97 camaro brake light issues
05-01-2019, 06:35 AM
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97 camaro brake light issues Hi guys I have a 1997 Chevrolet Camaro that when I turn it on my two main brake lights come on turn off when I depress the brake pedal. Alternatively my third brake light works properly. it's got a brand new brake switch and good bulbs. Seems like some wires got crossed somewhere and considering this is a Fix-It ticket for me now I need to take care of it so any help that I can get is appreciated.
Thank you in advance gentlemen
Strangest thing ever..
Thank you in advance gentlemen
Strangest thing ever..
05-01-2019, 07:19 AM
#2
Is this with the headlights on or off? If on, I would suspect a bad ground at the taillights causing current to back feed from running lights to brake lights. Then when the brakes are on, current can't flow because there's power on both sides of the circuit so the bulbs don't illuminate.
If the headlights are off then there's some other problem because there shouldn't be any power there at all. Do the turn signals work properly? Has there been any wiring changes in the back (perhaps because of rear end damage or replacing the taillights with 1998+ versions with amber turn signals)?
If the headlights are off then there's some other problem because there shouldn't be any power there at all. Do the turn signals work properly? Has there been any wiring changes in the back (perhaps because of rear end damage or replacing the taillights with 1998+ versions with amber turn signals)?
05-01-2019, 03:53 PM
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g6 gt aftermarket head unit installed no sound from Monsoon app I installed a aftermarket head unit in my Pontiac G6 GT. It's a touch screen double din $50 head unit worth Bluetooth. Initially it worked but now I am not getting any sound from my speakers. I wanted to bypass the monsoon amp. Any easy suggestions because I do not have money for harnesses and new speakers
05-01-2019, 04:03 PM
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I installed a aftermarket head unit in my Pontiac G6 GT. It's a touch screen double din $50 head unit worth Bluetooth. Initially it worked but now I am not getting any sound from my speakers. I wanted to bypass the monsoon amp. Any easy suggestions because I do not have money for harnesses and new speakers
05-02-2019, 04:01 AM
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DTRL, but its the same when I turn the lights on manually. The signals work properly as do the hazards and reverse lights. I am probably the fourth owner but since its been in my possession, the only damage to the body was on the side of the car at the fuel door when a girl backed into me in a parking lot. I did put aftermarket lenses on it, but I dont think that would have made a wiring issue.
Would an Amp (or two) grounded to the same place on the chassis be a possible cause? There was an existing amplifier ground in the rear when I bought the car and I added another one to a factory ground which I would assume is the brake light system ground. I have 3 12's, 2 on a 1000 watt amp and one on a 600 watt amp in the back. and grounded to factory grounds.
Im not even sure if this issue began since I purchased the vehicle.or if it existed before...
Would an Amp (or two) grounded to the same place on the chassis be a possible cause? There was an existing amplifier ground in the rear when I bought the car and I added another one to a factory ground which I would assume is the brake light system ground. I have 3 12's, 2 on a 1000 watt amp and one on a 600 watt amp in the back. and grounded to factory grounds.
Im not even sure if this issue began since I purchased the vehicle.or if it existed before...
05-02-2019, 07:37 AM
#6
Are the aftermarket lenses still all red? In other words, it was just plug-and-play with the original sockets and wiring just plugging into the new lamps? I mentioned replacement taillights because installing the 98+ lamps requires rewiring to separate the turn signals from the brake lights. If no rewiring was done then that wouldn't be the problem.
Using the same ground location for amps is more likely to cause problems with the amps (noise) than with the lights unless the ground itself is bad (which would cause the current back feed I mentioned). You could try removing the amp ground wires as a test to determine if the symptoms change.
Do the brake lights only come on with the ignition? They're not on all the time? That would indicate a problem someplace other than the brake light circuit because the brake lights (and the parking/running lights) are battery powered... available whether the ignition is on or not. Even the hazard lights are battery powered. The turn signals and backup lights are the only ones requiring the ignition to be on.
Are you sure the lights that come on are the bright filament (brakes and turn signals) or could they be the dim filament (running lights)? Those are separate circuits so confirming which is lighting up would help in tracking the problem.
Do you have a test light for further diagnostics work? If so, we can go through testing which wires are carrying power in order to determine which circuit is causing the problem. A test light is better suited to this situation than a multimeter because the tip is designed to probe through the wire insulation but we can work with a multimeter if necessary.
Using the same ground location for amps is more likely to cause problems with the amps (noise) than with the lights unless the ground itself is bad (which would cause the current back feed I mentioned). You could try removing the amp ground wires as a test to determine if the symptoms change.
Do the brake lights only come on with the ignition? They're not on all the time? That would indicate a problem someplace other than the brake light circuit because the brake lights (and the parking/running lights) are battery powered... available whether the ignition is on or not. Even the hazard lights are battery powered. The turn signals and backup lights are the only ones requiring the ignition to be on.
Are you sure the lights that come on are the bright filament (brakes and turn signals) or could they be the dim filament (running lights)? Those are separate circuits so confirming which is lighting up would help in tracking the problem.
Do you have a test light for further diagnostics work? If so, we can go through testing which wires are carrying power in order to determine which circuit is causing the problem. A test light is better suited to this situation than a multimeter because the tip is designed to probe through the wire insulation but we can work with a multimeter if necessary.
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05-03-2019, 01:40 PM
#8
Okay, so you want to remove all the bulbs from their sockets to eliminate back feed current through the bulb filaments. You'll find three wires at each socket - brown for running light power, black for ground, and another color for brake/turn signals (dark green on the right, yellow on the left). Connect the clip of your test light to the ground bolt near the hatch latch. Turn on the ignition (leave the headlights and parking lights off) and use the probe to test for power in the brown wire and the yellow and dark green wires. There should be no power on them. Just to be sure you have a good ground, turn on your headlights or parking lights and check the brown wire again. This time you should have power.
If your test light doesn't light when testing the brown wire with the lights on then you have a bad ground (or a bad test light). If your test light illuminates when testing the wires with the lights off then you've found why the lamps are acting weird. Note whether it's the brown, yellow, or dark green wire that has power and we can look at those circuits for why.
If your test light doesn't light when testing the brown wire with the lights on then you have a bad ground (or a bad test light). If your test light illuminates when testing the wires with the lights off then you've found why the lamps are acting weird. Note whether it's the brown, yellow, or dark green wire that has power and we can look at those circuits for why.