Why on an 83 el camino do the brake lights come on with the headlights and stay on but wont come on when the brake is depressed and the blinkers dont work in the rear either info?

Answer 1

sounds like the brake switch is not working properly. it is located behind the foot brake control arm. most have to be adjusted to work right. sound also like the wiring has been reversed in the rear at the lights. The other thing to check is the flasher unit. it may be one problem or it could be several at the same time. It could be a bad ground connection for the lighting wiring harness. check that first. hope it helps. duboff The park light circuit can connect to the brake/signal circuit by dropping a broken element inside a lightbulb,, it's rare, but I have seen it twice in 25 years. The tail-lights are supposed to come on with the lights. The brake lights have a second element to make then light even brighter when the brakes are activated. So there is off, primary on and then secondary on. You need to check your brake fuse first; usually marked TAIL LAMP, BRAKE, or STOP. If it's not stamped what's what then a user or shop manual is helpful. You can also pull each fuse and visibly check them for a broken link. Likewise you can swap any two fuses of the same voltage and note any changes. Crawl down near the pedal and play with the brake switch as mentioned above. When the pedal travels the button pops up and closes the circuit thus turning on the brake lights. Wiggle the connector and see if anything changes. Try jumping the contacts on the connector with a wire and see if it works. If you get it to work it may need to be cleaned or replaced. Then make sure the pedal and switch are adjusted to come on and turn off at the right time. One last thing is to make sure you have the right bulbs in there. If someone put side marker or parking light bulbs in then it won't have a secondary stage of brightness. Lastly, you need to check the fuse for the signals, and the flasher switch that plugs in under the dash or fuse panel. The older ones are round and the newer are square. Usually have a couple prongs to plug them in. If you can't find it just buy a new one at your local parts store and don't try it until you check yours. Most won't take a return if you install the part. If you are not seeing the blink indicators on the dash at all it is possible the turn signal switch inside the steering column is bad. You have to remove the steering wheel to get to it. This part is broken on many older cars, often called the turn signal cam. I know the frustration trying to fix wiring someone got mixed up before you owned the car. If all else fails take it to an automotive electrician or get ready to start replacing the harnesses, switch and the whole kaboodle! Just my lengthly two cents.