my stop lamps come on when i press the brakes but the running lights/ tail lights dont work at all? can someome plesae help?

 

They are 2 different circuits. If your park lights are working and your dash lights are ok then you don't have a blown fuse and there aren't any shorts in the circuit.Your lights have a 1157 bulb which is dual contact. The heavier filament is the brake light, the lighter one is the tail light. Did you verify that the filaments in the bulbs are OK? If you want to do a quick check, take the bulb and see if it is black inside if so it's toast! If it is still clear, hold it so that you can see the filaments and flick it with your fingernail, if the filament is broken you will see one end move around. If you are not sure do a continuity check (which proves there is a current path through the bulb) on the contacts of the bulb to the bulb case.
Rule out the bulbs first, then chack for +12v in the sockets, if that 's ok, then possibly a ground problem, but the brake lights are working so the grounds should be intact. If you find the bulbs are good then most likely you have a broken wire on the +12v feeding the sockets.

 

I have the same problem in my 95 runner. The dash and running tail lights went out. I replaced the 15a tail fuse. didn't work. Then I found a relay 12v that was loose and attached to nothing near my fuse box. Looks like it came unplugged from somewhere. Where does it go? I can't find out. But I'm guessing that's the issue.

 

I have a 2001 4runner and the upper brake light stopped working, Is there a fuse dedicated for this light only. All other lights are now working. I added a new 921 bulb to the upper, but still nothing. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

 

If you have a test-light, check to see if power is getting to the bulb socket. If it's not getting power to the socket, you'll need to follow the wires until you get the test-light on. That will show you where the problem originates.

You may need to do similar to the ground wire. Check to see if the socket is grounded. You can do this by finding a wire with power, and attach the test-light ground to that. Now the test-light will illuminate when you find a ground.

Follow the wires, and you should find the problem.

Hope this helps.

Viking

 

Thanks Viking; I will try that.