No Brake lights

[Mainer7]

HELP!

I'm alomst to my wit's end. I bought this 91 pickup a month ago
and last week the turn signal would come on when I braked. I looked at the trailer harness/adaptor that was already there and it looked very corroded. I went to grab it and the green wire fell out of it, and I think there was a spark.
After that the problem with the signal was "fixed" but now the stop lights don't come on!

I puleld the tail light assemblies apart and checked the bulbs and they were all fine. Turn signals, flashers, tail lights, headlights (hi/low) all work perfectly normally. WTF? I checked all the fuses I could locate (under hood, and in cab) but none were blown/melted.

I bought a new brake light switch, but no luck either. I tested in various points for 12V and found that 12V was not present at the brake light switch harness (the 2 terminal plastic that the brake light switch clicks into.)

So, what the hell is going on, or not going on!?!??!?

I've been diggin into this for the last 4 days and it's freezing out so I'm especially pissed and getting impatient, sorry to whine


Thanks for any help.
J

Oh yeah...this 91 has no cruise control (if it matters.)

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

I have had my share of electrical problems, so I know what you're going through. First take a break (if you dont' have to drive it right away).

The good news: it sounds like you have a problem with only one wire, the power wire from the brake switch to the tail lights. But first test that you have power in and out of the brake switch (if you got a new switch power in should mean power out, but test anyway)

Wire should be Green with White stripe. If you have power out of the switch, then go look under the passenger side seat, the tail light wire bundle should go down through the floor there. Test for power.

At this point You can try to find where it's probably grounded, or just run a new wire from there to where the wire splits to go to the left and right brake lights. <---- Probably the fastest and easiest fix.

HTH

 

[Mainer7]

Thanks Jerod,

This is helpful. I've definitely taken a few breaks, to save tools from the woods, hehehe. I've found that GW wire and I've got no power out of the switch. Now I've checked the fuses again, and they are all stil good....whimper...

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

hmmmmmmm You may have fried a wire before the fusebox??? The wire feeding the "stop" fuse is white. As I recall, it's a total pain in the ass to get the fuse block off the body inside the kickpanel.

There are also a few fuseable links that feed the brake lights, presumably near the battery. All those are fed by White wires. But the one that feeds the brakes also feeds a few other things (door locks and windows, dome light...) So if they are working, then you may have to look closer to the fuse box.

Also, you may want to switch fuses, just in case... Fuses can go bad and not show it too well.

 

[Mainer7]

Thanks again,
I tried to remove the fuse box from the kickpanel, but stopped because I felt as though I was going to break something...like you said PITA. I've got no power windows/locls/mirrors, just a dome light, but that's working fine, too. I guess I'll start switching fuses starting with the stop fuse at the kick panel Fusebox. Thanks again for all your help, it seems to make me keep hope.

Hey nice looking 4runner, BTW...

Thanks

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

Hey nice looking 4runner, BTW...

Thanks, here's a better pic of it: https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=75331

I also know about the hope part of working on wiring Chasing wiring problems is one of the most frustrating things to do. Hang in there. Also see of you have power at the fuse "port" IE pull the fuse and check where it connects, oh I just thought of another thing, could be that the little connector in the fuse block has fallen out, to the back??? The only fuse block I ever pulled was at a junk yard, and I only pulled it to posibly use as an auxillary fuse block later, so I didn't care if I broke it or not. (the bottom part without the fuses anyway)

Best of luck.

 

[Mainer7]

Wheeew! Thanks Jerod, I finished it this morning, in the snow storm. It was a combination of crap. Turns out when I checked the fuse the first time it was okay. So were the bulbs. Sometime in my monkeying around with wires, etc, the fuse and the bulbs died, and I did not know or double check. But after a good nights sleep, I went out this morning and checked the fuse and found it to be toast. I replaced it and had power out of the switch again. But still no lights. Then I just replaced both bulbs and the lights were back in action! Thanks a lot, I hate automotive wiring. Sweet rig you've got there!

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

Sweet, I'm glad it all worked out for ya. Let me know if you're ever in CA. HAHA! Hows the weather out there?