96 Lumina Car - No Console or Tail Lights

[writeroxie]

No console or tail-lights! i've checked all the obvious stuff and every fuse and relay in the car looks fine. i DO think something may've gotten wet, lots of puddles recently.

someone mentioned an 'in-line fuse' problem, but i wouldnt even know where to start looking for them? Any tips?

NOTE: the headlights & brake lights work fine. The blinkers/hazards work sometimes right away, and other times they take 10 or more minutes to come on (i've been using them as "tail lights' when driving in the dark to work).

Any ideas? Advice? Thanks!

[Manny_boy]

Not sure if your parking light switch is similar to mine (someone here clarify this for me), but the 90-94 lumina's had a problem with the headlight/parking light switch cluster - the metal contacts for the parking light switch get loose or dirty, and if you jiggle the switch they turn on and off... I believe that switch controls your console and parking lights (it controls mine) - I just removed my switch cluster from my dash, then cleaned and re-bent the metal contacts and it worked fine... (either that or pickup a switch from the J/Y)

[jeffcoslacker]

Originally Posted by Manny_boy

Not sure if your parking light switch is similar to mine (someone here clarify this for me), but the 90-94 lumina's had a problem with the headlight/parking light switch cluster - the metal contacts for the parking light switch get loose or dirty, and if you jiggle the switch they turn on and off... I believe that switch controls your console and parking lights (it controls mine) - I just removed my switch cluster from my dash, then cleaned and re-bent the metal contacts and it worked fine... (either that or pickup a switch from the J/Y)

My '97 has the twilight sentinel, I don't think I've ever used the headlight switch. It wouldn't suprise me if it went bad someday, just from never being used, and caused something like this. You may be onto something.

If both of those are on the same fuse, though, I'd check into it a little closer. Those little fuses can be hard to determine if they're bad by looking at them. I always test fuses with a test light, to remove all doubt.

[writeroxie]

the plot thickens...

okay, i've tested all the fuses and relay boxes with a light test. everything lit up. i figured it MUST be this headlight switch, especially after reading on the internet about how common a problem they can be for 96 luminas. i take the cheap route and grab one from the junkyard for $48 bucks. Put it in, the tails and console are still out. So I'm guessing it's gotta be something other than the switch?

i bring the car to a mechanic friend of mine who pulled the (junkyard) switch out and tested all the connections on the plug (where the switch attaches) he uses his pointy wire thing to "jump" the switch and when he does this, he gets the taillights and console lights to come on! So they are getting power and all. now the mechanic is CERTAIN I got a 'bad' switch from the junkyard. I take it back and they give me another. no cash refunds The next switch (#3!) still doesn't work. I call the mechanic friend back and tell him this. he is STILL CERTAIN its gotta be the switch, especially after bypassing it successfully. i bite the bullet and go to a dealer for a NEW switch (#4 for $122!!!) pop it in... still no lights! I immediately return the NEW switch.

Now what? Any ideas on WHAT ELSE could possibly be the problem?

[GTuck]

Does anyone know a fix for this? My Lumina is doing the exact same thing.

[GTuck]

One more thing, my car has a remote starter. When I start the car with the remote starter the tail lights and the console are on. The second I push down on the brake to put the car in reverse or drive the console and the tail lights go out. When I use the remote to unlock the doors the tail lights flash.

[writeroxie]

Originally Posted by GTuck

One more thing, my car has a remote starter. When I start the car with the remote starter the tail lights and the console are on. The second I push down on the brake to put the car in reverse or drive the console and the tail lights go out. When I use the remote to unlock the doors the tail lights flash.

hi there,
so i got rid of my lumina earlier this year (wouldnt pass the inspection and i was just DONE with it), BUT I did "fix" the switch before i traded her in... and it worked fine. By the way, I use the word "fix" loosely.

If you're a little technically inclined, read on... otherwise this might sound like too much for some friggen lights. Like MacGyver, listen to this mickeymouse-job... I noticed that my mechanic friend had luck when he "jumped" some of the holes (this is the connector that hang's out of the dashboard when you pull the panel off, which has little slack to make things extra-fun). I'm no electrician, but i took a jumper wire (with the roachclips on the ends) and clipped a paperclip into each one(so they'd fit into those tiny holes), used the paperclips to poke 2 different holes in that connector. Sometimes sparks would fly, other times i would start to see a pattern (certain lights would come on when a certain pair of holes were poked/jumped). Well I wrote down what had worked and what lights came on and which ones were dangerous, and by process of elimination I then realized if I could just permanently have 2 of those pins connected at all times (bypassing the switch), all the lights would probably stay on. SO... I cut a small piece of wire (about 2 or 3 inches long) and inside the actual switch (NOT the connector that the switch plugs into), I found the corresponding "pins" that would plug into those 2 holes I wanted to bypass and i soldered the wire on, then coated it with super glue. Plugged it in, and everything worked fine ever since.

One problem, I couldn't tell you WHICH 2 pins they were. This probably didn't, but I hope this helps somehow. If you REALLY like your lumina, don't do this to it. I was always ready to see the dashboard explode into flames.

[GTuck]

Wow, that sounds scary. I guess I might have to bring it into the shop, what should I tell the mechanic?

[richtazz]

The headlight switches on these cars are a known problem. The chance that you'll get a good one from the junk yard is pretty slim. I would suggest you bite the bullet and get a new one, and your problem should go away. About the time you start jumper-wiring things, you end up with an electrical fire and/or dead battery. Do yourself a favor and fix it right, replace the switch with a new one.