MESO Puddle Light Install Gremlins

All wire of 1A and the traces to it.

 

So somehow there was still damage after the fuses blew. I’m not sure what would have happened, maybe an internal failure when the fuse blew and made a connection within that module essentially bypassing the fuse.

Sounds like something that should not have happened.

 

Doesn’t the dealer have to prove that your mods caused the damage in order to deny warranty claim?

man, sorry this happened.

 

Too bad you never uninstalled the other electronics before you took it in. Has to be a faulty module. The fuses should have protected it.

 

Just 1 fuse tap in the engine bay for good ol' raptor lights. INJ fuse. Those are perfectly fine. Engine bay fuse box as a whole is perfect actually.

Other "mods" consist of the Anytime Backup Camera with Front cam, some ditch lights (on it's own fused and switched circuit), and Hella horns. Plus the dash cam tapped into the rear view mirror. LED headlight bulbs (just bulbs) too (they tried to blame those first).

Yes but they can do this for anything and will easily blame it on whatever they see first.

Quite honestly this seems beyond the install of the puddle lights and from inspection of the lights and harness, it doesn't add up. I'm sending my kit back to MESO so he can put eyes on it, but I can only guess it'll come up fine.

 

Thanks for the update. Sorry to see this happening and the dealer already saying it’s due to your mods. I would try to have them show you how they caused it. But I’m sure they’ll just use dealer jargon to try and avoid responsibility.

 

you do you, but I would not be satisfied unless I was given a report that specifically cites your mod as the cause. Did any of the blown fuses have anything to do with your mods?

 

Oh I'm absolutely not satisfied, but the reality is they can blame it on any modification and Toyota corporate will follow in most cases from my research. I'll keep working them. There's not a chance they will be able to prove modifications caused the issue. I think it's pretty hard to blow a hole in the BCM.

The reality is I really don't know exactly what went wrong and where. I wouldn't feel comfortable placing the blame on anything at this point.

I'll keep posting updates

 

Do you think pulling the battery while the truck was running made the issue worse? I've heard horror stories of that frying things.

 

Well in this case I think it was either that or possibly start a fire via the BCM.

Also I saw some mention of a tailgate lock in other posts. As an FYI I also have an OEM tailgate lock that pigtails into the passenger side plugs by the floorboard area.

 

I agree. In a panic, it may not have seemed to be a bad idea. I would have went for a relay, mainly because it would have been faster to pull than disconnecting the battery (assuming you had it tightened back down). But hindsight is 20/20 so I'm not going to fault you for doing that. Sorry that it did happen to you. I know I would be pretty upset had it happened to me, regardless of who/what is to blame.

Also, I have the OEM tailgate lock and the LED Illumination Package, both port installed, and everything is working fine for me, so I don't imagine that contributed to your issue.

 

Just chiming in here because I just installed my lights and blew a dome fuse, granted I think it was my fault and I have no further issues but this thread made me nervous. I did notice ECU no2 you have a 10 amp fuse in it that requires a 7.5 fuse and also the dome fuse is 10 amp that requires a 7.5. I'm all for a slight increase for the dome, but the ecu if there was a short, could have contributed to it allowing too much amperage into the module.

 

My puddle pods caused electrical issues too. My symptoms were that the driver window would roll down with the truck off, the passenger window did not work, door locks wouldn't work and turn signals wouldn't work. Plug back in the stock harness and it worked fine. Mine ended up being a bad meso harness I took it apart and put it back together and there was a bent pin too. I thought they tested these things before shipping them out... luckily I was able to fix mine myself and I don't have a hole in my bcm.

 

So all the damage and the hole was done in that first event with the pops and smoke. The 10s were tossed in to test if the truck would shut off but it seemed as if the damage was already done, and that's when I disconnected everything for that night.

When the 10s were in I didn't see anything happening like new popped fuses or more smoke

 

What did you notice with the harness and what was the fix?
I have not installed yet, don’t pick up my tt for a few more weeks

 

If you're concerned, just do a continuity check on the t harness before installation. I did, only took a few minutes. Don't just check that the wires go where they need to, also check that they aren't going where they shouldn't (pins touching or for some very unlikely reason that the insulation is worn between two wires). Just check pin 1 to every pin. Once that's good, move on to pin 2 and check it to every pin but pin 1 (since it has already been verified). Then move to pin 3 and check it to every pin but pins 1 and 2. Continue the process until you've verified every pin is exactly what it should be. My harness was perfectly fine, and I imagine MESO's process of verifying the harness checks that pins are going where they should and also checks that they aren't going where they shouldn't.

I would highly recommend that you also disconnect the battery before installing the t harness. There are a few circuits on battery power that run up that harness.

 

thanks! I’ll def check.

I disconnect the battery if anything I do involves a wire. I also wait a min or two to let it “discharge”. No clue if that’s a thing or not, but it makes me feel better lol

 

There are references in the repair manual that do state to wait some time after disconnecting the battery in certain situations. It's not a long wait, enough time to go to the refrigerator and grab a beer to prepare you for the mod ahead.

 

Thanks for the updates, I'll continue working with you behind the scenes. I need to look into the Tail gate pop-n-lock connections in the passenger kick to see if that has anything (circuit wise) tied into the puddles. I don't see how...but you can't rule anything out. @caribe makaira have a pinout of the Passenger kick(i think it's a 12 pin)

Are you referring to the main "T" harness? We do in fact test each one by hand with out testing jig and QC before being boxed up. So it would have to pass then get unplugged. I will say you have to be careful plugging it into the truck. It's already at an awkward angle, add the fact 30+ small pins...if it goes in at any angle you can risk bending a pin. Glad you could isolate it and fix it.