizz]

I have the same problem with my left turn signal. As soon as I hit it it blows the fuse. Not the break lights and not the right signal, just the left. I bought a new turn signal switch and will install it soon. I'm interested to find out what happens with yours. It's obviously a short somewhere, try looking over the trailer hook up, try new bulbs and/or new circuit boards.

 

[joyride]

I have the same problem with my left turn signal. As soon as I hit it it blows the fuse. Not the break lights and not the right signal, just the left. I bought a new turn signal switch and will install it soon. I'm interested to find out what happens with yours. It's obviously a short somewhere, try looking over the trailer hook up, try new bulbs and/or new circuit boards.

Thanks, I'll give something a try! lol I also forgot to mention that I've replaced the headlight switch a couple years ago with a junkyard one, but maybe it's time for another as well? The headlights and/or dash lights only come on when I turn the knob for the HL switch all the way to the right, that doesn't seem right does it?

I've cleaned a ground underneath the truck in the back end before thinking it'd help with the gas gauge as, in my own 2001 s10 the fuel pump harness ties into the taillight harness, so i assumed since it's the same motor plus 2 cylinders than my own s10, if i cleaned up that ground it'd help out the gas gauge also...maybe i'll look into some other grounds along the frame or underneath somewhere, as take a look at the taillights and bulbs themselves too.

Any other ideas I should take a look at?

 

[Shoyoas]

does the fuse blow with park lights on? Reason I ask is the tail lights come on with both settings where as the head lights only come on in the second light position. If the fuse is blowing as soon as you turn any lights on it could be the wiring to tail lights or head lights. sounds like you've got a short in a wire somewhere. a bad ground wont blow a fuse if I remember correctly.

 

[joyride]

Ok so I'm out here right now with the yukon. headlights work fine i guess, but taillights don't. all fuses related i think seem fine unless i'm missing something i don't know. apparently my bro broke the back door latch so we can't open that up to take a look at the taillights and it's wiring/bulbs but i'm working on that right now....

---------- Post added at 09:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:26 PM ----------

Well I fixed the tailgate latch, but no luck on the other shit. I did take out a multiimeter and got power to the taillight connector only on the brake light wire i assume it was...but on the other 2 wire terminals on the connector that weren't black...i got nothing..one is fine i assume because it'd be the back up light which we never put it in reverse so its understandable we got no voltage on that one...but the other one...never got a pulse on that bad boy....with the headlight switch on or off, nada...so does that mean that wire is bad, the connector is bad only one that terminal orrrrr, the headlight switch is bad?

also noticed that our highbeams don't work...the light in the dash doesn't turn on either when you flip the highbeams on....

any ideas?

---------- Post added at 10:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:45 PM ----------

I may have mislead people with the subject saying the fuse was blowing, it appears the fuses are fine...only reason i mentiond the fuse blowing is because last time we had this problem the fuse blew so i just assumed it was blowing again...but it seemed fine today after i looked at it...

i went and took out the taillights, and took out the 2 bolts connecting them to the actual tailight...and switched bulbs...with one known good one, and apparently both bulbs are fine...for the brake light are just the regular taillight bulb...both are fine...

i checked the terminals on the connector with a multimeter like i mentioned in my last post...and the only one that had voltage, was the actual brake light terminal, but only when the taillight was pressed in, which makes sense obviously, that and when the turn signal lever was pulled to the left then it would get varying voltage from 3-7 volts...again, makes sense, turn signal.

anyways...the other terminals didn't get shit for voltage, i didnt check the one with the black wire going to it, assuming it was a ground...and the other 2 besides the actual brake light terminal, i checked as well with no voltage going to either and of course it makes sense for one of those remaining 2 not to have any volts because i never put the truck in reverse so yeah....

so it seems like that wire or just terminal isn't getting power like it needs to....what do you blame that on?

 

[Shoyoas]

First you need a wiring diagram for the lights. then you need to follow your voltage from battery to light to determine where you are loosing it. could be the switch or a broken, corroded wire etc. only way to know for sure is to test until no voltage is found. The switch should have low resistance in the on position so that's an easy check to do.

 

[joyride]

Thanks. I'll have to do just that. Appreciate it.

 

[joyride]

Appears to be the headlight switch. After work today, I came out, doublechecked the fuses for the hell of it, seem fine. Then went onto trying to shake and wiggle the headlight switch and eventually the lights came on!!!

So tomorrow, I'll take the dash off and see if maybe the connection is bad or loose or whatever, but probably will just replace the HL switch anyways. I guess I'll find out tomorrow because I'll definitely look at the HL switch and it's connection before going to spend money.

 

[joyride]

Anddddddd another problem. Yesterday when I went to take the taillight out of it's holder or whatever, the car was running and it automatically shut off...I thought it was a loose battery cable, tightened it back up and it started back up...Go out there this morning, and it's dead, won't start. I'm gonna double check the battery connections again but what else could it possibly be? It straight died last night as I was pulling the taillight out with it running, that's it...Weird.

 

[1999hoe]

Maybe you have a bad ground somewhere ? Check the connections