The headlights lights are working but the brake lights aren't. I suspect a bad fuse but don't have an owners manual, so I need a fuse panel diagram for a 1996 Chevy C1500. Got one?

yes ,
check the fuses.

These are all different circuits. The brake lights are on a 10amp fuse - the headlights are on a 50amp fuse - and the parking and dash lights are on a 20amp fuse.
Do you have power going into the headlight switch and the brake light switch ?

Our fuse diagrams come from the owners manuals which are available online, these manuals only go back to the 2004 model year. I suggest you try eBay for a used owners manuals.

Since these lights will work auto or manual is there a relay that might be bad. You mean these light's won't work auto or manual ????
Did you check the TAIL LAMP LIC LAMP fuse 15 amp . ?
Located in the right I/P fuse panel open passenger door plastic panel end of the I/P pull ,fuse box behind . This fuse takes care of the thing's your having problems with

First check the fuse, the clearance lights are not factory in most cases and the wiring gets shorted from poor wiring. Once you replace the fuse see if the lights come on, if the fuse blows right away find the wiring to the clearance lights and disconnect them, if the short goes away it is a I said the wiring is shorted. If you don't have the owner's manual you should be able to download it at the link provided. It should be fuse #10 a 20 AMP in the interior fuse box. http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/97ecoog1e.pdf

I assume you checked the bulbs and they were good? It's possible that the sockets have gone bad and need replacing. The tail lights are fused through the instrument panel lights. that fuse should be in the middle of your fuse box, marked "instr". If the fuse is good check to see if the dash lights come on when you turn the headlight switch on. If they don't then change the headlight switch. hope this helps.

Have yoiu changed/checled the lightbulbs? (In other words,do your turn signal lights work? If the front turn signal lights work, but the rear don't, then turn on your four (4) way flashers. If the rear lights still don't work, then all the bulbs are bad. It is rare for all the bulbs to be burnt out at the same time, but it does happen.

If the turn signal/four way flasher lights work, then you probably have a bad brake light switch. However, first check your owner's manual to make certain there is not a separate fuse for these lights. If there is, then swap the fuse for the brake lights for another fuse (or relay) of the same size/amperage. (Facing the hood, the power relay box is located on the right side (usually) under the hood.)

The fuse box is located under the dash, on the driver's side of the car. Usually there is a plastic cover that has to be removed to access the underside of the dash, and then there is a plastic cover that has to be removed to access the fuse box. If you don't have an owner's manual, nprmally the fuses and power relays are normally marked on the plastic covers your remove ot access the fuses and power relays.

If the fuses/relays are good, then you have a bad brake light switch. This is located on a bracket just above the brake pedal. When you push the pedal down, the switch makes contact. Disconnect the plug to the switch, and jump across the plug contacts (not the switch) with a small piece of wire, or if a piece of insulated wire is unavailable, you can use a paperclip, you won't get schocked, just make certain that the paperclip does not come in contact with a ground while you have it plugged in to the plug for the brake light switch.

If the lights stil dont work, check for power to the plug for the brake light switch. If you have power to the plug, the turn signals and four-way flashers work, then my guess would be that you have a broken power wire (probably iside the steering column, or a bad turn signal switch. If the brake lights work whe nyou jump out the brake light switch, then the brake light switch is defective.

Tail lights, parking lights and dash lights are all on the same circuit...I'd go to the fuse panel under the dash and check the fuse for those lights....usually referred to as accessory lighting in the owners manual and is usually a 10A fuse.

Hope this helps...

Check the fuses. And check for power at the taillights (These taillights have circuit boards on the back side that can go bad.) I don't think the hazard switch is it because the brakes would still work. Also check the brake pedal switch. There is a hazard flasher, does the hazards work?

The DRL's are separate from the actual headlights. It sounds like your headlights aren't working at all. The first thing I would check would be the headlight fuse(s), or relay(s). The location for these should be in your owner's manual.

Hope this helps!