I have a 1999 Camaro Z/28. The headlights aren't working. The tail lights work. The fog lights work, the interior lights work. Headlights, no. High-Beams, no.

A while back, the headlights cut out on me and wouldn't come back on for a while. I noticed a ticking sound from the dash. The lights came back on but every now and then, they cut out for a few seconds.

Not too long ago, there was a puff of smoke that emerged from the defogger vent. After that, They stopped working entirely (aside from the rest of the lights, which I have already mentioned.

I pulled the headlight switch and checked the wiring The big yellow wire and big red wire were grounded. I pulled the plugs from the bulbs and the yellow wire was out of the circuit entirely. he red one was still grounded. When I flipped the switch, the yellow grounded (as the connection was made with the red wire).

I pulled the center apart (vents, stereo, climate controls) and noticed the big red wire going into the module behind the stereo had worn through and grounded itself against the support brace for the dash. I verified that the big red and big yellow wires from the headlight switch were, indeed the ones going to the module behind the stereo. I soldered the broken parts of the wire back together and Sealed it with a double layer of shrink tubing. That eliminated the grounding issue for the red wire going to the auto-light module and the manual switch.

The lights still don't work. Since all of the fuses in all 3 fuse boxes are good, I can only assume there is a fuse or fusible link somewhere closer to the branch off from the battery and I have no idea where it is.

Also, once the grounding was fixed, the yellow wire was no longer grounded with the light bulbs not plugged in . . . except when I flipped the high-beam switch. Then the yellow wire was grounded again (still without the lights being pugged in, so the circuit should not have been completed). I am worried that the high-beam relay was fried.

So, to sum up, does anyone know where I can find the fuse or fusible link for the hot wire going to the headlight switch? Does anyone know where the high-beam relay is and whether I do, in fact, need a new one?

Thank you

 

The headlight circuit is protected by a fusible link (Fusible Link Z) located at the back of Junction Box #2 under the hood in front of the left wheelhouse. Junction Box #2 is the one with the starter relay and ignition relay. The fusible link is black but so are several others so you'll have to find the right one by looking for the one that is fried.

There is no relay for the high beam headlights. You would see a ground there because the fog lights ground through the high beam circuit - that's why the fog lights turn off when you switch on the high beams - so you are seeing a back feed ground through the fog lights when testing from the switch or the DRL module.

 

Thank you, Mr. Bird. I will look for the link. BTW, I thought I posted this in the forums. Am I wrong about that? If so, I apologize.

 

It took me a moment to figure out what you were asking about posting in the forums...

Yes, you did post in the forums just as you should. The message at the bottom of my post is part of my signature which is added automatically to all of my posts so I don't think about it much - I didn't add it specifically to my response to you. It is intended to encourage members who read my posts to post questions in the forums where others can benefit from the discussion rather than sending questions to me personally as private messages.

You can add your own signature by clicking User CP (User Control Panel) in the menu bar then selecting Edit Signature under Settings & Options. Members often include information about their vehicle and any modifications they've made in their signature.