New and need help!

[tigerfan2]

First of all I am very excited to be a part of the corvette tradition. I am not even an adult and I have my dream car, a nice clean 1977 L-82 Corvette. It's good but it does have some problems.

1. The inside lights do not come on.

2. The headlights do not come up; I have to push them up from the bottom, which I can do but it is somewhat annoying.

3. It is a T-top and it appears to leak in the rain.

I am wondering how to fix these things and the probable cost of it. I have only had it two days so these are the only things I have noticed yet, and hopefully the only things. I appreciate all the help that I hope on recieving and thanks a lot in advance.

 

[joe1975]

The light problem try checking the fuse , is it the dash lights or only the courtesy entry lights? Lets try and keep it simple For your headlights look under your dash right at the bottom there's a little gray knob pull it down when you trun your lights on it is a override your lights should open Your t tops probaly need new gaskets not a hard task, but these are all typical problems for a vette best bet is to go buy a manual I like chiltons but a haynes will do your local parts store should have all the big chains do Auto Zone, Pep boys etc good luck, also this forum is very valuable

 

[tigerfan2]

Thanks. It is the courtesy lights and the dashlights. Where exactly are the fuses? Again thanks for the help. I am pretty young ,and I do not know a whole lot about cars but hopefully I will be able to learn.

 

[joe1975]

Ok, look under your dash to the left on the bulkhead you'll see em little glass tubes they should be marked pretty simple ,also this is two differnt ones check your owers manual if you have one. Did you check the override for your headlights?

 

[tigerfan2]

I have not had a chance yet; I will check it out tomorrow after school. Also my locks do not work. Could a fuse be the problem on that also, or will it be in the lock itself?

 

[tigerfan2]

I found the fuses. The overide didn't work, I heard the vacuumn sound but it still didn't work correctly.

 

[jdp6000]

I found the fuses. The overide didn't work, I heard the vacuumn sound but it still didn't work correctly.

Could be a number of reasons as to why your headlights don't go up. Most common problem is the seals in the actuators.

You didn't mention it but...although your headlights will not go up will they go down when you turn your headlights off??? If they do, it most probably is the the seal in the actuator.

J

 

[kridgley]

Hi:

Congradualations on your corvette at such a young age ... i just bought one about 5 months ago, at 19 yrs old. The first thing to realize about corvettes, is that if it is old, there will be things wrong with it. And corvettes are NOT cheap to fix. Its sometimes said that corvettes run on money and not gas. But the first step is to get more familiar with the car, and to get some manual, Chiltons, Haynes are great. These have a great deal of information on a wide variety of problems and routine maint.

The t-top leak is VERY common, I have yet to see a corvette that doesnt leak ... consider yourself very lucky if i does not leak at all.

The headlights can be from a variety of problems, I'm assuming your getting enough vacuum draw from you engine, so the next thing I would check are the actuators, or the body. When I bought my vette, the lights would stay down until pulled up, this was from rubbing on the front clp...I just pulled them up, then used the vacuum cut-off from inside the car. If that doesnt work, I would suggest just experimenting one afternoon and try (with the hood open) to see if you can see any rubbing, or the light even trying to come up.

Again, welcome to CAC ... dont forget the wave

Kevin

 

[tigerfan2]

Hmm, hadn't tried to see if they will go down with vacuum cut-off.

Again, would anyone know what could be wrong with my locks?

Thanks, yall have been really helpful.

 

[jdp6000]

Hmm, hadn't tried to see if they will go down with vacuum cut-off.

Again, would anyone know what could be wrong with my locks?

Thanks, yall have been really helpful.

Its a fairly basic circuit. It does have a fuse. That would be the first thing you should check.

While you are at it check all your fuses. All your problems may be fuse related.

 

[tigerfan2]

All right thanks. I will get my dad to help me out after work or after school tomorrow.

 

[joe1975]

Go buy yourself a test light and check your wires for power. that will help you get to the problem. They are only about 5 bucks sounds like you'll get a lot of use out of it.

 

[tigerfan2]

Thanks, I'll do that.

 

[Yoda]

Welcome tigerfan,

Here is a website that may help you with your headlight issue

The Vacuum System This is a very good site with good explainations and trouble shooting help..

Bud

 

[bobherr46]

I saw several fellows recommend you buy a Haynes or Chilton shop manual. Save your money. Go to Ebay and buy the first factory shop manual that comes up. They are much more detailed than aftermarket manuals that try to cover several years in one book. I also suggest you buy an assembly manual. These are available off Ebay at about $25.00. They are about 400 pages thick and have a drawing of everything on the car except the motor internals. - Bob

 

[bobherr46]

Got curious and did an Ebay search. There are several service manuals and assembly manuals listed but most interesting is a 1977 corvette factory electrical troubleshooting manual. Bet you could use that!!! - Bob

 

[tigerfan2]

Thanks. My dad got my radio working, and we are going to fix my lights. Thanks again for the help guys.

 

[7825th]

Factory manual

Yes - get the factory manual, they are the best for detailed drawings
troubleshooting and helful text. They can be costly - I paid $65 for one in excellent condition. But you should be able to find one for a better price.

 

[steves1980]

http://www.helminc.com/helm/Result....dule=&mscsid=SKLLA77HWQGF9KF8H6F2KH6C2K645R29

try this link should take you right to the one you need, its the same one that you can order from the back of your owners manual

 

[Daryllawman]

Just wanted to say hello and welcome to the Corvette Action Center......Enjoy !!!