2001 4RL -- lost tail lights and dash panel light

[TheDurk]

Looks like the problem is the red/white wire.
I've got power at the relay coil, and if I short the relay (pin 3-5) I get tail lights and dash lights again. If I short the coil on the relay to ground I get tail light too. Resistance to ground from pin 1 is infinity when stalk switch is off, but still ~10Megaohms when on. Not sure how much of that is just due to poor contact between probe and terminal, but either way shorting it out deliberately seems to make everything work well.

Nothing seems too corroded on the inside connection, even though there's a leak from the windshield. Guess I'll pull apart the fuse block again and see if it's got a bad connection at that end. Hopefully that's the case as I don't want to have to run a new red/wht wire!

Thanks so much for the help! I hate electrical problems!

The red/white passes through the IG1 plug in the left kick panel. You could open that up and see which side of the connector the issue is at. If it is like '96, and it probably is, IG1 is a real big 26-pin grey connector with a bail-type closure. Relatively easy to split. That's what I would do. No sense trying to fix two problems when only one exists. And the problem might even be right there. That's the only break in the wire between the stalk and the fuse box.

 

[I_bRAD]

The red/white passes through the IG1 plug in the left kick panel. You could open that up and see which side of the connector the issue is at. If it is like '96, and it probably is, IG1 is a real big 26-pin grey connector with a bail-type closure. Relatively easy to split. That's what I would do. No sense trying to fix two problems when only one exists. And the problem might even be right there. That's the only break in the wire between the stalk and the fuse box.

Excellent idea, thanks.

 

[I_bRAD]

The red/white passes through the IG1 plug in the left kick panel. You could open that up and see which side of the connector the issue is at. If it is like '96, and it probably is, IG1 is a real big 26-pin grey connector with a bail-type closure. Relatively easy to split. That's what I would do. No sense trying to fix two problems when only one exists. And the problem might even be right there. That's the only break in the wire between the stalk and the fuse box.

Fixed!

I did find that connector, but it would have been a pain in the ass to get at it so I didn't bother. I ran a new wire from the switch to the fuse block (bypassing the IG1 connector) and my resistance to ground is now in the 0.1 ohm range. Much better than 10 megaohms! Back on the road A bit of a hack job bypassing the connector and running the wire separate from the harness but this truck only has a few years left in it, and I'll be the only one working on it, so we'll go with "it ain't pretty but it works"

Thanks a bunch for your help, Durk!

For future reference- is it possible to get the terminal pins for the various connectors on these things? I re-used the existing ones, but would be cleaner to use new ones...

 

[TheDurk]

Fixed!

I did find that connector, but it would have been a pain in the ass to get at it so I didn't bother. I ran a new wire from the switch to the fuse block (bypassing the IG1 connector) and my resistance to ground is now in the 0.1 ohm range. Much better than 10 megaohms! Back on the road A bit of a hack job bypassing the connector and running the wire separate from the harness but this truck only has a few years left in it, and I'll be the only one working on it, so we'll go with "it ain't pretty but it works"

Thanks a bunch for your help, Durk!

For future reference- is it possible to get the terminal pins for the various connectors on these things? I re-used the existing ones, but would be cleaner to use new ones...

Yes, Toyota sells 'repair wires' which are the pins plus a short length of wire that can be slotted into the connector housings to replace a broken pin or wire connection. Don't count on your local dealer counter parts guy being smart enough to find the one you need, but you might get lucky. The answer is in here:

http://wilbo666.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/48443657/Wire%20Harness%20Repair%20Manual%20%28RM1022E%29.pdf

This is 418 pages but it's pretty simple. Find the part number of your connector (organized by number of pins) in the front. Then look that number up in the back, and it gives you the part number of the repair wires used on that connector.

And as a major bonus, in the very front it has instructions on how to remove and insert the wires in the connectors of the various types.

 

[I_bRAD]

Yes, Toyota sells 'repair wires' which are the pins plus a short length of wire that can be slotted into the connector housings to replace a broken pin or wire connection. Don't count on your local dealer counter parts guy being smart enough to find the one you need, but you might get lucky. The answer is in here:

http://wilbo666.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/48443657/Wire%20Harness%20Repair%20Manual%20%28RM1022E%29.pdf

This is 418 pages but it's pretty simple. Find the part number of your connector (organized by number of pins) in the front. Then look that number up in the back, and it gives you the part number of the repair wires used on that connector.

And as a major bonus, in the very front it has instructions on how to remove and insert the wires in the connectors of the various types.

Great document! Saved for future reference. Could have used the connector diagrams when I was doing this repair, took a while to figure out the secondary lock on the switch connector!

 

[3rdgen_4runner]

I'm starting to see a trend here

Hi guys I'm new to the forum but have checked y'all out for about a week or two now since I got my 4runner. I didn't like it too much at first but now I love it. So anyways my running light on the driver side went out so I changed the bulb and it worked for about an hour and died again. I'm actually not sure if it actually worked personally but the guy at O'Reily's who helped me with all the lights that I changed said they worked. So anyway I started troubleshooting, I changed the fuse under the hood today. Now idk if it was because of this that may've caused the issue to start with or what but it had a 20A fuse in the place for the tail lights when I've read a thousand times it was supposed to be 10A so I swapped it out. I also swapped out the tail light bulb again for a LED bulb and it started working. But not the running lights which is weird. Because now the running lights for both sides aren't working but the brake lights are and now the dashboard lights are out...

Guys what the heck is happening? Any answers y'all think would fix this for me tonight? I can't drive it at night here without all the lights are working. I work at night and the cops are strict about that.

Help me out guys. I got quite a few more issues to ask for plenty of advice

Thanks in advance

 

[IBallEngineer]

Hi guys I'm new to the forum but have checked y'all out for about a week or two now since I got my 4runner. I didn't like it too much at first but now I love it. So anyways my running light on the driver side went out so I changed the bulb and it worked for about an hour and died again. I'm actually not sure if it actually worked personally but the guy at O'Reily's who helped me with all the lights that I changed said they worked. So anyway I started troubleshooting, I changed the fuse under the hood today. Now idk if it was because of this that may've caused the issue to start with or what but it had a 20A fuse in the place for the tail lights when I've read a thousand times it was supposed to be 10A so I swapped it out. I also swapped out the tail light bulb again for a LED bulb and it started working. But not the running lights which is weird. Because now the running lights for both sides aren't working but the brake lights are and now the dashboard lights are out...

Guys what the heck is happening? Any answers y'all think would fix this for me tonight? I can't drive it at night here without all the lights are working. I work at night and the cops are strict about that.

Help me out guys. I got quite a few more issues to ask for plenty of advice

Thanks in advance

There is not a one line answer for you, and your problem may be different from other's. You should read this entire post, it may be helpful, and there are others in the same vein that can help you too. If someone was using a larger fuse in the circuit, and it blows the smaller one, it is most likely shorted. Could just be a bulb, but it requires a process of elimination to solve. This is a simple problem but requires clear answers from you and the ability to use a test light and or a multi-meter.

I'm not a late night visitor, so these trouble shooting sessions can take days. If you are up to it, start by checking the fuses again, with a test light or meter.

 

[dozerfrelich]

Sounds like the running lights fuse had blown


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[3rdgen_4runner]

Thanks for the post

So I fixed it :whoo: After changing the bulbs, testing the wires and no results other than they weren't working and somehow the dash lights went out. I said the hell with it and changed my 10A fuse that's supposed to be for the tail lights. But instead there's a 20A fuse that is there. And is the only one that works for it. IDK what's up guys. My truck is really strange. Even had trouble finding a rear wiper blade replacement for it. I went to the dealership yesterday and ordered what I needed.

 

[Kbutterfield15]

Tail lights

Hey guys I’m new here but I’m having the same problem with my tail lights not working. I’ve tried to replace the fuse in the panel inside under the sterling wheel but then when I go to turn the switch on for the tail lights to come on, it blows. I have an 07 4Runner & my tail lights are LED. My moms friend looked at it and she said he unplugged the tail lights and the fuse still blew so he thinks it’s the switch. But I’m not sure how to see if it is the switch or not. Any opinions on if it’s the switch or could it be something else?

 

[davidch]

On two different Gen3s I encountered problems similar to the ones in this thread: some combination of brake, tail, and dash lights, fuses burned, etc.

Long story short: the problem was the OEM Toyota trailer multiplexer (that's my term for it), which had melted and shorted internally. This item's purpose is permit 5 circuits to merge into the common 4-wire trailer connector.

The item is found under the monster piece of plastic on the left side of the cargo area. When mine burned out, I learned at the dealership that a) failure of this item was common, b) the items were NLA, and c) they were quite expensive when they were available.

An inexpensive and reliable replacement is the Hopkins 43415 trailer connector kit, $30 on Amazon.

Thus, I'd consider examining this item given the problems described in this thread. It's certainly a lot less brain taxing to do so rather than digging into wiring diagrams and tracing circuits with a multitester.

Furthermore, I'd now replace this item automatically, failed or not, on a Gen3 4Runner with the OEM trailer wiring kit.

 

[cassssias]

Hey Guys,
Also new here and am having similar issues with my 2nd gen, the fuse for the tail lights, dash lights, and the little alarm thing (which is supposed to go off with an annoying high pitched tone when you open the door to get out of the car but your lights are still switched on), keeps blowing, often times seconds after putting a new one in. It does seem to get worse when the roads have been wet, but still happens when dry. It came with a 15A in there, this fuse is near all the pedals, not under the hood like it sounds like it is for other generations...
I know there is some sort of issue with the whole switch assembly behind the steering wheel (brights won't turn on when light switch is pushed back, in fact this action turns normal headlights off, but will turn on when pulled towards driver, like to flash someone, unfortunately will not stay on unless switch is held towards you.) So I haven't quite had the time to trace wiring from the tail lights and everything going to that fuse to see if there is a short along the way, but how likely do we think it is that the problem traces back to that big switch assembly behind the steering wheel? I have been trying to avoid replacing it due to cost and hassle.