Mystery lights
Mystery lights
Need some help. Tonight got in the 92Q turned on the lights and no dash lights, temp/ac lights are on and bright(daylight setting) when I hit the brake, dash lights come on and temp/ac goes to night brightness???? All other lights are fuctional. Checked fuses and all are good???
I've experianced a similar problem. Here's the ideas I can pass along.
1) Make sure the key is in the proper position, as the mechanism ages, the key can hang just before returning to the RUN position when starting, that can cause the problem.
2) CLOSELY inspect the rear light sockets and CHANGE the lamp fuse. The entire assembly can be disconnected and removed for a good close up. These are prone to overheat or short out, but fortuately, they are quick and easy to change.
I had a similar problem on mine, and it was caused by faulty bulbs and shorts in the sockets. I thought that it was just the sockets, but even after cleaning those to remove the short and changing the bulbs I still had a problem. Use ONLY "LL" suffix bulbs in the sockets to minimize shorts.
The fuses checked fine with a multimeter, when I checked for continutity, but when visually inspected, it was partially burned (probably from the shorted sockets) and would not pass enough current to light everything.
It's a bit difficult to judge which bulb is bad from the outside of the Q. It will "borrow" a nearby bulb to mimic the burned-out bulb. So sometimes it looks like everything is fine, but you've really got a bad bulb in back.
1) Make sure the key is in the proper position, as the mechanism ages, the key can hang just before returning to the RUN position when starting, that can cause the problem.
2) CLOSELY inspect the rear light sockets and CHANGE the lamp fuse. The entire assembly can be disconnected and removed for a good close up. These are prone to overheat or short out, but fortuately, they are quick and easy to change.
I had a similar problem on mine, and it was caused by faulty bulbs and shorts in the sockets. I thought that it was just the sockets, but even after cleaning those to remove the short and changing the bulbs I still had a problem. Use ONLY "LL" suffix bulbs in the sockets to minimize shorts.
The fuses checked fine with a multimeter, when I checked for continutity, but when visually inspected, it was partially burned (probably from the shorted sockets) and would not pass enough current to light everything.
It's a bit difficult to judge which bulb is bad from the outside of the Q. It will "borrow" a nearby bulb to mimic the burned-out bulb. So sometimes it looks like everything is fine, but you've really got a bad bulb in back.
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Q451990
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- Car: 1990 Q45 - 118K, 2022 Toyota 4 Runner, 2004 Frontier M/T - 108K, 2012 Xterra (Mom's), 2023 Rogue (Inlaws)
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By light module, you mean the tail light socket assembly that plugs into the harness and snaps into the lens? They're available from any dealership, but our old buddy Joe at Infiniti of Scottsdale is probably the best source. They should be about $20 each.
Q45Tech has a theory that aftermarket bulbs pull more current than the OEMs, causing this meltdown problem which is all too common. Apparently the tolerances were too close on the socket assemblies, so a good long-term approach is to go with either OEM bulbs or a good quality aftermarket like Sylvania LL (Long Life) bulbs... Or, if I ever get around to it, scrap the whole thing and design and LED upgrade!
Heath
Q45Tech has a theory that aftermarket bulbs pull more current than the OEMs, causing this meltdown problem which is all too common. Apparently the tolerances were too close on the socket assemblies, so a good long-term approach is to go with either OEM bulbs or a good quality aftermarket like Sylvania LL (Long Life) bulbs... Or, if I ever get around to it, scrap the whole thing and design and LED upgrade!
Heath
They were OEM bulbs but had overheated and had done some damage in the past, they are working now but may replace the socket assembly anyway, the other concern I have is timing chain guides,I bought the car at 118K now have 180K and don't know if the guides were ever replaced.I've replaced these
fuel pumpac compressorwindow regulator(driver)brakes twicestarter relayand that's it car runs smooth as silk
fuel pumpac compressorwindow regulator(driver)brakes twicestarter relayand that's it car runs smooth as silk