Tail lights won't work

Electrical problem
1997 Chevy Lumina Front Wheel Drive Automatic

i got my lumina from my mom last year. Shes had the car for ten previously. One night im driving with my I pod charger in the lighter outlet and I turn the car off. When I go to turn the car back on my dash and tail lights do not come on. When I go to brake the tail lights work. So I checked the fuses and there fine. How can I fix my wireing myself without payin a heavy auto fee?

Electrical problem
1999 Chevy Lumina

need to know how to look for wires connecting to the brake lights. Intermittently turns on than off. More off than on.

I would first check the brake light switch, which is up under the dash contacting the brake pedal arm. It can get out of alignment, stick or wear out.

Lately my turn signals only work if I hold them halfway down. I have tried the turn signal fuze and all other fuzes related to the turn signal. I have also checked the bulbs in each of the lights. When the turn signal is depressed all the way, it does not blink at all.

Someone mentioned there may be a short, but what is the best way to diagnose this issue without tearing into my steering column? Could there be a short in my signal tree? Also, when depressed, the hazards work sometimes, but not all the time.

Any help is appreciated!
John

Hey bluelightnin6,

Thanks for the quick response! I have tried swapping out the flasher before and that does not remedy the problem. Signals still only work when I hold down the turn signal switch, about halfway.
-If I go to far or not far enough, they blink twice as fast.
-If they are all the way down, they don't blink at all.

Any other thoughts?

The hazards are located on the top of the steering column and the turn signal tree is to the left of the steering column. So I assume that they are independent. Do you think taking off the top part of the column is a good place to start?

Thanks for the info. It does have tilt steering so I will look at that to see if anything is binding or pinched loose. Sorry it has been awhile. Just spent the weekend moving and email was down for awhile!

I will follow up when I have a chance to look things over.

I had the same problem with the dashboard lights and tail lights all not working. After reading all the questions and responses on this page, I took the dash apart and got at the switch. When you remove the plug from the switch body in the back, you can access the terminals. I stripped the half-inch off the ends of two 18 gauge wires and slip them into the plug, one each to the red and brown wire terminals then put the switch back together. The terminals on a switch body actually hold the wires in place. At the other end of those two wires I put a switch to turn them on and off. I just mounted the switch to the right of the trunk release. As this vehicle has 250k miles, I was hesitant to put $90 toward my cost for a switch.