Tail Lamp relay (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Dec 8, 2003
Threads
3
Messages
12
Hi all,

My tail lights do not turn on. I checked the bulbs and they are both good. The fuse is blown and when I change the fuse, it blows after I start the LC. I am thinking it is the tail lamp relay. Has anyone experienced a problem with this relay before. Could this happen if a new radio is installed?

Also, the dash light and dome lights do not turn on as well. I'm thinking that these lights are on the same circuit as the tail lights.

Thanks,
BW

'97 LC
 
If you have a trailer hitch then check the wiring as it's prone to shorting. The wiring enters the cabin behind the rear PS wheel well. The problem could be underneath or behind the PS panel in the cargo area.

Do the brake lights work? If the brake lights fail you would have to release the shifter mechanism manually. See your OM.
-B-
 
BW,

I suspect you'd have a short or overloaded circuit that was introduced with the radio installation. Bring the truck back to the shop; they would inspect it at no charge for you.

Regards,
Frank.
 
Hi all,

The brake, turn signal, hazard, and front lights all work. Only the tail, dash, and dome lights do not work. Unfortunately, I only recently purchased the 97 LC so I don't know what the prior history is. Unfortunately, the radio was installed by the PO a little while ago and the only recent change was the radio replacement.

Where is the tail lamp relay located? behind the the kick panel on the driver side? I don't have a FSM yet. Are other relays behind that kick panel? How do I check the relay once I pull it out aside from a visual inspection?

thanks,
BW
 
BW,
If you don't get an answer soon I will look at my '97 EWD tonight and find the location of the relay (if there is one!)

Why do you think you have a bad relay?

-B-
 
Beo,

Since the tail lamp fuse blew a second time, there must be alot of current going into the fuse. The only thing that I can think of is a short in the the tail lamp relay. I searched the net under tail light problems and found a few occurrences with bad relays on other toyota models. If it is not with the tail lamp relay, it may be with the daytime running light relay. I am trying to save a trip to the dealer if I can help it.

thanks,
BW
 
My truck and the '97 EWD that I have is US spec and we don't have DRL so there isn't a DRL relay. If you have a LC and not an LX then I doubt you have factory DRL. The '97 LC wasn't imported into Canada; only the LX. If you have DRL and you have a '97 LC then it is very likely the DRL circuit was dealer installed or PO installed.

Good luck finding it if the problem is DRL related!
-B-
 
BW,
Status?
-B-
 
Beo,

I tried to narrow down my tail lamp problem tonight. I took out the tail lamp relay but it looks good. No burn marks.

In the DS rear wheel well, I see 2 6-wire connectors that look like 6 tubes connected to a rectangular one. What wires are these? How do I separate these connectors without breaking them? Also, in the DS rear wheel well is a 4-wire connector hanging off the 6 wire bundle. Is this the trailer harness? The wires look ok. The wire sheathing still looks good.

I noticed the front passenger seat floor carpet being very wet. Where is the water coming from? Does the sunroof drain into the front passenger floor? There is a wire bundle along the bottom of the passenger front door. Next to the wire bundle is another wire that is connected to a small 1/2 inch by 1 inch circuit board with two small capacitors on either end of it. What wire is this? The circuit board was completey wet. Is this wire and circuit board connected to the same line as the tail lamp fuse? This may be what is causing my short. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
BW
 
Search for wet in the 80/100 section. Water into the ds kickpanel can lead to a number of issues and ain't none of them good.
 
the tail lamp and dash lights are the same fuse. I found out the hard way by pulling a friends trailer that had a short in it. It blew my fuse and noticed the dash lights out. When i got home i noticed no brake lights either. Replaced the fuse and they both worked. I'm not sure what's causing your's to short thou. ???
 
-B-
That is 3 consecutive posts. Ever heard of the edit feature?

:flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2:
 
BW,
>> I took out the tail lamp relay but it looks good. No burn marks. <<

No offense, but I'm not confident you have the skills and knowledge to get past the stage where you are right now... replacing fuses. Unless you can convince me otherwise, I recommend that you take the truck to a competent shop that can diagnosis electrical problems.

To properly test a relay, you must know how a relay works and you must be able to apply voltage to the coil and test that the relay triggers. Looking for burn marks is not a good test. In addition, testing electrical circuits without a wiring diagram is tough. You really need to get the EWD.

>> Is this the trailer harness? <<

I doubt it. If you will read the first reply, you were told that the trailer harness is behind the cargo panel on the PS (right side.)

One thing to look for though... there is a green wire that the port installed when they hooked up your trailer harness. This is a small wire that is under the carpet just inside the rear cargo sill. This wire could easily short out and others have reported problems with this wire in the past. When you see it, you can tell that it doesn't look "factory." Check this green wire for shorts.

>> Where is the water coming from? <<

Probably from the moon roof drains. There is a new post where Hugh details the problem and points the guy to the fixes.

>> ... a small 1/2 inch by 1 inch circuit board with two small capacitors <<
>> on either end of it. What wire is this? <<

Dunno, but it doesn't sound like a factory part. Can you post pics?

>> The circuit board was completey wet. [...] This may be what is<<
>> causing my short. Any thoughts? <<

Wet circuit boards are not good, ask Hugh! You need to get this fixed if the circuit is active. Have you tested it with a multimeter? Voltage in? Voltage out? Is it active when the ignition switch is off? On?

-B-
 
Will,
Didn't you read the FAQ you nincompoop? You are allowed a number of repetitive posts equal to or less than the number of stars under your name. You get 2, any more than that and you get scolded.
:flipoff2:
-B-
 
Beo,

I just got a copy of the FSM.

In the FSM to test the tail lamp relay, it says "Apply B+ between terminals 1 and 2". Does this mean attach both terminals 1 and 2 to postive battery terminal or apply one of the terminals to the postive battery terminal and the other terminal to ground?

Thanks,
MLBW
 
MLBW,
I would want to look at the EWD before I answered. I'm visiting family in Virginia and will not have access to the EWD before Monday or Tuesday. Maybe someone else can respond in the meantime.

Sorry...

Did you check out the green wire in the cargo area? Did you check the trailer harness in the cargo area? These are more likely than the tail light relay and will give you something to do until I can get access to the EWD.
-B-
 
Thanks, Beo.

Now that I have the FSM, I have a better idea of how the LC is put together. I will remove the PS quarter trim panel in the cargo area and check for the green wire and the trailer harness.
 
BW,
That's good news.
-B-
 

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