[blackberryman]

hey guys.. im very new to the old cars and just got my first. Just bought a 1967 camaro and shes a beautiful ride. Was driving home tonight and all of a sudden the instrument lights, tail lights and turn signal lights that are usually on just stopped working. I have head lights but that's it. WTF?? i checked the fuses and they looked ok. I replaced some anyway just to be sure but still no dice. Even when i hit the brakes there's nothing. What do i do and where should i start? just bought the car and love it but cant drive her..

 

[irish420]

I would start with the harness and connectors under the dash....check the connections and make sure they are good and tight. Follow those to the trunk and check all the connectors/harness's in the trunk area....start there and get back to us with the result...lots of GREAT GUYS/GIRLS here with vast knowledge of the ALL-MIGHTY CAMARO.....

WELCOME TO THE BOARD!!!

 

[Orange68SS]

Sometimes in the old fuse boxes you will get corrosion on the connectors that hold the fuses. Take out the fuses and use some wet/dry light grit sand paper and clean the contacts of corrosion. It is the tiny fuse that runs the dash and the running lights, start with that one. Also, the connector gets distorted and does not clamp down on the fuse, check to see if the fuse is clamped tight.

 

[deputystoneman]

i put a new turn signal swithch in my 68 and evertime i used the turn signal the lights shorted out. the new wires on the switch in the column were a bit too long and were shorting out the circuits. the fyse kept on blowing.

my friend had some tpye of device that afret we took apart the steering column, it detected the short before it occurred, saving fuses and allowed to fund the problem. two short wire nips and problem solved.

 

[blackberryman]

Sometimes in the old fuse boxes you will get corrosion on the connectors that hold the fuses. Take out the fuses and use some wet/dry light grit sand paper and clean the contacts of corrosion. It is the tiny fuse that runs the dash and the running lights, start with that one. Also, the connector gets distorted and does not clamp down on the fuse, check to see if the fuse is clamped tight.

the tiny fuse??? they all look the same size to me? thought it was the ten amp fuse?

 

[blackberryman]

the tiny fuse??? they all look the same size to me? thought it was the ten amp fuse?

 

[yellow69RS]

The stop, tail and turn are all on the same fuse. It will be the same size as most, the inst lps fuse is smaller (like 1/2 inch long). Check to be sure all the fuses have power on both sides with the key on first. The inst lps won't have power until the tail lights are on.

Jeff

 

[deejaygee]

I had the same problem on my 67 and 69. On the 67, the harness was pinched and shorting out around the steering column (I had lowered the column to fix something and probably pinched the harness when reassembling). On the 69, the short was in the console as one of the illumination (gray) wires was in contact with the shifter itself and shorting out like crazy.

A good trick is to disconnect sections of the harness (e.g. the wires running to the middle and back of the car) to isolate the problem. Good luck, it can get frustrating but when you find it it'll be real obvious.

 

[Orange68SS]

the tiny fuse??? they all look the same size to me? thought it was the ten amp fuse?

Maybe the fuse box is different on 67 than my 68, but this is the fuse I was referring to:

 

[blackberryman]

guys.. thanks for all the help thus far... here is a picture of the fuse box.... which one controls the running lights/brake lights/instrument panel

also... to just restate.. looking through some posts there are step by step ways to fix and troubleshoot the gauge lights but i have no running lights at all so this must be a grounding prob and not in the light switch....can it? are all these lights connected to one ground maybe?? the turn signals work!!! this is too odd

 

[Orange68SS]

Sorry I couldn't help you Justin, being that mine is a 68 my fuse box is totally different than yours. But I did have the same issue as you last summer when I was driving home from a car show and turned on my lights and noticed I had no instrument lights and running lights, just headlights. The culprit for me was a broken fuse clip that (loose) was not clamping down on the small fuse that runs all of that.

 

[Everett#2390]

Running lights and inst lights are from the same power source, the headlamp switch.
Inst lights have another control in the circuit after the headlamp switch and it is the headlamp rheostat - turn the bejesus on the knob. Both lighting circuits have the same power source. Inst & lights, two separate fuses.

Stop lights have battery power, a separate power source from the headlamps/tailights.
However, they go through the turn signal switch and hazard switch. Hazard switch overrules the t/signal & brake lights and t/signal switch overrules the brake lights.

There is a fuse for the INST (fourth fuse up from the bottom) and STOP/tail lamps(bottom fuse). Check for power at both ends of the fuse because as suggested, the sockets do rust and/or lose the tension to squeeze against the fuse. Other than this, it can be a iring, more like a harness connector, failure.

 

[blackberryman]

so probably the problem the in the headlight switch? when i press the brakes ive got nothing and nothing when i pull the switch on.. it was acting funny tho the other day so maybe ill try the switch first..

 

[blackberryman]

I would start with the harness and connectors under the dash....check the connections and make sure they are good and tight. Follow those to the trunk and check all the connectors/harness's in the trunk area....start there and get back to us with the result...lots of GREAT GUYS/GIRLS here with vast knowledge of the ALL-MIGHTY CAMARO.....

WELCOME TO THE BOARD!!!

connectors look good.. i have hazards and turn signals but no gauge lights or brake/running lights... this really blows

 

[prostreet69camaro]

Justin,

Where do you live at?

 

[Everett#2390]

If you have hazards, you should check for voltage on the brake light switch.
Taillights are from the headlamp switch. If you have front parking lights, the same power feeds rear tailights, brown wire.

 

[yellow69RS]

If you have hazards, you should check for voltage on the brake light switch.
Taillights are from the headlamp switch. If you have front parking lights, the same power feeds rear tailights, brown wire.

And the tail light power feed the gage lights.

And the wrist bone's connected to the party bone.

Jeff

 

[blackberryman]

houston texas

 

[jptex22]

Hi Blackberry,
Did you ever find the solution? I replaced my turning signal cam/switch last night and have the exact same symptoms (one step forward - two steps back!).

Headlights work, turning signals work but no tail lights, no brake lights, no dash/gauge lights.

If you figured it out PLEASE share!

p.s. I'm in Houston, TX also - and I'm an umm 67 Firebird owner - hey, can't we all just get along LOL

Thanks again!
JP

 

[69-Pace]

1967 Factory wiring fuse panel.

Did you click the high-beam foot switch and did it make any difference or pop the doors?

Brian