Tail Lights failed

[JohnP1961]

The tail lights on my 2000 1.8 Hatchback Avensis have stopped working. The indicators, license plate light, brake lights and fog lights all work. I have checked the bulbs and they look fine and I have checked the 10a fuse labelled "Tail" in the fuse box inside the car and that looks fine.
Is there anywhere else I should look???

Thanks in advance

[ents]

Are also the front clearence lights out? If yes, then I`ll still blame the fuse.

[JohnP1961]

No, all the lights on the front are working fine, as are the rear indicators, rear brake lights,rear license plate lights and rear fog lights. It is just the rear tail lights not working, both of them

[JohnP1961]

Where is the fuse for the rear tail lights?

[frankie406]

Have you tried new bulbs? Clean the surrounding holder for corrosion and inside where the bulb sits.if the bulbs tight going into it while you twist it could be breaking the internal wire.I found this out on a 406 Peugeot. 

[JohnP1961]

The bulbs look fine and not blown, neither of them

[frankie406]

Are they tight..have you tried to move them.try to wiggle the wiring block ...like I say the bulbs I put into the 406 were new bulbs they broke inside the aluminium casing that holds the glass.

[JohnP1961]

I hadnt touched them, the cluster looks in perfect condition. One minute they were working fine, (It only passed the MOT, a few days earlier), the next minute, the tail lights and only the tail lights were not working but everything else, was working

[JohnP1961]

Is the correct fuse for these lights the one lablelled "Tail" in the fuse board under the steering wheel, inside the car? Its a 10a fuse.
Is there anywhere else I should be looking?

[frankie406]

Sorry I don't know the layout of your car.but I'd guess the tail fuse would be the right 1.have you checked the fuse box also in engine bay?

[JohnP1961]

Cant see any fuses in the box in the engine bay that might apply, are there any there?

 

[frankie406]

Possibly.but I could be wrong as I have a different model from yours.

Take your other side light cluser panel out and try it in the side that's not working right..

[JohnP1961]

Both sides arent working, neither the nearside or offside tail lights are working, all other lights are working

[frankie406]

Must be fused then.

[JohnP1961]

Where exactly, is the fuse I need to check?

[frankie406]

Take the fuse out try another in place of it.or if the original 1 has not blown take it out and clean the forks with a piece of sand paper 

[JohnP1961]

The one fuse I've found, labelled rear...has already been changed.....as I said in the original post

[frankie406]

Not quite sure mate but check your owners manual or the fuse location on the fuse box panel.

[frankie406]

Also check for relays in either the fuse box your at or engine bay

[JohnP1961]

Cant see anythink in the engine bay fuse box that looks like its for the rear tail lights, found a fuse on the interior fusebox that was labelled, "Rear", already changed that, they still dont work. Is there another fuse somewhere else, I should be looking for?

[frankie406]

Have you swapped a relay with the same type to see? Hopefully konrad on here will step in think he had the same year as yours. (I could be wrong though)

[JohnP1961]

Which Relay??

 

[frankie406]

Check on the panel for which relay..it might help to have the light switch turned on and off and someone to listen to the relay in the engine to hear if it clicks.but check them and clean them with sand paper. And the light clusters take the connections off and clean them too.

[frankie406]

John can you check your wiring on both sides..and check if any of the grounds are corroded. 

[Konrad C]

I have just got in and read this post. 

Frank, you have covered everything I would have told John. 

John says he checked the bulbs and they were fine. How were the bulbs checked, and has he tried new bulbs as Frank advised. Saying the bulbs look fine does not mean they are not blown. It may be coincidence that the bulbs have failed. This is a sixteen year old car.

Mk1 Avensis hatchback use individual bulbs for each light. The bulb holder has all five bulbs for the five functions: tail, indicator, stop, reverse and fog. The earth is common to all.

There are three possibilities:

1. The bulbs have blown.
2. The fuse is blown or faulty.
3. The cable to the tale lights is damaged.

If it was me, I would test the bulbs by connecting them directly to the Battery. If they light then move on to the fuse.

Swap the fuse with a known working fuse of the same rating. Old fuses can deteriorate over time. It may not actually blow, but the metal properties may stop the current passing through. If the fuse checks out fine and replacing does not resolve the issue, then it must be the cabling. I would use a multi-meter to see if the current is getting through. If no current then the wire needs to be followed back. The cable colour is green.   

I have solve my brothers lighting problem using a multi-meter, checking the current and the continuity. That is a Renault Grand Scenic.

I also recently sorted Waqars stop lamps and VSC/TRC warning. It was one blown and the other melted.

John if you are not sure, then an auto electrician may be your solution.

 

Konrad