Light problems

[lmcmillan33]

Lately, I have been having trouble with my 97 Pontiac Sunfire's lights. The most recent problem is that the lisence plate light will not come on. I belive a few other minor lights will not turn on either, including where the word "sunfire" is supposed to light up. I have tried replacing bulbs and fuses, but neither corrects the problems.

Another problem I had for a while is that the headlights would not come on. This lasted only about a day or so. It did not fully correct itself, however. The lights now come on whenever the car is in drive (or reverse). It makes no difference whether I turn the switch to turn them on or off. Obviously, this isn't a big deal, as long as my lights work, but the problem with the lisence plate light is a bigger deal, and I figure they could be related with the wiring somehow.

I don't know much about cars, especially wiring, so I really don't know where to go from here. I have heard Sunfires are notorious for electrical wiring troubles. Is this something that can be fixed easily or is this going to cost more than its worth? What needs to be done, and am I better off getting a new car sooner rather than later? I had planned on a purchase in a year or so.

Anyone who can diagnose my problem, please respond. Anyone with finanacial advice, also feel free to interject your thoughts.

Thanks very much.

[mike2004tct]

Originally Posted by lmcmillan33

....Another problem I had for a while is that the headlights would not come on. This lasted only about a day or so. It did not fully correct itself, however. The lights now come on whenever the car is in drive (or reverse). It makes no difference whether I turn the switch to turn them on or off. Obviously, this isn't a big deal, as long as my lights work, but the problem with the lisence plate light is a bigger deal, and I figure they could be related with the wiring somehow.

Thanks very much.

My daughter's '96 had the headlight problem, and it turned out to be the light stalk/switch. It cost ~$34.00 at Autozone, and it's quite easy to replace, just remove the top snap-on portion of the steering wheel cover bezel, and 2 screws hold the switch in. (Switch w/o cruise- with cruise control about $25.00 more)
I have read in other posts that it's the wire harness under the battery that causes problems where the wires are frayed or splices are corroded, but as I mentioned, it was our switch, not the harness.

As for the 3rd brake light, license eluminators, and the "Pontiac" lights, all of ours were burnt out at the same time. It's possible the light stalk switch could cause this problem, but I'm just guessing about these curtesy lights. I replaced the bulbs 10 months ago and they're still lighting up.
Good luck.