brake lights - turn signals

[wizzy01]

this is my first post...i have a 1977 oldsmobile delta 88 403ci
brake lights went out, hazzards dont work, left turn signal work not the right. when i turn the headlights on rear lights still dont work
im thinking it could be short circuit some where, fuse keep blowing out
i just need some help on where to start like what and where, can cause and should i check like fuses, circuits i just need a lil intell plz...

oh by the way i did check the bulbs


thanks for reading my post C.O

[ozoneblue]

First off ,Has the car ever had a trailer hitch installed ? If so Delete all wireing going to it .Then unplug wireing harness in LH side of trunk Long black plug see if it still blows fuses .If so follow the harness under carpet & door sill this harness has aluminium wires in it ,It goes all tht way to fuse box. very bad about corrodeing & shorting out .Thats pretty much all your rear wirieng .From there its TS switch Good Luck

[Oldsguy]

Check all the sockets for corrosion or evidence of water intrusion first, every one of them. If you find some, cleaned it good. If you are blowing fuses, next, remove all the lamps in all the marker, turn signal and backup light fixtures (since you had inspected and cleaned them they should already be empty), and then put a new fuse in and see if it blows. If it does, then you have bad wiring or a bad turn signal flasher unit. If it does not, then add a know good lamp, one at a time and see when the fuse blows, when it does that is your bad fixture (socket) and replace it. If you dont' blow a fuse then you might have the problem fixed. See if all the functions work, if they do, great. If not, then you might have an open in the wiring or a bad fixture (socket) that is not shorted but open, replace it. Step-by-step elimination....
Good luck. To find an open wire you will most likely have to do a thorough inspection and remove some panels to find it. A volt-ohm meter would help if you know how to use one..

[wizzy01]

first off let me say thanks for the reply...tomorrow i will check the turn signal
switch in the colum i narrowed it down to the turn signal flasher or the turn signal switch cause i checked all the wires, bulbs, fuses today and everything is in tach. so it leave me to go after the t/s switch & t/s flasher...thank for the help, i will be checking back with yall thanks

[pinky]

switch or flasher ?

[New'n72]

Has this car sat for awhile? I have a '72 that sat in the garage for about 10 years. When I finally got around to getting it in shape I had flasher and turn signal problems out the kazoo.

The hazzard flasher is seperate from the signal flasher in my 72, by the way. I had to replace ALL my rear lamps, clean the grease out of the lamp sockets and replace with new and make sure that the spring loaded plungers in the bottom of the sockets still had spring to them, no hardened grease are other failure.

Symptoms were weird, one signal would work but no brake lights or brake lights on one side only and no turn signals, etc., etc..

I played around with testing the lamps and wires and trying to be methodical to analyze the problem but in the end I just replaced all the lamps even though they checked good ( they were probaly 25 years old, or more) with a meter.

Everything works now except the backup lights and that is a switch in the console which I have to take care of when I can.

[J-(Chicago)]

Do you have any more pics of that 72 ?!?!
I've never seen a dark green one before.
Wish I didn't junk mine.

[Olds64]

You know I have been having trouble with my brake lights and turn signals too. I have rear tail lights when I turn the headlights on, but I don't have brake lights or rear turn signals. The turn signals in the front and on the dash work and I hear the flasher relay. I also replaced the fuse for the brake light circuit but no luck!

I hate electrical problems on cars that are 30+ years old. Working with $6 million US Army radars everyday spoils me. The wiring in those is HIGH SPEED! In my $4000 car from 1964 the wiring is just 8 UP!

[New'n72]

here a few

When I bought this, there were 3 Cutlass convertables on the lot. It was August of 1972, St. Louis MO.

One was gold with a gold or tan top, mine which you see and a 442 that was pee green and white with a white interior.

I might have made a better investment with the 442 but I just fell in love with this dark green and tan interior.

I have never seen another like it.

[ozoneblue]

Try Grounding your Black wire at each socket,with a jumper wire to a known good ground.Sometimes its best to trace electrical problems in reverse.

[J-(Chicago)]

Nah. You definitely made the right choice. It's a beauty.
Too bad St.Louis is 4-5 hrs. away, and I'll probably never see it cruising around here in Illinois. Big state, top to bottom.

[J-(Chicago)]

I saw another one today! On Ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/Oldsmobile-455-R...QQcmdZViewItem

[New'n72]

That's amazing. 35 years and that's the first one I have seen with the same color combination.

Mine is not a restored vehicle so it is not quite so clean under the hood but otherwise it's a close match.

[Jim's rare 80]

Originally Posted by ozoneblue

Try Grounding your Black wire at each socket,with a jumper wire to a known good ground.Sometimes its best to trace electrical problems in reverse.

I second that. All the power, has to have a place to go. Loosen, and re-tighten all ground wires. Just because the screw is tight, doesn't mean the connection is good.