Wahoo my first tech post. Right, I got home last night to discover my tail lights are not functioning. Brake lights work fine but no tail lights. So I jumped on the forum and did a search coz I'm sure that this is not the first time it has ever happened, and found a number of threads about brake lights not working but tail light working. Most of them refer to the little black box near the aerial as being the most likely culprit. My question is.... Is the little black box the bad guy in my story and is there anything else I should check before pulling out my boot trim and doing a bypass (which with my extensive mechanical abilities could turn out poorly). Your ideas would be much appreciated Graeme
Have you checked the bulbs to see if they are blown? eg multimeter to see if there is a 12v supply at the bulb fitting on the p/lights circuit If no power supply then check the fuse in the drivers footwell. Make sure you check for continuity of the fuse. I have had fuses that look ok but have a break in them. Thats the first basic fault finding steps. some people normally go straight for the fuse.
Now thats the sort of out there thinking I need. Check the bulbs, I never would have thought of that. What is sad is that I'm not being sarcastic.
Hey, your not alone. Just basic 101 Wait till you get the door light comming on and no interior lights. It threw me a curly one as I took off in the wrong direction chasing bad earths, when it was only a fuse. Thanks to forum members who helped me out.
Ok my next stupid question Which fuse is it. Drivers side kick panel, yes. I was expecting to find one labeled rear lights or tail lights, or lights or something similar but cannot for the life of me work out which one I'm looking for. I dont want to pull them all out systematically as my tech niavaity is only surpased by my clumsiness and I'm likely to drop or break something. Graeme
got a circuit tester? with this, earth the croc clip (usually to the ignition barrel as its easiest) and tap both sides of the back of the fuses, they have some metal sticking out, just tap each one and if one side lights and other one doesnt than its a blown fuse. i love google...
Be careful Graeme, using a multimeter on a light socket can actually destroy the black box if you accidentally short it out. (Don't ask me how I know) Getting to the box requires no dismantling. Flip of the cover on the drivers side taillight and root around in the hole and you should find the box and connector. It should be clipped to a piece of frame, but often is its simply dangling in there. Pull the box off the connector and connect up the four pairs of terminals in the socket. Four paper clips will do. Only three connections are really required, but if you connect up all four pairs you will know you got the three you needed to get. (The fourth pair is the connection to the dash warning light and an earth. No harm connecting them up). If your tail/stop lights return, you have found the problem.
surprise surprise It was the little black box. I've bypassed it for the time being, just until I can source another one. But now I have lights again! Thanks for the advice Graeme
Mate, you have taken the first step on the road to Zed guru status! Now if you have a soldering iron (surely your medical kit has one of those), try running some fresh solder along the tracks and the connections of the black box printed circuit board and see if you can resuscitate the little sucker. However, you can leave the bypass in permanently if you like, absolutely no harm done.
I think this one is beyond recovery. When I got it out I was sure it was the problem as I'm fairly sure these units shouldn't rattle. Once I got it open well lets say it made the one in your previous posts look quite good. And yes my med kit has a soldering iron which I used to great effect making little bayonet bypass leads so everything looks pretty. Graeme
no problems The one thing I have noticed about a lot of threads in the tech section is that a lot of the time the solution isn't posted. i think it is one of the reason why we get soooooooo many of the same type of threads. Graeme
Good point! I had thi trouble a few months back and was able to cable tie the harness plug tightly into the black box. I think the bypass will be done soon as a permamant fix.
