87 4runner doing some funky things, but seems to settling on parking light and dim dash lights coming on when I hit the brakes. Bad ground?

 

Might want to check those rear bulbs, could be one has shorted internally causing the parking lights to come on with the brakes (that is a dual filament bulb). Try removing one bulb at a time and test if the problem goes away.

 

thanks. That's a great idea. Didn't work for me. I'll keep scratching my head

 

Any trailer wiring box installed on the truck? If so, try disconnecting that and see what happens.

 

If you do have a bad ground back in your taillights due to a corroded socket it will ground back into the parking lights .

I say clean the bulbs and sockets with contact cleaner and see what happens

 

I too had the same problem, the rear bake bulb top wire shorted out and rested on the lower wire, that is the exact symptom. I was only looking for a blown blub you really have to take it out and hold it up to the light and look very carefully.

 

update please? This is fairly common so let's hear what you found out...or still no solution?

 

I am having same symptoms ......push brake and dim dash lights and signals any fix?

 

Mine was a trailer wiring issue. The 4runner had a 4 wire plug where the brake lights were spliced with the parking lights and stepping on the brakes would feed back into the parking circuit.

Needed a 5 wire plug to fix.