1998 sunfire why does daytime lights flash then go off and the low beam doesn't work but the high beam does?

This seems to be a very common Sunfire problem. It seems GM didn't do to great of a job with the wiring harness. I have a 2000 Sunfire and just spend four hours chasing down the exact same problem. Check the three bulb wires. If you have 12 V on all three wires the reason is probably a poor ground connection. On mine the lights are grounded to the chassis under the battery tray and air filter. Make sure it's properly grounded. Next trace the wiring back further. I found a large (15 pin) plug(under the battery tray)that had a hole ate through it from an earlier battery leak. To get to the plug you need to remove the battery and air cleaner box. I found that the ground pins where melted probably due to an power surge. I cut the ground wires on both sides of the plug and connected them directly instead of through the plug. Low- and high beam are working fine now.