No tail lights, Parking Lights, Console Lights

[OwnerCS]

Tonight I noticed I have no tail lights, parking lights, and console lights issue. I rarely drive at night so I may have been experiencing this for a while. I do know the parking lights did not work a while back. Though I think the taillights were working.

I'm not alone with this problem. I'm collecting links to it below. So far I haven't found a solution tonight.

Tail Lights And Console Lights Not Working

I have a '99 LX470. When my head lights are turned on, my front corner "park" lights don't work, my tail lights don't work and the lights on my console don't work. I've just had the vehicle for two weeks, I didn't get an owners manual. The fuse box under the hood doesn't have a listing for these ...

us.lexusownersclub.com

This is an 80 series with a similar problem.

No Dash lights, tail lights or Marker lights But Headlights, brake lights work?

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Eyedaho]

Tonight I noticed I have no tail lights, parking lights, and console lights issue. I rarely drive at night so I may have been experiencing this for a while. I do know the parking lights did not work a while back. Though I think the taillights were working.

I'm not alone with this problem. I'm collecting links to it below. So far I haven't found a solution tonight.

Tail Lights And Console Lights Not Working

I have a '99 LX470. When my head lights are turned on, my front corner "park" lights don't work, my tail lights don't work and the lights on my console don't work. I've just had the vehicle for two weeks, I didn't get an owners manual. The fuse box under the hood doesn't have a listing for these ...

us.lexusownersclub.com

Are your headlights at full brightness? It sounds like maybe your DRLs are on instead of full nighttime lights, as though the electronics are acting like it's light out.

 

[gregnash]

I was able to figure my issue out... ends up the Toyota box was on the fritz. Installed the Tekonsha and now everything is good.
I hope you find your issue out.

 

[OwnerCS]

Are your headlights at full brightness? It sounds like maybe your DRLs are on instead of full nighttime lights, as though the electronics are acting like it's light out.

The DRLs are on when the light switch is in the off position. When I turn on the headlights, the DRLs go off. The headlights lights do seem a little dim compared to normal. Is there a switch that causes the during the daytime vs night?

 

[OwnerCS]

I was able to figure my issue out... ends up the Toyota box was on the fritz. Installed the Tekonsha and now everything is good.
I hope you find your issue out.

It has no brake controller box to my knowledge. It may have had one that was removed before I got it. Not sure what to look for.

 

[ramangain]

Make sure your dimmer switch is properly and firmly connected for starters and adjusted accordingly. Easy thing to check before diving into wiring.

 

[OwnerCS]

Updated the first post with a same problem on an 80 series.

Also, I found I have the Texas Lexus brake light issue. I'll be going into this today.

 

[gregnash]

It has no brake controller box to my knowledge. It may have had one that was removed before I got it. Not sure what to look for.

So if you crawl under the passenger side rear there is a plug near the resonator. Should be open or a plug in it to just cap off if the factory one is missing. If not, it likely routes to the drivers quarter... I will post pics tonight of mine.

 

[Eyedaho]

Looking at the EWD for my '99 LC really fast, it looks like the tail/parking/dash lights all come through the 15A tail fuse, and the tail relay which is turned on by the light control switch and the instrument ECU. I was asking about the DRL since I leave my lights in auto mode, but if you're having this issue with them set to on/headlight, then I'd check at that relay. If it doesn't have 12V on pin 3, then work backwards see if it has 12V on pin 5. If there is 12V on pin 5 but not on pin 3 (relay isn't latched), then see where it's losing the ground for pin 1, for the coil side. Either the combination switch or the instrument ECU.

 

[OwnerCS]

Thank you @Eyedaho. I'm headed for the fuse box next.

On a side note -- just looking around underneath the left side fog light housing to change a bulb, I found two mystery plugs that are un plugged -- circled in red. I cannot see where these plugs may be need to be plugged or the purpose. Any idea about the purpose for these two plugs?

 

[ramangain]

The answer to any free plug is dilithium crystal. The end.

 

[OwnerCS]

Looking at the EWD for my '99 LC really fast, it looks like the tail/parking/dash lights all come through the 15A tail fuse, and the tail relay which is turned on by the light control switch and the instrument ECU. I was asking about the DRL since I leave my lights in auto mode, but if you're having this issue with them set to on/headlight, then I'd check at that relay. If it doesn't have 12V on pin 3, then work backwards see if it has 12V on pin 5. If there is 12V on pin 5 but not on pin 3 (relay isn't latched), then see where it's losing the ground for pin 1, for the coil side. Either the combination switch or the instrument ECU.
View attachment 2382973View attachment 2382974View attachment 2382975

I found fuse #17 15a to be bad. Replaced bad 15a fuse. Rear tails are now working. Front parking lights still not working.

 

[ouzo12]

This is the one that has always stumped me and the mechanics. I switched out the dimmer to see if that was bad but plugging in the new one resulted in the fuse blowing and no parking lights all around.

Currently have the dimmer disconnected which causes me to lose the hvac and all center console lights when I turn on the headlights but at least I don't lose my lights.

 

[Eyedaho]

I found fuse #17 15a to be bad. Replaced bad 15a fuse. Rear tails are now working. Front parking lights still not working.

Weird. It looks like the tail lights and parking lights share a circuit, other than a junction block for the parking/side marker lights. Inside junction block #1.

 

[OwnerCS]

More strange encounters at the rear. Removing the rear left lamp, I found some yello, green, and white wires have been spliced in and routed outside of the lamp fixture to possibly hook to a trailer. However, there is a gray plug that was unplugged and capped with the orange cap.

I would like to remove the spliced in lines, reconnect the plug, and return this to the original configuration. There is a small control looking box that has been discounected due to the gray plug being disconnected.

Can anyone tell what might be going on here? This kind of thing drives me crazy!

 

[OwnerCS]

Weird. It looks like the tail lights and parking lights share a circuit, other than a junction block for the parking/side marker lights. Inside junction block #1.
View attachment 2383153

I wonder if one of the mystery plugs that is unplugged in the front has something to do with parking lights not working?

Like someone was deliberately trying to keep the parking lights from working while allowing the rear to work?

 

[Eyedaho]

Weird. It looks like the tail lights and parking lights share a circuit, other than a junction block for the parking/side marker lights. Inside junction block #1.
View attachment 2383153

Looks like it should be here?

 

[Eyedaho]

More strange encounters at the rear. Removing the rear left lamp, I found some yello, green, and white wires have been spliced in and routed outside of the lamp fixture to possibly hook to a trailer. However, there is a gray plug that was unplugged and capped with the orange cap.

I would like to remove the spliced in lines, reconnect the plug, and return this to the original configuration. There is a small control looking box that has been discounected due to the gray plug being disconnected.

Can anyone tell what might be going on here? This kind of thing drives me crazy!

View attachment 2383161

Looks like that is probably trailer wiring with the associated control box. If that controller fails, I think it can definitely short out and blow fuses etc. The parking lights look like the just have a plug from the main engine room wire, so I think if the lights themselves are plugged in, then there shouldn't be any other connections back to the main box in the engine room (engine bay), as shown in those drawings I just posted.
ETA: Sorry that it's confusing with posting the different pages, but taken together it should show the whole circuit I think. Might be easier to print them out. Let me know if you need any other pages.

 

[OwnerCS]

Looks like that is probably trailer wiring with the associated control box. If that controller fails, I think it can definitely short out and blow fuses etc. The parking lights look like the just have a plug from the main engine room wire, so I think if the lights themselves are plugged in, then there shouldn't be any other connections back to the main box in the engine room (engine bay), as shown in those drawings I just posted.
ETA: Sorry that it's confusing with posting the different pages, but taken together it should show the whole circuit I think. Might be easier to print them out. Let me know if you need any other pages.

It looks like someone was bypassing the controller box. So the box may have shorted out at some point in the past. I guess I'll leave it alone.

 

[ramangain]

Are the front bulbs actually ok? They are not robust. Check them.

That other wiring in the rear is the recall work Mr. T performed for your year truck. If you don't tow, it is fine to leave it disconnected. If you are gonna tow, you'll need it.