92 taillights, new relay but still not right

[toyotasam]

I installed a new light failure relay in my 92 Camry. I checked the board after opening the yellow case and it was burned which indicated the relay was fried!

Now the dash indicator is off, until you hit the brakes. It then goes off when you let up on the brakes. I put in new brake bulbs although the old ones still worked!

When you let off on the brakes, the indicator goes off. Unless you turn on the headlight switch and then the indicator goes on and stays on for a long time. My wife says it goes off after a while when the headlights are on.

Also, the high stop light now comes on when you turn on the headlights and stays on. And yes it does get brighter when you hit the brakes.

Does this sound like a broken wire or ..?

Also, I think the headlamps did not go off at the same time as when I turned off the switch. (The car does not have automatic lights on but will turn off automatically if you turn off car, leave lights on, and then open car door.)

I look forward to your help before another of these relays goes out. I changed it out about three years ago also.

Very humbly.

PS. My wife loves her car!!! But I want it to be safe.

[Mike Gerber]

toyotasam,

Make sure you have replaced the bulbs with the correct bulbs as indicated by your owner's manual. I have seen people put in "12 volt bulbs that fit" into the sockets and have problems like your's. I would be especially concerned about what you used for the 3rd (high mounted brake light). On my 94 and my 98 it's a 921. I had a neighbor who put in "something else that fit the socket" into his 98 and had problems with the brake light out dash indicator coming on every time he hit the brake pedal and off when he released it.

Mike

[toyotasam]

Mike,

You are right. I checked the owner's manual which called for one bulb and then I looked at it and it didn't look like it. And then I had one bulb in my bulb stash for such events which was a 'spitting image' of it, but then I went ahead and put it in. Then the rest of the story.

I'll double check the bulb requirement again and then try it.

I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks. Dale

Originally Posted by Mike Gerber

toyotasam,

Make sure you have replaced the bulbs with the correct bulbs as indicated by your owner's manual. I have seen people put in "12 volt bulbs that fit" into the sockets and have problems like your's. I would be especially concerned about what you used for the 3rd (high mounted brake light). On my 94 and my 98 it's a 921. I had a neighbor who put in "something else that fit the socket" into his 98 and had problems with the brake light out dash indicator coming on every time he hit the brake pedal and off when he released it.

Mike

[toyotasam]

Mike,

I changed out with correct bulb for high light and it still does not operate well. Indicator still comes on when braking.

I investigated the wiring and it does look like the wiring at the trunk hinge area could be very stressed with constant bending. I'll investigate this weekend.

Dale

[Mike Gerber]

Dale,

Did you check to see if the other bulbs you replaced back there are the correct bulbs? I am not certain of this, but I believe the light failure relay you replaced senses wattage, and the wrong bulb (with a different wattage) can set it off.

I have heard that the wiring at the hinge area you mentioned is a common problem. Remove the tape there and check that wiring too. Do you have a 12 volt test light or a digital volt/ohmeter to use?

Mike

[toyotasam]

Mike,

I had better go ahead and get some new bulbs. I've changed a few other bulbs and I can't vouch for them being exact replacements (especially the tag and marker bulbs). I think I had better go ahead and change those that I can't readily identify by looking at a number on the bulb.

I do have a 12 volt test light and I was planning on opening the plastic tubing surrounding the wiring, separating each wire and looking for bare metal, broken/fatigue, etc., and then wrapping each with electrical tape as required.

Thanks for the input.

Dale

Originally Posted by Mike Gerber

Dale,

Did you check to see if the other bulbs you replaced back there are the correct bulbs? I am not certain of this, but I believe the light failure relay you replaced senses wattage, and the wrong bulb (with a different wattage) can set it off.

I have heard that the wiring at the hinge area you mentioned is a common problem. Remove the tape there and check that wiring too. Do you have a 12 volt test light or a digital volt/ohmeter to use?

Mike

[Mike Gerber]

toyotasam,

I would replace all the bulbs with the correct ones first. If that doesn't solve the problem, then I would move on to the wiring. When working on the wiring you need to have a wiring diagram so you know what wires are for what light and which ones should have 12 volt power flowing through them. On those that should have 12 volt power, you must turn that light on and use the test light to test for 12 volts before and after the bend in the hinge area. If you find a problem, then you can correct it by splicing and then reinsulating with electrical tape.

Good luck with the problem.

Mike