Cressida advice?

"ImmoralMinority" (araimondo) 01/03/2018 at 10:05 • Filed to: None

2

15

Taillight problem. Brake lights work when pedal is pressed, but the regular nighttime taillights do not work.

Also, when you hit the brakes the tail light failure light on the dash comes on. Oh yeah, the dash lights stopped working.

This happened suddenly when I was changing burned out bulbs in the taillights. 2 of 4 bulbs lit on each side, and then the lights failed. I checked fuses, but they seem to be intact.

Any ideas?

benjrblant > ImmoralMinority 01/03/2018 at 10:22

3

If the bulbs are good and the fuse is good it could be a relay, but it’s just a guess.

crowmolly > ImmoralMinority 01/03/2018 at 10:23

7

Start by inspecting the sockets. See if the contacts are dirty and inspect the condition of the wiring harness. Look and see if there’s a ground wire that has a weak connection.

kanadanmajava1 > ImmoralMinority 01/03/2018 at 10:23

3

Maybe a grounding issues? Do the tail lights work normally when brake pedal isn’t pressed?

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > ImmoralMinority 01/03/2018 at 10:28

2

Relay, wires, and ground now all need to be checked. Thankfully the lights are typically simple as far as electrical components go.

LongbowMkII > ImmoralMinority 01/03/2018 at 10:30

1

Switch the fuse anyways. Had a similar issue on the mk2. I think it popped again, but the third time, it worked.

30 year old electrics ftw!

Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction > ImmoralMinority 01/03/2018 at 10:31

1

I’d start with checking the contacts on the taillights, especially the ground wires

InFierority Complex > ImmoralMinority 01/03/2018 at 10:32

2

Everything is broken. Best to start from scratch an install an 80s-tastic digital dash.

Or you could just do what I do and wait for the problem to fix itself.

Oh, you wanted actual advice..... Sorry.

dogisbadob > ImmoralMinority 01/03/2018 at 10:36

1

Wow even the old Cressida had that tail light warning dash bulb? WOW they were really ahead of their time! I had that on the 91 ES250 and 96 ES300 I used to have, but the fact that Toyota used it even before that is really really awesome!

I think something like that should be required on all cars.

Maybe the sockets are corroded and no good?

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > ImmoralMinority 01/03/2018 at 10:38

0

I’d be inclined to think grounds as well. Funny thing about incandescent bulbs is they’re so low resistance and tail lights can be wired in really weird ways that you end up with strange paths to ground that make things work sometimes, but not all the time.

When my Saab started doing this it was because the connectors were going and I was getting intermittent contact.

When the Alfa started doing this it was because the crimps at the bulb holders were starting to let go.

When my GMC started doing this it was because the circuit board was bad.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > ImmoralMinority 01/03/2018 at 10:43

1

Like several have already said, I’d start by looking the sockets. If those are dirty or corroded, weird things can start happening. Next up would be checking the grounds and the harness.

sony1492 > ImmoralMinority 01/03/2018 at 11:03

0

I’d recheck the fuses and pull each one out and look it over closely.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ImmoralMinority 01/03/2018 at 11:12

1

We’re getting that same taillight warning light in my daughter’s ‘89 Camry. I thought I had it chased to a bad ground, but that hasn’t remedied it.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > InFierority Complex 01/03/2018 at 11:17

1

How about a Lagonda-tastic CRT dash?

Or a Lagonda-tastic Night Rider dash?

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > ImmoralMinority 01/03/2018 at 17:01

1

My ‘93 MX-6 had something called a tail-light relay that controlled that sort of thing, and when it went, I had pretty much the same issue. Had it replaced, then everything worked.

MINIGTI > ImmoralMinority 01/03/2018 at 23:49

1

I have one of those lights on my 1985 Jaguar. I’m guessing it’s on because one of the license plate lamps doesn’t work. (Bulb is ok)