Tail light issue

My name is Tim and i'm new to this forum, I just moved from my hometown Amsterdam to the beautiful island of Guam. Moving from the city to an island finally gave me the opportunity to buy a pick-up i've been dreaming of my whole life.
I've bough a 2013 Tacoma 4x4 Doublecab V6


I just bought the car yesterday and the seller told me of two issues:

The backup camera in the mirror isn't working
The whole right rear tail light unit isn't working

Ad a third issue I found today:

The bottom two lights in the front bumper (I believe it's the fog lights) don't work.


So far I've checked all fuses and they are in good working order for as far as i can see. From here I'm not sure where to go next best so that's why I thought it's better to turn to this forum first.

I do know that the car used to have a roof that they took off, on the left there are still some loose wires + connector hanging.

I was wondering if you could help me planning out my next move.

Thanks!

 

There are 4 separate circuits in the taillights. Tail, turn, brake, reverse. You need to identify which circuits don’t work.

 

If the circuits and fuses are good as Muddinfun suggested you check, then you need to look for loose connectors or broken wires in the harness to the tail light in question. Since there 4 circuits there, I struggle with the whole light being out without a broken wire / connection somewhere.

As for the fog lights, if the fuse is good, next check for power at the bulbs and after that, the bulbs themselves. So in both cases you need to see where you have power, then trace back to see where you don't.

 

As for the backup camera, those are usually tied into reverse lights in the tail lights, so if you get those fixed, your camera should be ok too.

 

What do you mean the car had a roof that they took off?

 

Thanks for all the fast replies.

I'll drive down to Homedepot and pick up a Volt meter and check all wires and fuses.

@ will.denny.17
Sorry my English isn't perfect yet, I mean one of those camper tops with interior lighting. Was thinking that could be part of the issue.

 

You can really get away with something as simple as a Test Light to trace automotive electrical problems. A Digital Volt Meter works just as well, but costs more money.

As for the camper top, I'm willing to bet they tied into the truck's wiring harness (to get power for the interior lighting) at the problem tail light. Being that you're surrounded by salt water, hacking into a harness the wrong way can lead to all sorts of corrosion issues - which can lead to power issues. Good luck!

 

Ah, no worries, they are called canopys.

 

Pull the good light assembly and plug it in to the bad side or the bad into the good you’ll know real quick if it’s the assembly or wiring.

 

Tail Light Circuit: ( The white wires with a black stripe are ground wires )

 

Hi everyone,

thank you all for your help!

I went underneath the car last night to try and find the wires and found the issue immediately. It was a easy 30 minutes fix for me where the previous owner had gotten a quote from a garage for $500.
The wires were cut, probably happened while the previous owner changed spare tire or something.

That shows it’s always a good idea to double check yourself!

thanks!! I’ll be posting and replying more in the future

 

You used solder and heatshrink to connect the wires, right?

 

I haven’t yet, just wired together to check if everything worked.

Because I just moved here my tool supply is limited. This gives me a good reason to drive down to Home Depot and expand it today

 

Nice! I love an easy fix! What did you find with the fogs?

 

Actually completely forgot about those! I’m taking a look at it tomorrow

 

This would definitely be the best route to connect those wires to make sure there’s no resistance added to the circuit with the repairs. It will also make the best weather tight connection.