Ground location help

Does anyone know where I can find the ground on my frame for my brake lights? I can't seem to locate it on my 2000 2.7L I keep blowing fuses and I have followed everything back to the where it goes into the cab now breaks. I have disconnected my trailer plug, changes the switch at the top of my brake pedal and still have an issue. When I apply the brakes the light come on for a second but then the fuse pops.

 

I would think you have a power draw, not a ground problem. I would look along the harness for it to have a spot where it has rubbed through the insulation?

Easy test would be to remove your brake bulbs and apply the brakes. Does the fuse blow again after a few seconds? If yes, then you have a short in the wiring to the rear brake lights, or a bad socket for the bulb. reinstall one bulb at a time and retest. Also don't forget your third brake light as a suspect as well.

 

Yes the fuse still blows with no bulbs in. I followed all wires from plug to where the go into the cab and didn't see anything obvious. You don't think it could be a bad ground? All other lights work fine

 

If you had an issue with a 'bad ground', then one or more brake lights wouldn't come on, or come on weakly, and the fuse would not blow. It behaves like a short, as bamatoy stated.

A wire between the fuse and one of the bulbs has frayed and come in contact with ground. Look harder. Simply jiggling the wire in question could temporarily move the frayed point away from the ground, and prevent a blown fuse.

There are 3 circuits to brake lights (left,right, middle). If the lights go on for a second or two before the fuse blows, then it possible for that one light to be weaker than the others. That could be the circuit with the short, and help narrow your search.

 

Things to consider, that may not have been mentioned/tried already:
Has the truck been in an accident/had body repair?
Did you also remove the 3rd brake light bulbs?

 

Sounds like an open short somewhere, could even be the plugs themselves as mentioned you've got some bare metal , not sure if this would work but you might take a multi meter & check the plug for continuity or actually a short, take one of the leads & stick it in pos. side of plug & ground the other against frame it should still read 0 if theres movement in numbers with resistance , then it would seem to me that the wire s def. ARCing against frame , hell i dont know, i hate electrical....

 

No, no and yes I have looked at my third brake light. I am going to inspect the plugs more which I get a spare moment and see what I can find

 

Reinstall 1 bulb at a time and retest.


You disconnected your trailer plug. Do you tow alot?

 

So I have a 3.4 I just had body work done the bed and the front fenders and paint my truck just started doing the same. It seems more intermittent because I can drive the truck bit after a while it just pop the fuse

 

here is the diagram for your truck.
Things I would check first. Trailer Convertor box. I have attached the zip file with all of Toyotas documents.
if she is an automatic, check the shift interlock.