Taillights
 

When i turn on my headlights my taillights won't come on. Is this normal or not. If not can you help on how to fix it?

Sounds like a bad ground. Do your brake lights and turn signals work, and do your tail lights work without the headlights on?

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Yeah, that's right. My name is Randy too!
WWW.Randysrods.freeservers.com
1970 Chevy C-10 shortstep
30 Ford Model A Coupe 4 inch chop, 350, GMC 671 blower-Hell yeah it's fast!
87 Harley Sportster(couldnt get a 350 to fit)
Self Propelled Lawn Mower
Built in USA!!!!

Virginia Beach, VA.

Brake lights and turn signal work just fine

Lets see...

Bad ground, or bad wire (one feeds both tail lights), bad switch, bad fuse...

just a starting point. I think that if the brakes and turn signals work fine that the ground is probably OK.

Do the marker lights in front come on?

Do your tail lights work when you just pull the knob out one notch, and then go out when you pull them all the way out, or do they not come on at all?

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Bowen
'68 K20 fleet
'69 K10 swb fleet
'72 C10 lwb step
'72 K10 Suburban

I've seen the signalite switch do that before.Just another thought.

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1971 chevy suburban (BIG ORANGE)
1970,68,90 swb Little BUCKS one day
67/72 truck parts bought/sold
LIFE IS GOOD,THANK GOD FOR IT!

Poss.one of the 2 elements in the 1157 bulbs could be out.Try another bulb 1st.That's alot easier than wire tracing.It's happend to me before.

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"71"blazer,rust free(bought in Arizona),350SBC
(375HP),700R4,factory G.M. TPI.Living in Santa Barbara,California.Ongoing project.

On my truck one of the connections in the tail light assembly is lower than the other. The connection on that side of the 1157 bulb eventually loses contact. A new bulb works for a while before it too loses contact. I have a whole glove box full of 1157 bulbs that work but not in my truck on that side of the rear.

I just got done with this same problem in my 71. I drove it all weekend and Monday night when I got in it to drive to work no running lights at all, nothing, had head lights and fog lights but nothing else.
Got to checking and it was the wiring at the head light switch had melted just like the starter wiring did about a month ago. I cut off the factory connecter it was toast and put new spade connecters on and everything is working again fine.
I guess it's just 30 something years of wiring starting to go bad.

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Andy
71's Are for ever!!! or 67,68,69,70,72
71,factory tach,tilt for straight drive,gauges,ac,speed warning,clock,305 HO TPI with 700-R4, lowered 2" & 3" ,and 17" Chrome Stealth wheels, Pioneer reciever,100 watt amp, 6 disc changer, 2-10" subs (behind seat) 2-6x9 in doors, 2-3ways mounted under seat, and 2 tweaters on door panels

www.geocities.com/chevy71tpi/main.html

www.picturetrail.com/Andy4639

Not the ground, you wouldn't have brake or signal lights if it was the ground.
Like stated, check the bulbs.
Is there a trailer plug hacked in there...was there ever one there? look to see if all teh connections are good or not.
Does your license plate light work...is it still the original set up?
The brown wire on your harness is the one you'll be looking at and checking for power.

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'69 G.M.C. 350/350. Trying to clean up the left over damage from the Dope-Smokin-Old-Man
I've been dubbed the Longhorn Freak/Fanatic/Expert, I just hope I can live up to it.
FINALLY got the HORNIAC...a '70 one ton Longhorn with a Pontiac 350/350 and lots of 'personality'. Check out The Longhorn Webite.
E-mail longhornmail@yahoo.com
My name is Andy...not Randy...I'm in Ohio...Not Illinois...close enough?
Columbus Ohio

I think the tail lights are on the same fuse as the dash lights. If the dash lights don't work, change the fuse. If they do, check your wiring and bulbs. Could be both bulbs - stranger things have happened...