Map lights shorted??

J

JWM816

New member
Hello,

I am doing a LED upgrade to the interior lights. I was finally able to get one map done and was working. Then on the second one I broke the bulb, in my rush I just used my pliers to pull from the middle and I saw a spark...

Now neither map light works. The dome is still on, I thought they were on the same fuse?? The fuse that says dome is fine. Not sure if I shorted something out on the board or what...hope not!

Everything else on the overhead console is working. The little LED that turns on when you have your headlights on, all the crawl control settings.

Hoping someone may have some insight.

Thank you!
 
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There are a few threads here covering this and the bad outcomes that result. You might luck out and have it just be a blown fuse. Others have found they shorted out one of the control computers which are not cheap to find and replace.

Always disconnect the battery before doing any type of electrical work to help avoid short circuit damage.

I would start by checking all fuses in both fuse blocks (with battery disconnected) by pulling each fuse and checking with a meter. Check one at a time and replace or re-install before moving to the next one.
 
flyrv9 said:
There are a few threads here covering this and the bad outcomes that result. You might luck out and have it just be a blown fuse. Others have found they shorted out one of the control computers which are not cheap to find and replace.

Always disconnect the battery before doing any type of electrical work to help avoid short circuit damage.

I would start by checking all fuses in both fuse blocks (with battery disconnected) by pulling each fuse and checking with a meter. Check one at a time and replace or re-install before moving to the next one.
Click to expand...
Was watching other videos and no one else was...then became complacent...

Curious what control computers would operate along with these lights and if I can expect to run into some other issues later. So far everything else is working...guess I will have to get a meter...

I am not able to find any of these threads that have covered this either.
 
Well the computers involved will depend on what circuit (if any) was damaged. I would check all fuses first and after making sure all are good and reinstalled correctly; reconnect the battery and see what works and what doesn't.

Toyota labels fuses for the main circuit they control or protect. Sometimes other things are also involved with the same fuse. Without going through all the wiring diagrams, it's easier to know all your fuses are good and then see what works and what doesn't and go from there.

Once all fuses are good, I would put everything back the way it was until everything is working again. I would also check the sockets or bulb clips to see they are not bent or damaged and that bulbs fit correctly. Then start your LED swap over again. I'm guessing you had no lighting issues to begin with.

Getting a meter is a good place to start. Fuses can look good and still be blown. If you need help using a meter, let me know and I'll run through the basics with you.
 
Related to issue in the future:

When trying to replace the Map Light Bulbs, use a piece of plastic fuel line or clear tygon tubing that fits over the bulb tightly to remove these bulbs. Don't use pliers!
Just a heads up!
 
Saker said:
Related to issue in the future:

When trying to replace the Map Light Bulbs, use a piece of plastic fuel line or clear tygon tubing that fits over the bulb tightly to remove these bulbs. Don't use pliers!
Just a heads up!
Click to expand...

I've used tape in the past with success too. Just adding to your list of simple tools that won't risk shoring something out.
 
In relation to other threads involving issues caused by not disconnecting the battery before doing electrical work - my search (just now) didn't come up with anything. I've searched this issue before and remember at a couple of threads that didn't go well because of short circuits caused by working with power on or battery not being disconnected.

I remember these threads, but don't know why they don't now show up in a search. I did notice that the search function is now "google enhanced" which appears to result in lots of stuff unrelated to what I searched for! Perhaps that's why.
 
Fuse usually not triggered by map or dome light mishap. My CarTrimHome cheap dome LED melted whole assembly and nearly caught rig on fire but did not blow the fuse. I was lucky to salvage integrated dome light switch because it is directly wired in and has no connector.
 
<<<< said:
Fuse usually not triggered by map or dome light mishap. My CarTrimHome cheap dome LED melted whole assembly and nearly caught rig on fire but did not blow the fuse. I was lucky to salvage integrated dome light switch because it is directly wired in and has no connector.
Click to expand...

Hello,

I know this is a late reply but I tried to replace my old dome led lights with some new diode dynamic ones and I accidentally put in the light in the wrong way so when I clicked the switch it sparked where the "button" would be. The only problem is that every other light works but the driver side map light is there a way to fix this? I used a multimeter and there is no power going thru when either turned on or off.
 
downy said:
Hello,

I know this is a late reply but I tried to replace my old dome led lights with some new diode dynamic ones and I accidentally put in the light in the wrong way so when I clicked the switch it sparked where the "button" would be. The only problem is that every other light works but the driver side map light is there a way to fix this? I used a multimeter and there is no power going thru when either turned on or off.
Click to expand...


Howdy ,

Did you ever get this figured out ? I am having the same issue but on my passenger side.

Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
downy said:
Hello,

I know this is a late reply but I tried to replace my old dome led lights with some new diode dynamic ones and I accidentally put in the light in the wrong way so when I clicked the switch it sparked where the "button" would be. The only problem is that every other light works but the driver side map light is there a way to fix this? I used a multimeter and there is no power going thru when either turned on or off.
Click to expand...


This is strange, as any LED of decent quality would not cause such an issue. Many LED bulbs simply need to be flipped 180° if they don’t work when first inserted. There should be no lasting issues, other than a possible blown fuse. The cheap stuff can have bigger issues, to include melting or shorting out.

I’ve used VLEDs products almost exclusively, with some Diode Dynamics stuff, and never a problem.

The Meso lights were a simple plug & play install.
 
jp.vegas said:
Hell yeah they are.
Click to expand...

Did you get the dual color ones?

To everyone else:

Red is bright enough to be usable but not so bright you see artifacts or wreck your night vision. great when someone drops something while driving and needs to use a light.

White is insanely bright. Not recommended to use while driving lol.
 
mrblah said:
Did you get the dual color ones?

To everyone else:

Red is bright enough to be usable but not so bright you see artifacts or wreck your night vision. great when someone drops something while driving and needs to use a light.

White is insanely bright. Not recommended to use while driving lol.
Click to expand...

Yep, switchable red/white. The white is incendiary lol. I also have the arclight rear hatch lights that are switchable. Everything is red all the time unless something got dropped somewhere and then it's torch mode.
 
jp.vegas said:
Yep, switchable red/white. The white is incendiary lol. I also have the arclight rear hatch lights that are switchable. Everything is red all the time unless something got dropped somewhere and then it's torch mode.
Click to expand...

i should get the arc light for rear hatch...i always forget to purchase them. lol.

thanks for reminding me.

Happy new years broski.:party:
 
LED for interior is over rated

Although I did upgrade about 2 years ago and I didn't have any issues, if I had to do this again I would not do it. I think it's a bit over rated, it's just not important to me to have the brightest interior lighting and risk potential problems. I know many will say they didn't have any problems (same here).
 
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