lighting problem - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

SandTrap · 03-12-2005, 08:41 PM

Hi. I have a 93 4x4 PU that recently started turning on all the dash lights and front parking lights (not head lights or turn signals) when the brake is applied. The lights remain on as long as the brake pedal is depressed. I've looked around the brake pedal under the dash and around the trailer hitch plug to see if any wires have shorted together. Haven't found any yet. Has anyone experienced this problem and what did you do to resolve it? Does anyone have any ideas. Thanks, SandTrap

peterng · 03-13-2005, 01:16 AM

eh,

I had a situation where I was blowing fuses for tailights and after a LOT of work, a new instrument cluster is the suspect component.

not sure if this is your situation, but my symptoms were simple and that is what I have narrowed it down to, yours definately sounds like a short in the cluster.

when the brake is depressed it sends power through a relay, then through the fuse box, then to the instrument cluster. the circuit then passes through both cluster backlights, and out towards the tailights. I say towards because I haven't traced the wire from there to where it comes out behind the ECU. If you are hitting the brakes and your entire cluster is lighting up, I assume you mean everything, then it sounds like a short somewhere in the cluster maybe, how, I don't know.

That's not definitve, I wish I knew more. To solve my problem I ran a wire from where the brake wire comes off the fuse box (I can get you the wire colors if you want) to where the brake wire junctions under the passenger seat. This bypassed the cluster, so I have no dash backlighting, but I'm not blowing fuses and I have brake lights and tailights. ahhh dam, cancel my earlier stuff, I had no tailights, brake lights were fine. I don't think the brake lights run through the dash, but they must be connected somehow. The bypass solution still may work for you somehow. Got to get in there and trace circuits with your volt/ohm meter.
Later,
Pete

mattunique · 03-13-2005, 08:02 AM

I have a brand new truck (well it started happening with 6000 miles on it which for me is about 3 months) doing the same thing. I have not bothered to do much about it because it seems to affect nothing else but I am curious about a resolution as well.

--Matt

CraigW · 03-13-2005, 08:15 AM

Sounds like a possible poor ground. Or you could have a defective rear brake/parking lamp bulb.

SandTrap · 03-13-2005, 02:10 PM

Thanks for your input. The difference in my situation is that everything works. I'm not blowing fuses. What I'm trying to find out is why all the dash lights come on (cluster, heater control back lighting, etc.), the front driving lights (not headlights) come on, and if the engine is off and the driver's door is open, the lights on reminder buzzs while the brake pedal is depressed. Like you I think the problem is a short somewhere. Otherwise, my truck is performing better than expected considering the 278K+ miles on it.
--Dean

CraigW · 03-13-2005, 02:22 PM

Grounds are pretty easy, if you can access the sockets and jumper in a ground and the problem goes away, (use a jumper wire with alligator clips) then you could trace and do the repairs.

A short will usually cause fuses to open, A bad ground causes strange symptoms.

278K is a good record.

tcr22 · 03-15-2005, 06:57 AM

i had the same thing problem with my 93 pickup. i find it it was a cross wire. i some how cross a wire when i put new tail lens in my pickup

SandTrap · 03-15-2005, 08:47 AM

Problem solved. It turns out to be a saftey alert built in by Toyota. Just wish it was easier to find. Both brake lamps were not working. One was blown, the other just wasn't working. As soon as one brake lamp worked the dash lights and front driving lights stopped coming on when the brake pedal was depressed.

Thanks everyone!