random lights out.
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Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 7
random lights out.
95 camry SE
lights out: dome, front parking, rear taillights, trunk, license plate.
i've read thru a lot of the threads regarding malfunctioning lights, but didn't quite see one pertaining to my set of issues. all the bulbs are ok (i just upgraded most to LED) fuses seem alright from what I can find.
this is a new car to me and i'd like to get this stuff before i get pulled over for something as silly as a license plate light out. trying to get a good deal on the repair manuals on ebay, but until then... does anyone have any trouble shooting pointers that might assist me with this?
thanks!
-jimmy
lights out: dome, front parking, rear taillights, trunk, license plate.
i've read thru a lot of the threads regarding malfunctioning lights, but didn't quite see one pertaining to my set of issues. all the bulbs are ok (i just upgraded most to LED) fuses seem alright from what I can find.
this is a new car to me and i'd like to get this stuff before i get pulled over for something as silly as a license plate light out. trying to get a good deal on the repair manuals on ebay, but until then... does anyone have any trouble shooting pointers that might assist me with this?
thanks!
-jimmy
Super Moderator
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 15,179
From: PTW
Does the car have daytime running lights or an auto light off feature?
Dome and trunk light are on Dome fuse. The light fixtures should always be powered.
The dome light selection switch routes the bulb ground wire from the bulb to chassis or to various door switches that will ground the wire when closed.
The trunk light bulb circuit is grounded via a switch when the trunk is opened.
Determine if the bulbs have power at one end of the socket. The power wire may be red for dome and red/white or red/yellow for trunk.
Front, tail and license plate lamps power routes through the taillight relay TAIL fuse.
The relay solenoid coil is always powered, the ground wire connection is made by the light switch on the steering console. The front side clearance lights are on the same wiring, do these work?
Determine if the TAIL fuse plug is getting power when the console light switch is turned on.
Dome and trunk light are on Dome fuse. The light fixtures should always be powered.
The dome light selection switch routes the bulb ground wire from the bulb to chassis or to various door switches that will ground the wire when closed.
The trunk light bulb circuit is grounded via a switch when the trunk is opened.
Determine if the bulbs have power at one end of the socket. The power wire may be red for dome and red/white or red/yellow for trunk.
Front, tail and license plate lamps power routes through the taillight relay TAIL fuse.
The relay solenoid coil is always powered, the ground wire connection is made by the light switch on the steering console. The front side clearance lights are on the same wiring, do these work?
Determine if the TAIL fuse plug is getting power when the console light switch is turned on.
Thread Starter
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Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 7
Does the car have daytime running lights or an auto light off feature? No daytime running lights.
Dome and trunk light are on Dome fuse. The light fixtures should always be powered.
The dome light selection switch routes the bulb ground wire from the bulb to chassis or to various door switches that will ground the wire when closed.
The trunk light bulb circuit is grounded via a switch when the trunk is opened.
Determine if the bulbs have power at one end of the socket. The power wire may be red for dome and red/white or red/yellow for trunk. Just received my multimeter in the mail today. I will attempt to test power tonight.
Front, tail and license plate lamps power routes through the taillight relay TAIL fuse.
The relay solenoid coil is always powered, the ground wire connection is made by the light switch on the steering console. The front side clearance lights are on the same wiring, do these work?
Determine if the TAIL fuse plug is getting power when the console light switch is turned on. No lights turn on at all without the key turned to accessory. My grandma has an alarm installed on this thing and at first I was thinking that was causing all the issues. Now I'm thinking it's a short somewhere.
Dome and trunk light are on Dome fuse. The light fixtures should always be powered.
The dome light selection switch routes the bulb ground wire from the bulb to chassis or to various door switches that will ground the wire when closed.
The trunk light bulb circuit is grounded via a switch when the trunk is opened.
Determine if the bulbs have power at one end of the socket. The power wire may be red for dome and red/white or red/yellow for trunk. Just received my multimeter in the mail today. I will attempt to test power tonight.
Front, tail and license plate lamps power routes through the taillight relay TAIL fuse.
The relay solenoid coil is always powered, the ground wire connection is made by the light switch on the steering console. The front side clearance lights are on the same wiring, do these work?
Determine if the TAIL fuse plug is getting power when the console light switch is turned on. No lights turn on at all without the key turned to accessory. My grandma has an alarm installed on this thing and at first I was thinking that was causing all the issues. Now I'm thinking it's a short somewhere.
Thread Starter
|
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 7
What i did last night:
I had read a lot about the trunk hinge pinching the wires enough to eventually short them out. After, pulling the cases off the light wiring near the trunk hinge, I'm pretty sure this is not my problem. The casing looked untouched and, after pulling that back, the wiring underneath looked even better.
I did trance the wire to a small white box... I dismantled the box to see if there were any burn markings or visible damage inside. Nothing noticeable.
I also took some time and located the fuse boxes. 2 under the hood on the driver's side and one behind the change cup under the steering wheel. All the fuses seemed ok.
What happened as a result of my tinkering:
This morning, I turned on the Camry to notice that I no longer had a radio or clock and the lighting behind the AC control ***** (not the buttons, those lights are on - the Cold/Heat **** and the Air Flow ****). I'm really not sure how I knocked those lights out. I'm guessing it had to be when I messed with that white box in the trunk.
One question: Am I simply testing for a continuous circuit or is there a voltage that i should be testing for?
Toyomoho, thanks a ton for the quick response. I will attempt to dig deeper this evening and reply with results.
I had read a lot about the trunk hinge pinching the wires enough to eventually short them out. After, pulling the cases off the light wiring near the trunk hinge, I'm pretty sure this is not my problem. The casing looked untouched and, after pulling that back, the wiring underneath looked even better.
I did trance the wire to a small white box... I dismantled the box to see if there were any burn markings or visible damage inside. Nothing noticeable.
I also took some time and located the fuse boxes. 2 under the hood on the driver's side and one behind the change cup under the steering wheel. All the fuses seemed ok.
What happened as a result of my tinkering:
This morning, I turned on the Camry to notice that I no longer had a radio or clock and the lighting behind the AC control ***** (not the buttons, those lights are on - the Cold/Heat **** and the Air Flow ****). I'm really not sure how I knocked those lights out. I'm guessing it had to be when I messed with that white box in the trunk.
One question: Am I simply testing for a continuous circuit or is there a voltage that i should be testing for?
Toyomoho, thanks a ton for the quick response. I will attempt to dig deeper this evening and reply with results.
Last edited by waterfromdust; Jul 19, 2012 at 11:50 AM.
Super Moderator
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 15,179
From: PTW
A short at the trunk lid is not going to cause these problems.
If the box was in the trunk and connected to the tail lights this is the lamp out sensor. This sensor is for the tail and brake lights and connected to lamp out icon on the dash.
Is is connected to the brake and taillights only.
Send a private message with email address and will reply with a wiring diagram. This will allow you to find common points in the system. Meaning a wire, fuse, switch, etc that runs power to all these systems.
Might be a loose connection. Sometimes bad wiring of aftermarket alarms can cause issues but doubt it in this case.
If the box was in the trunk and connected to the tail lights this is the lamp out sensor. This sensor is for the tail and brake lights and connected to lamp out icon on the dash.
Is is connected to the brake and taillights only.
Send a private message with email address and will reply with a wiring diagram. This will allow you to find common points in the system. Meaning a wire, fuse, switch, etc that runs power to all these systems.
Might be a loose connection. Sometimes bad wiring of aftermarket alarms can cause issues but doubt it in this case.
Thread Starter
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Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 7
front parking lights - replaced bulbs and are now working.
dome light - waiting on bulb to arrive, but the original bulb was blown so i'm thinking that it was simply the bulb.
license plate bulbs - i've replaced the bulbs but they're still not lighting up. i've tested the plug with a voltmeter and i'm getting a closed circuit, but can't seem to get any voltage. i hope i'm testing it correctly. i will try to post pics of how i'm testing tonight.
dome light - waiting on bulb to arrive, but the original bulb was blown so i'm thinking that it was simply the bulb.
license plate bulbs - i've replaced the bulbs but they're still not lighting up. i've tested the plug with a voltmeter and i'm getting a closed circuit, but can't seem to get any voltage. i hope i'm testing it correctly. i will try to post pics of how i'm testing tonight.
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