Tail Light and Deck/Guage Lamp Fuse Problems...

[Beyond Driven]

Alright, so here's the deal...

I have a 1987 Toyota 4Runner EFI (No Turbo) and I am having a heck of a time trying to determine what is causing this fuse to constantly burn out. The first one I had burn out sometime in March-April, put a new one in, and it was fine for a few weeks... maybe up to a month. This has gotten progressively worse over the months and it now goes out almost instantly after I put a new one in. This is the same fuse and it is a 15A.

I recently put in a new relay that controls all of this (out $40 for this small piece too..) and it seemingly fixed my problem. Wrong, a day or so went by and it went out with no warning a couple nights ago. I put yet another fuse in and it instantly went out when I flipped the lights on.

Now I have been using the same fuses (brand)... should I maybe try something else? I figured that a fuse should be pretty generic and this wouldn't be a problem. I double checked the map of the fuses and it is definitely a 15A and that is what I've been using.

Sorry for the novel, any ideas what could fix my problem? I'm sure its pretty simple, but I'm baffled. Thanks for your time and help.

Also: I hope it is acceptable for this to be in this section. I am going to be driving at night soon, so I needed some quick replies. Warn me if it needs to be moved.

Thanks again.


To hold some interest, here are some pics:

The Fuse-


The Relay-


The 4Runner-

 

[Koz]

Sounds like you have a wire shorting out in that circuit (break in the insulation and/or power lead touching ground). The best way to find it is to take out the fuse and install a simple 12v bulb/socket by just sticking the two wire leads in the contact points (1 wire in each). You could also use a volt meter instead of the bulb. This will light the bulb (or give you 12volts, on the meter). Then trace out the wires to that circuit and move them around. When the light goes out (or the meter loses voltage) you have found the short. If you are not comfortable around electricity get someone who is to do this!

Koz

 

[Beyond Driven]

Alright thanks, that sounds like a great idea, I'll give it a try.

Any other suggestions? Thanks again Koz.