no light

[Studious]

My license plate lights don't work!!! I tried replacing the bulbs and still nothing. they are the only lights on my car that just stopped working any idea's like a loose wire? Has anyone else had this prob with their gen 3?

[cmjohnson]

The rear wiring harness (in the trunk) is relatively simple. You should be able to consult the wiring diagram for the trunk harness (available in the service manual...check your local library or your dealer's service department) and with the aid of a volt-ohmmeter, you should be able to isolate the problem in a few minutes.

First things first: Verify the integrity of the ground connections. Grounds are always white wires with a black stripe. If the grounds aren't solid, anything might work improperly.

Gaining access to the entire trunk harness is pretty simple. Pull the snap fasteners that hold the trunk liners in place, remove the liners, and it's all there to see.

At worst, you can get this harness from a junkyard car for a pretty cheap price, and just swap the whole harness (It has modular connectors) and be done with it.

CJ

[Studious]

thanx i'll give it a try on next day off

[evilragu]

FUSE..... it happened to me

[wvagravehunter]

I would have to agree with evilragu...it would most likely be a fuse...most of the people I know with a Camry never had a harness problem...most commonly a fuse...or sometimes a short in one of the wires...like where the coating came off the wire and the copper was touching one of the body panels or something...which could always simply be fixed by some electrical tape...but nevertheless...go through...and check it through...better to be safe than sorry...and no point in replacing the whole damned harness if only a wire's shorting out...but good luck...and I hope you get the problem figured out...

[cmjohnson]

I actually HAD a harness problem, and it was eventually found to be a ground wire that had broken INSIDE the insulation. It was the one that dresses up near the left trunk hinge. Eventually I ended up testing the ground wire for continuity from one end to the other, and when that came out as a poor connection, I had to start going over the wire an inch at a time.

It wasn't anything you'd have caught on a visual inspection. I had to FEEL the full length of the wire and then I found the break.

The trunk hinge area is where the wires are subject to the most stress, at least if anything is rubbing on them. Start your inspection THERE if you have a problem with the rear harness.

CJ