Q: Reverse lights won't turn on when I put it in reverse. Dark blue wire has power, light green (reverse) wire has no power.

asked by on January 17, 2017

I recently installed a new wiper motor on my 84 S10 and while fiddling with that I reached behind the fuse box and jiggled all the wiring around to see if there was a loose connection, etc. After finishing up the wiper motor I went for a drive to find that I no longer have reverse lights. I already replaced the reverse light switch in the transmission, at that point there is no power to the dark blue or light green wires, that go into the reverse light switch from the (?...) Both those wires have power before the fuse box, and all the fuses are good, but after they leave the fuse box and go back toward the transmission, rear of the vehicle there's no power. I believe where I screwed up was during wiper motor install, reaching behind the fuse box and jiggling all the 30 years old wiring around semi-roughly. I am convinced that at some point I will be removing the fuse box and fixing some wiring, I was just wondering if there was a hidden guide on how to? I already googled and etc. Thx

My car has 75000 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.

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Hi there. Remove the fuse to the reverse lighting system. On the side that does not have power, use a digit ohm meter and check for resistance. The meter should read OL (out of limits). Now, turn on the ignition key to the ’ON’ position, set the parking brake and chock the wheels, and put the transmission in reverse. Check the connection again for resistance. There should be a resistance of 5 ohms or less. If the meter reads OL, then there is a break in the wiring from the fuse box to the switch. Since you disturbed the fuse box, there could be a wire that is loose or broken that goes to the reverse lights. If you need further assistance with your reverse lights not working, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.

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