i don't know how much help you guys can be without seeing what im looking at but ill try to explain it the best i can and hope someone can help.
So to start off, when i bought my '97 the fog lights didn't work, the switch lights up, but the lights don't come on. I didn't really worry about it cuz they aren't needed. Then about a week later my left front turn signal went out. so i get under my car to try and replace the bulb. i got inside that little access panel on the left front side, out falls a bundle of wires that comes from one place and splits off into three different wires, each with a different light on them, and not one of them was hooked into anything, they were just lying around inside there. So now i don't know which bulb goes to which light (especially since there is 3 and i can only find two places where they could possibly go; the left turn signal and the fog light) but i also don't know how to even attatch them to there respective lights.
i really don't think this s**t could be that hard but i cant figure it out, and its really starting to annoy me, so are the 2 tickets ive gotten for not using my turn signal

 

Turn on your fog light switch to see if any of them energize. If they do, then you know one of them is a fog light. Turn on the turn signal and see which energizes and you will know which is the turn signal. The turn signal should just twist into the turn signal housing. I bought a used set of fog lights off ebay for the 97 I have but I didn't look at the bulbs to see if they snapped in or twist in or even if they are all one piece. Someone had already removed my fog lights and had the wiring harness tied up with a cable tie.

 

One might be your side marker bulb, it will also flash when you hit your turn signal. They should all be different though.

 

Good point! The side marker light should only have one element in the bulb and the turn signal will have two.

 

Sounds like the car may have had some half A body work as well. Have you had it on a lift and walked around underneath it? I, me, would do this as soon as possible, to find out what other surprises might be hiding underneath. Hopefully that's it. Did you figure out the lights yet?

 

what do you mean a body work. i hope not if my car is shade tree rigged up im gonna be really pissed. i think i need to go buy some bulbs first cuz i think the fog light bulbs are out, so is the turn signal so i'd need to replace them all to check that. and it really didn't look like some hack job wire harness, it looked like it was always meant to be there, but then again what do i know, this is the first chevy i've owned that's newer then '86

 

You said you opened the access panel and the wires and lights came out in a wad. Only way that would happen is someone did some shoddy work on that corner of the car and just shoved the wiring and lights in the compartment. I was just commenting on what you said. Or it could be someone changed out the lenses and changed them back before they sold the car and didn't care about them working. Each bulb should be in a socket that twists in to a housing and those socket/bulb combos should have been in the assembly. By what you said it didn't sound like they were.

 

can we see a picture of the harness's?

 

yea as soon as i get my camera working ill put some on here

 

A bundle of wires falling out is no good! There should only be 2 wires. One for each bulb in the side marker. Then, 2 wires going to the fog light. Follow which wires the sockets are attached to. Really the front wiring for the lights isn't complicated. But, it seems the previous owner made a birds nest for no reason.