Trailer lights not working... blown fuse?

[Northernstar]

I wanted to pull a trailer with my 80 last weekend, but had a problem with the trailer lights. Here is what happened. I have an enclosed trailer, with regular running lights, and also interior lights. When I plugged the 4pin connector the running lights worked fine. I turned on the interior lights to load the trailer at night, and all the lights went dim, then out after about a minute. I checked all connections and ground and couldn't find a problem.

Then I traded vehicles, and hooked up my Sienna van, and all exterior running lights were fine again. I turned on the interior lights, and all trailer lights went out again. The tail lights on the Sienna also went out.

So I figured the problem was the interior lights overloaded the circuit and blew out a fuse. (this is a new trailer for me) I replaced the fuse for the Sienna tail lights and the tail lights, and trailer running lights worked again. I left the interior lights off after this point.

I then changed the 80 fuse for tail lights, and hooked up the 80 again, but this did not solve the problem. I suspected it wouldn't because the tail lights on the 80 never stopped working, and the fuse did not look blown. I looked in the manual for a specific fuse for trailer lights, but could not find one. I then pulled every fuse, both under dash and in engine compartment, but could not find one that looked blown. Granted it was late and I was working with flashlight and streetlights, I may have missed something.

What is the problem here? I ended up pulling the trailer with the Sienna.

 

[corsair23]

When the fuse for the brake lights or cig lighter blows, the "should" trigger the shift lock safety feature (can't remember the technical term) which means you should not be able to shift out of park. This is where the hidden emergency release mechanism comes into play (you stick a pen, screwdriver, etc. down in the hole underneath the little cap you have to remove just ahead of the shifter to release the lock).

Since you didn't mention this and your tail lights still worked (maybe the brake lights are working but not the tail/marker lights?) so I would look at some of the other related fuses...My guess on the trailer is you have a ground issue on the interior lights since utilizing them caused issues in both trucks. Maybe replace the lights with LEDs?

Anyway, this isn't for a '96 but should be close enough or maybe identical:

'94 FZJ80 Fuse Chart

I would recheck:

Fuse #1 - Cig lighter, 15A
Fuse #2 - Tail, 15A
Fuse #4 - Stop, 10A
Fuse #8 - Turn, 7.5A
Fuse #22, Haz/Horn, 15A
Fuse #24, AM1, 50A

Good luck

On a side note, I have read where the stock 80/LX lighting isn't really up to snuff on handling a lot of extra trailer lighting and that if you add too much extra stuff you should consider getting a powered trailer light harness (like a Modulite). That said, my LX had one of those Modulite deals and it didn't work (PO installed) so I had no running lights to run at night. I replaced the harness with a standard Hoppy harness (non-powered) and everything works fine, including the 15+ running lights scattered about my popup trailer

 

[mikgrail3]

You should also check to see if there is an inline fuse on your trailer wiring. I believe some kits come with modules and fuses. If your tail lights on the 80 are still working then there might be a fuse blown in the wiring for the harness. Then as corsair23 said, check your trailer for a grounding issue.

 

[Northernstar]

Thanks, I'll check for a fuse in the wiring harness or a grounding issue first. Seems like the problem is in the trailer somewhere.

 

[DaGoat]

Toyota runs a 5 pin connector. 1 ground, 1 left turn, 1 right turn, 1 brake signal and 1 running You need a converter to use a conventional 4 flat with a toyota.