no tail lights

Old Mar 11, 2011 | 07:58 AM
  #1  
whojohnjones's Avatar
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no tail lights

On my 1983 buick park avenue I finished up my interior lighting problem and I thought everything was fine until at night I seen I had no taillights is there anything I could have unplugged inside the dash? Fuse is good
Old Mar 11, 2011 | 08:58 AM
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I always start at the bulb with my volt meter and work my way back to the fuse box. Do you have brake lights??
Old Mar 11, 2011 | 09:05 AM
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Get a schematic.
You're shooting in the dark without one.
You probably knocked a wire loose by the brake switch.

Old Mar 11, 2011 | 09:53 AM
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I have diagram but can't understand it for the life of me. Anybody know the wire colors brake lights turn signals flashers all work but tails
Old Mar 11, 2011 | 10:49 AM
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Originally Posted by whojohnjones
is there anything I could have unplugged inside the dash?
Headlight switch wires come to mind.
Old Mar 11, 2011 | 10:50 AM
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Do the rear side markers or lic plate lights work? Those should be on the same circuit and will point to the location of the trouble. If those do not work the problem may be in the connector from the rear body harness somewhere under the dash.
Old Mar 11, 2011 | 02:13 PM
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No they don't work either. How would the harness look
Old Mar 11, 2011 | 03:27 PM
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Had the same problem recently with a eary Nova - seems the owner knocked the curved plug from the steering column loose - plugged it in, and everything worked!
Old Mar 11, 2011 | 04:33 PM
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I didn't notice anything from the column loose. On the diagram the wire to the lights is brown but it seems to come from passenger side until door post it runs from driver is this posible
Old Mar 11, 2011 | 04:53 PM
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If the dash lights aren't working, since they're with the tailights, it's gotta be the circuit!
If the taillights aren't working themseves, it's the wires!
There shoud be a GROUND wire, usually black, somewhere around the L/R wheelhouse, in the trunk.
Make sure that's connected,and it's grounded to bare metal.
If that doesnt do it, trace the wires from the back to front, looking for damage - should be on the drivers side, all the way up.
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