I just got this car from an elderly guy and it had sat for several years. Presumably everything worked when parked.
while my dad was trying to start it the headlights seemed to come on when he turned on the ignition switch (key) with the headlight switch off. We got it started and drove it home and now the headlights won't come on for anything. No low beam, no high beam and no fog lights. Tail lights come on, but that's it. I probed all of the fuses and they all have power in and out.
Where should I start with my diagnostics? I like posting on forums when I'm working on something like this because normally somebody knows there's one thing that always go's out.

Don't know if it's related but the power windows don't work at all either.
I just got this car and I'm sure I'll have more questions as I dig into it.

 

Not sure from your description what position the switch is in and the time of day it is when you're trying to get the lights to come on. There is a light sensor on top of the dash that controls the headlights, so if it's daylight when trying the lights, they may not come on. Since the car is new to you, it may be helpful to read the owners manual to familiarize yourself with the controls of the car. I've attached the pages from the 1997 Camaro Owners Manual that describes the switch operation. If you find that you're operating the switch correctly, I'll try and post a schematic of the headlight system to help troubleshoot the problem.

 

I don't have a digital copy of the 1997 Service Manual so I compared the 1996 manual to the 1997 paper manual and found that these pages were the same in both. I've attached the wiring diagram and a troubleshooting chart that should help.

 

Thank you. So I'm still a little confused, if it's day light can I not turn on the headlights? I turned the switch to on and the tail lights came on but no headlights.
that PDF also said the turn signal lamps are the drl but I saw the outbourd headlights on while my dad was inside cranking on it and I was like "your headlights are on. Turn off your headlights while your trying to crank over the engine" and he said the headlight switch was off. So we drove it home and now the headlights won't come on at all. I've only tried it in the day light.

 

You know, I've never used the switch in the on position before, so I don't have an answer to that. I believe my Impalas lights come on when it is being started up and then go off if its daylight. If I had to guess, if the switch was turn all the way to right (On) I would think they should turn on. If that is the case, then the second pdf I posted contains a troubleshooting chart and the schematic for the headlights I would use.

 

Your daytime running lights are the marker lights, not the headlights. When you switch the headlights to the on position, they should turn on whether it's day or night, so you have an electrical issue. You checked fuses, but did you check the headlight relay? Find the relay in the power,fuse box, and swap it with another relay from a circuit that's not critical or related to making the engine run, provided the relays have the same number.
By the way, go here: https://camaroforums.com/forum/camar...s-manuals-105/ to download a 1997 owners manual, and go to page 2-52. We have a lot of other reference materials available as well.

 

Yes you're right. According to the drawing, the headlights should come when the switch is in the on position, but they can also be energized by the DRL Module when the ignition is turned on, plus an input from the light sensor in the dash. The headlight relay you refer to is actually located in the DRL module under the left side of the dash, near the radio. The control positive power supply for the headlight coil relay is provided by circuit #9, gages. The ground of the relay coil is activated within the DRL module when a low light input is received from the sensor and possibly on start up. If neither function work, check the switch for supply power and operation and then move on to the wiring out to headlights themselves. The grounds at the headlights should also be checked.

 

I figured out it's the headlight switch. If I jiggle it and hold it halfway between parking lights and headlights the headlights and fog lights come on. So Napa doesn't carry headlight switches for this and the only ones on eBay are used. Does anybody know of a source of new headlight switches?

 

hawks has one https://www.hawksmotorsports.com/hea...w-dimmer-used/

 

thats used. I ended up ordering a used one off eBay for $30. I kinda figured if mine failed there's a good likely hood another used one is also either bad or about ready to fail but I can't find a new one.