just reinstalled back bumper on my 72 cutlass s after a paint job and the running lights arent working, i have brake lights and directionals. i checked the fuses and all checked out except the tail light fuse shows that it has ground on the right side of the fuse. i am wondering if the headlight switch is no good. the reverse lights arent working either after new neutral saftey switch, gonig crazy checking wires any help will be appreciated. also the parking lights did work before i took the car apart last spring but reverse lights never worked

 

A short to the right of the fuse is a problem. If the shorts stays there with the switch pushed in (lights off) then either the light switch has a short internally, OR the brown/white wire leading to the switch from the fuse box is pinched to the chassis somewhere.

If the short only stays there when the switch is pulled to parking light position, then the check the brown wires from the parking, tail, and side marker lights for pinching to ground.

Did you replace the light switch??

For the reverse lights, locate the green/white wire and the solid green wire at the neutral/reverse switch. Take a voltage reading at both with key on ignition and engine off. Should have 12V at both. If at the green/white only, then the reverse switch is bad or not adjusted right. If you do not have 12V at either AND the turn signals work, then there is an open in the green/white wire.

Hope this helps...

 

it is only shorting with the switch on, i havent replaced the switch yet but will to cancel it as a problem, tracing the wires is going to screw up my awesome tape job which will suck, never mind on the reverse light just got them working the switch needed some adjusting

 

IF the fuse is not blown the ground you are finding on the bulb side of the fuse is the circuit caused by the bulb in the lights if you removed all the bulbs the ground would go away . If the brown wire was shorted to ground it would blow the fuse when power is applied to the other side.

 

If you take a test light hooked to positive and touch it to the side you find grounded , it should burn bright if it is shorted to metal .

 

Okay, so this narrows it down. Do not untape it all yet.
You had the bumpers off, so look back at the wiring to see if one of them got pinched. Do you have an underhood light installed? Check the brown wire for it over the brake booster to see if it is shorted to ground.
Recheck sockets, too. Remove bulbs and see if the short goes away, using your meter at the fuse.

 

the brown is showing ground on the terminal inside the trunk without the outer lights hooked up. i will try pulling the lights on the side amrkers to see if and when the ground goes away maybe that will give a clearer idea or where the problem is.

 

Try pulling the bulbs and see if you actually have 12v at the socket contacts. If no, work your way back towards the switch at each connector.

 

I assumed you checked all around the bumper mountings and brackets for wire pinching, as those would be the high risk areas since you had it off...

 

im starting to think that it has something to do with my front wiring harness as it was a mess of cut wire that i put back together. i am going to check all the front wires tonight and hopefully i find the problem, is assume the front and back parking lights are related.

 

i figured out the problem and everything is know working thanks for the help.

 

We always like to know what the cure was.

 

What was the end problem?