New and have questions about 95 K1500, more questions

[CamoGoddess13]

I replaced the hi/ low beam bulbs for the headlights, now when I turn on the high beams the driver side don't work, but it did previously, and when I use only the daytime running lights now the drivers side is really dim? I am really frustrated by this. Also my reverse lights aren't working correctly.

 

[Chewy11B]

I would make sure the contacts were good and clean. Dim means there is a ground issue. Make sure you use a little bit of contact cleaner and try again!!

 

[Eveready]

When electric items go wierd on these trucks the culprit is almost always a ground connection. Suggest you start there and also check all connections. Do you have the 4 hi mod in place? If so it could be a connection on it. Send a few more specs .. year, trim level etc.

 

[CamoGoddess13]

When electric items go wierd on these trucks the culprit is almost always a ground connection. Suggest you start there and also check all connections. Do you have the 4 hi mod in place? If so it could be a connection on it. Send a few more specs .. year, trim level etc.

It's a 95, I don't know trim level. It's the Z71 model truck. It has a 6" lift and I know that the previous owners cut wires to eliminate the antitheft system. Who knows for sure what else

 

[Eveready]

Get the shop manual for your truck. LMC Truck has them on CD-ROM. If you want faster access you can copy onto a big hard drive. From there you may need to start tracing wires, but if it worked when you got the truck it is still most likely a ground.
When you chase it down, come back to the thread and post what it ended up being. That really helps the next guy with a similar problem to know where to look and it makes searches on the topic more relevant. Good Luck and welcome to the forum.

 

[CarolinaContingency]

I replaced the hi/ low beam bulbs for the headlights, now when I turn on the high beams the driver side don't work, but it did previously, and when I use only the daytime running lights now the drivers side is really dim? I am really frustrated by this. Also my reverse lights aren't working correctly.

It sounds like a connection issue. When you replaced the bulbs some of the harnesses could have lost contact, or the individual pins in the sockets I have the same year and I’ve had my fair share of issues.

I’d start by cleaning everything off and put some dielectric grease in with the bulbs. If there’s any old hardened grease remove it. Retest.

If this didn’t work, I’d recommend turning the lights on and manipulating the individual bulb sockets gently and around the wire connections a bit to see if anything comes on. Sometimes, but especially in the reverse lights, the heat can cause the plastics to warp and loose contact.

If that doesn’t work, and I doubt this is it, check your grounds. Specifically on the top of the block, front right, just below the alternator. There’s an electrical ground there that can wreak havoc, but you’ll usually pick up flickering gear lights from this.

Word of advice in the long run, switch over to LED. I have LEDS and HALO lights and I love’em.

 

[CamoGoddess13]

Get the shop manual for your truck. LMC Truck has them on CD-ROM. If you want faster access you can copy onto a big hard drive. From there you may need to start tracing wires, but if it worked when you got the truck it is still most likely a ground.
When you chase it down, come back to the thread and post what it ended up being. That really helps the next guy with a similar problem to know where to look and it makes searches on the topic more relevant. Good Luck and welcome to the forum.

Thank you, I have a chilton book that has all the wiring schematics so I will start this weekend hopefully.

 

[CamoGoddess13]

It sounds like a connection issue. When you replaced the bulbs some of the harnesses could have lost contact, or the individual pins in the sockets I have the same year and I’ve had my fair share of issues.

I’d start by cleaning everything off and put some dielectric grease in with the bulbs. If there’s any old hardened grease remove it. Retest.

If this didn’t work, I’d recommend turning the lights on and manipulating the individual bulb sockets gently and around the wire connections a bit to see if anything comes on. Sometimes, but especially in the reverse lights, the heat can cause the plastics to warp and loose contact.

If that doesn’t work, and I doubt this is it, check your grounds. Specifically on the top of the block, front right, just below the alternator. There’s an electrical ground there that can wreak havoc, but you’ll usually pick up flickering gear lights from this.

Word of advice in the long run, switch over to LED. I have LEDS and HALO lights and I love’em.

Thank you, I did put the Halos in for the replacement. I also have the new taillight, what are they called main holder that the bulbs connect to, due to the top hole being melted. So I have to replace those.

 

[df2x4]

Thank you, I have a chilton book that has all the wiring schematics so I will start this weekend hopefully.

You'd really be much better off with a GM factory service manual. They're much more detailed and have much more information than any Chilton/Haynes etc. Physical copies are around $100-$200 used on eBay, but considering you have a '95 you can download yours for free from this thread:

https://www.gmt400.com/threads/88-95-service-manuals.43575/

 

[CarolinaContingency]

Thank you, I did put the Halos in for the replacement. I also have the new taillight, what are they called main holder that the bulbs connect to, due to the top hole being melted. So I have to replace those.

Just switch over to some plug and play LED tail lights. I had three different brands of circuit panels in the back and they all burnt out. It’s always over heating at the same point of the panel.