'97 FZJ80 Brake Lights NOT working

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Joined
Jun 7, 2003
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105
Hello All,

Both sides of our brake lights doesn't work. The "STOP" fuse is fine, and both bulbs are fine. Can the fault be with the brake pedal switch even though the center (high) brake light is still working? I was just wondering...

Thanks,


Chuck
 
ground issue?
 
Chuck;

Just off the top of my head this morning, I would say that there is a problem with connector BQ1, located near the bottom, left hand rear quarter panel area.

See EWD page 68 & page 30. Check for corrosion and water in this area. If the top lite is working, this connector and grounding is the only thing in the circuit...

See my fuse chart for future reference:

http://homepage.mac.com/dfmorse/FuseChart/FuseChart/page 1.html

...
 
Do you have a trailer converter?
 
Do you have a trailer converter?

Dan, thanks for your reply!

Yes I do, and strangely you should mention that. Last Sunday I used the truck to tow a small trailer. I haven't towed anything for over a year. I'll check the wiring back there to see if something came loose. Do you have any ideas?

medtro & dfmorse, thanks for your replies also, I will definitely check that out.


Chuck
 
Needless to say, I haven't had a chance to tackle the problem. The tow bar and harness came with the truck, standard stuff? Sorry if I seem ignorant, but where would the trailer converter be and is there a fuse on it?

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated!


Thanks,


Chuck
 
Dan, thanks for your reply!

Yes I do, and strangely you should mention that. Last Sunday I used the truck to tow a small trailer. I haven't towed anything for over a year. I'll check the wiring back there to see if something came loose. Do you have any ideas?

medtro & dfmorse, thanks for your replies also, I will definitely check that out.


Chuck

If it's the stock converter/harness, it will be in the PS rear wheel well behind the plastic wall on the inside. AFAIK, there's no fuse on that. But it is possible that you've damaged it by hooking up to a faulty trailer wiring system.

Your truck may be just fine, but if the wiring on the trailer brake circuit is fubar, then when you hit the brakes, it can wreak havoc in the truck. Likewise, if you have surge brakes on the trailer and the reverse circuit is not installed with a relay, you can overload the brake light circuit and burn out the brake fuse when you put it in gear (reverse).

Did you check the brake fuse up front?
 
Thanks Scamper,

The front "stop" fuse is fine, I even tried swapping them out with no luck. Both sides of the brake lights do not come on except for the high center one. I checked the left side bulb and it's good, I didn't check the right one, but like I said, both are not working. I guess I need to take a look at the converter. So the converter can be damaged? This has never happened on any of my trucks before...


Chuck
 
You are sure the fuses are fine? Reason i ask, is i had trailer wiring added to my rig. Then i towed a small trailer for a friend. Well, the wiring on the trailer was bad and blew my fuse. So my brake lights would not work.
 
Yes, pretty sure because I checked it 3 times and switched fuses with another. I will check again just to be sure. If it was the fuse, then I wonder why the high center brake light still works.

Thanks,


Chuck
 
I bet the problem is in the trailer wiring. If the brake fuse was blown, you would not be able to get your truck out of park.
 
Chuck, if you can get out of park then your fuse is fine. x3 or 4 on checking those trailer connections, also look under bumper wrapped around the frame rail, or tucked inside.. little black box with wires going in & out?

edit: Oh sure.. Mogas beat me to it.. :cheers: man!
 
Same thing happend to me.....

Pulled my boat and somehow I had a short in the trailer and blew out all the brake lights.....

If I recall correctly it was not the "brake" fuse, but it was another light related fuse that blew that killed my all brake lights except for the high center brake light.

I would suggest checking all the fuses irregardless of what they are for, replacing the brake bulbs and go from there. IMO it's always better to check everything and replace the inexpensive simple stuff before you get too far and end up taking it to a shop for something dumb.
 
The port installed trailer wiring uses those crappy wire tap things and I'd guess that your rear slider trim leaks and has allowed water to get to the wires and get them to corrode enough to possibly come apart when the added draw was applied while towing. Get in that panel and remove the scotch locks then use butt connecters and heat shrink tubing to splice the wires back together. throw the port installed garbage away and get a Hoppy brand P/N 43405 wiring kit that plugs into the harness. I think mine cost ~35.00 @ Pep Boys.

Then fix the leaky trim for your slider windows.


Dave
 
The port installed trailer wiring uses those crappy wire tap things and I'd guess that your rear slider trim leaks and has allowed water to get to the wires and get them to corrode enough to possibly come apart when the added draw was applied while towing. Get in that panel and remove the scotch locks then use butt connecters and heat shrink tubing to splice the wires back together. throw the port installed garbage away and get a Hoppy brand P/N 43405 wiring kit that plugs into the harness. I think mine cost ~35.00 @ Pep Boys.

Same here
OO soccermom had trailer wires added and they used those crappy "tap" things that piggyback the existing sound wires and do the same thing a tapeworm does to us
Now once in a while I lose:
(drum roll)
3d brake light........ rear def ! and my most irksome :rear gate dome swich!
cymbal crash!

Do your flashers still work in the rear????
Dano
 
Thanks Mudders!

I will go through all these recommendations this weekend, if not sooner.

Appreciate all the help!
 
OK, I opened up the PS read inside panel and got to look at the OEM Trailer Controller. There were no signs that there was any prior water leaks because it was dusty and there were some cobwebs in the lower panel. The controller is black, about the size of 2 gum packs. There are 2 wires plugged into it, one to the top and another to the bottom.

Has anyone ever removed this controller, and is it attached with double-sided tape to the inside panel? From what I can see, I don't think there are any hardware attachments.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!
 
Yes it is double sticky tape. If you cut the wires that go to the box close to the tap splices and tape them up you should be ok for now. I'd fix it right with environmental splices when you have the time and if you need trailer lighting see my previous post for the PN of the box you would need.

Dave
 
I'm ordering the Hoppy 43405. Will this pretty much be plug and play with the existing plugs?

The local stores don't seem to have it in stock, 1 day from the warehouse.

I inquired about the OEM "Toyota Trailer Taillight Converter", and according to my local dealer, it is no longer produced. According to him, it used to retail for something like $ 200!

Thanks!
 

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