rear night time running lights are out (fuse keeps blowing)

[khalsa]

Hey guys. I was trying to get help on Solaraguy forums, but no luck yet. Figured I would ask here since the camry is very similar. I have an 02 camry solara v6.

Short version: My rear running lights don't come out, but the bulbs are fine. My brake lights and my turn signals work fine. The fuse for the running lights blew. I tried replacing it and it blew. I then removed the wire harness going from next to the fuse box to the rear lights (I tested to see if any of the rear lights worked after this and they didn't) and put a new fuse in and it still blew!!!-- now I am confused.

Long version: http://www.solaraguy.com/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=50924

Any ideas?

Please help!
Thanks

[gdanaher]

Let me understand. You disconnected the wire at the fuse box that runs to the tail light. You know you disconnected it because you checked continuity back to the light and you had continuity, right? Then you checked the disconnected wire to ground to see if you had continuity, right? For starters, do you have the correct fuse value installed? Make sure you have the right fuse before you go any farther, but if the fuse blows and nothing is attached to it, it has defied all laws of physics.

[khalsa]

That's correct. The fuse size was correct as well-- accept for the last time b/c I was running out of fuses (I used a 15a the last time it blew). Isn't there something between the fuse and the harness plug? Could there be an issue with the fuse box?

I can retest tomorrow morning again.

Any marylander's near olney, md available to help?

[khalsa]

does anyone have a diagram for an 02 solara / camry for the fuse box and -- more importantly wire harnesses under steering wheel? What all does the rear lights fuse connect to? I feel like it also runs some lights in the front. Is that possible? What is the light position called just before you put your headlights on? It turns on some lights but not the main head lights. When I put that on, the fuse blows.

thanks

[khalsa]

Here is a photo to the fuse box and wire harness:
http://img220.imageshack.us/i/fuseharness.jpg/
You can see the harness is removed, I blew another fuse this morning. Does another one of those harnesses that are connected run off of that fuse? The fuse slot is empty in the photo, it is the middle fuse of the 3 empty ones.

Thank you.

[khalsa]

the drl light run off of that fuse too. does anyone which wire harness runs from under the steering wheel to the drl?
thanks!

[Mike Gerber]

I'm not sure if the Solara is made the same way as the Camry when it comes to rear wiring. In the Camry there is a loom of wires in the trunk by the driver's side trunk hinge. That loom of wires is exposed to a lot of flexing over the years as the trunk is constantly opened and closed. Eventually the wires inside that loom frey and break. They sometimes touch each other and cause problems like you are experiencing. Check to see if your Solara uses that same setup inside the trunk. If it does, open up that loom and check for freyed or broken wires. Repair what you find.

Mike

[gdanaher]

Originally Posted by khalsa

That's correct. The fuse size was correct as well-- accept for the last time b/c I was running out of fuses (I used a 15a the last time it blew). Isn't there something between the fuse and the harness plug? Could there be an issue with the fuse box?

I can retest tomorrow morning again.

Any marylander's near olney, md available to help?

You said 'that's correct', but correct to what? I gave you several things to look at, and if all is correct you have broken all rules of physics.

Let's review. Disconnect what you think is the tail light wire from the fuse panel, and then respond to the following questions:
1. When you check continuity between the end of the wire at the fuse end to the end of the wire at the light end, do you have continuity or not?
2. With that wire disconnected from the fuse and the light, check continuity between it and ground. Do you have continuity?
3. Put a new fuse in the panel with the tail lights still disconnected. Does it blow now? If so, you have the wrong wire pulled.
4. Disconnect the wiring from the tail lights and then reconnect it to the fuse box with a known good fuse, 15-20 amps. Turn the lights on so that you would normally have the tail lights working, and check the voltage at the tail light plugs. Should equal the voltage at the battery. Is this what you find?

[khalsa]

I'm sure I didn't break any laws of physics. It seems despite what the manual says, that fuse is connected to some other lights.

I removed the side and turn signal light bulbs in the from lights and the fuse doesn't blow anymore.

Everything is now working except for not having front turn signals and high beams (from the side lights).

Any ideas?

Thanks!

[khalsa]

i removed the bulbs from my fog lights and all 4 of my blinkers are now working. however, my high beams do not work. when i put my highs on, it gets a little brighter, but just a tiny bit. also the blue high beam indicator light doesn't show up on my dash.

we had a few storms out here, so that's it for today.

any ideas?

[khalsa]

bump, still stumped here.