so I currently can't drive at night because my headlights and fogs won't work. I've checked all the fuses and even tried putting a new headlight relay in with no luck. I did notice that when messing with the headlight controls next to the steering wheel no lights come on on the dash when I flip on the headlights or the high beams. Parking lights, turn signals and tails all work though and turn signals work on the dash when flipped on.

I have a 2002 4Runner Limited with 132,000 miles.

Any ideas on what the problem could be? It's frustrating not being able to drive at night. Thanks guys.

This is gonna sound stupid, but are the bulbs good?

Do you get high beam flash when pulling up on the stalk? Do your DRL's work?

Did you check the DRL fuse when you checked "all the fuses"? How did you check the fuses? DO NOT tell me "they all looked good." You need to check them with a light or a meter or swap in known good fuses. You should also check the GAUGE fuse, given you have no dash lights and that one powers the main DRL relay logic. The DOME fuse is also in the circuit, but you are safe on that as long as your dome lights are working.

If we have to go into depth to find the problem, do you have a test light or a digital multi-meter available?

Fear not, this can be solved if you want to troubleshoot it. If you'd rather harvest random guesses, have fun. It does work, sometimes.

Answer the above questions, and if you want help to truly troubleshoot, I'll consult my west coast affiliate, @IBallEngineer and we'll get to the bottom of this. Just so we have it ready, here is the EWD:

Attached Images

020hldrl.pdf (50.5 KB, 189 views)

Fear not, we live for this. But I am concerned about the dash lights. They shouldn't be related, but it's been at least two weeks since I've looked at the EWD, so let's have at it. As Master @TheDurk stated, please have a test light and a DVOM available, should be cake!

Yep, checked all 4 bulbs to make sure they were good.

High beams don't do anything when pulling up on the lever. I pulled each fuse out to make sure the circuits on each were still good. I have done the DRL disable mod but that was a few weeks ago and everything has been working fine.

I'm going to check to make sure my dome lights are working tomorrow to eliminate the Gauge fuse. I'm pretty sure they were working today though if I remember correctly, but I will double check tomorrow to make sure. I do not have a test light or multi meter though. I can see if I can find one through one of my buddies though.

It's weird there are no indications on the dash when the lever is activated for the high beams or the headlights. Could it be a switch in the lever that's not connecting?

Yeah, the dash light absence has me stumped too. I'm trying to get my hands on the tools you mentioned, since I don't have my own. Hopefully it's a simple/cheap fix.

Alright, so I checked the gauge fuse and made sure the dome lights work. Both are fine. I'm pretty sure It's a switch in the lever next to the steering wheel. Any idea if I can just open it up and change the switch for the headlights out? I'm hoping I don't have to buy a whole new unit because the part is decently expensive.

Do you hear the fuse box/junction box CLICK when you turn on the lights?

The answer I have is I don't know. I have never seen a report on here of successful surgery on one of these 4Runner stalk switches. I've done it on a BMW 7-series to restore blinker function. You never know until you try, but there are no parts available other than the whole unit.

You are welcome to play parts roulette, but there are other things it can be. Five minutes with a test light can save you a lot of money.

I don't know what this means:

Did you do anything except look at it? Because these fuses can be very deceptive. A really blown one is obvious, but sometimes they fail and look good. I've been burnt helping people on the internet this way. Dude says fuse is good, we try to troubleshoot, he gets frustrated and takes it to a tech, who says fuse was bad all along. Everybody looks dumb. Never again.

Since you don't have a light or meter, the only way to be sure is swap in a good working fuse from another circuit.(Same size, obviously.)

The high beam indicator is a strange duck on non-DRL 4Runners. It does not really indicate high beams on--it indicates head relay energized, but lows beams NOT on. On DRL trucks, it is controlled by the DRL relay (really a computer) and who knows what it reallly does.

Since you have disabled DRL's, there is a real possibility that you are in fact stuck in DRL mode, but you can't tell because DRL's are disabled. Thus no lights come on. Exactly how did you disable them? If it was just a plug, you might want to try re-enabling them just to see what happens. This is why the little DRL fuse is important. When it's blown, truck is stuck in DRL mode, surprisingly enough.

I recently changed one on a Tacoma, aftermarket though, it was only about $70. But if you want to check the circuit BEFORE you spend that money, it isn't hard. Just ground Terminal 13, or jumper it to Terminal 16, but you should first verify T16 is in fact a good ground. If the headlights come on you are supergeniusstud. If not go directly to jail, do not collect $200!

The auto shut off is involved here so your Ignition must be ON for this test to be valid. Speaking of the auto shut off, this is a much more likely failure than the switch. But it would be MUCH better if you followed the lead from a@TheDurk so as not to waste time or money.