DIY: Tail Lamp Failure Sensor Bypass GET YOUR TAIL AND/OR BRAKE LIGHTS BACK!

[SideWinderGX]

My dashboard tail light....light...is half on. Dimmer than the other lights but still bright. All the lights work though.

Not sure why I'm saying this as I'm going to clean all the bulbs and sockets tomorrow, I guess I'm just tired...

 

[IJ.]

Possibly water in the box, I ended up bagging mine in a Nitrile glove and a Baggie then taping it shut.

 

[biggbaddjosh]

does this work for a 93 mk4??? the wires i have is not the same as yours please help if you can...

green w/white stripe
red w/ white stripe
light green
green
yellow
white w/ black stripe
purple or violet
these r the colors i have on my sensor

lmk thanks

 

[hvyman]

Thje colors of the wires are irrelevant. Its where they go.

Yes it can be done. You can also just get a good used box and plug it in. Sf Prolly has one on the first page of the forsale section.

 

[stitch89t]

I know this topic is kinda old... But I finally got my car running after a year and a half...

Anyway, I did the rewire and my brake lights work again! So everything was a success. The problem is, now my Rear Passenger Turn Signal won't work. From what I understand, their not wired together right? Either way my all other signals work and when I flip the switch it flashes really fast, which means it knows something is wrong. I will get a wire brush to clean them.

In the mean time could anyone think of anything else it could be?

 

[Mikael_7m]

Thought I'd put this out there.

So my tail lights weren't working, everything else was. There was no lamp failure light showing on the dash or anything. Did this bypass and everything's works. Very happy! Big thanks to the OP

 

[Dylan JZ]

yeah, I did this like a year or two ago, and it made me really happy.. I think the taillight failure box is one of the dumbest things ever conceived due to the way it's designed; good idea, terrible execution IMO. Thus, I never even considered replacing it.

 

[kornfedmk3]

I did this mod and my brake lights are always on when i have my lights turned on. did i cross wires wrong or something I swear they are the correct wires. when i turn the lights on the third brake light is on as are the brake lights. when i press the brakes you can't tell the difference. need help

 

[Austin2048]

I need some help with my tail lights. When I got the car the brake lights, tail lights, and reverse lights did not work. I read this post and figured this would fix it. But the box was cut out by a previous owner and I'm left with all these wires. I tried to connect them like in the original post but I don't have a red/white wire. When I connect the green and green/red wire my tail lights come on with the headlights as they should but still no brake lights or reverse lights. I touched the red/blue and green/white wires together and all the brake lights came on and stayed on and the wires started to get warm. So I'm left with these wires. Green and green/red (connected for tails) green/white, red/blue, white/black, yellow, and purple. What wires do I have to connect to get my brake and reverse light back?

Car is an 87 non Turbo 5 speed

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[Austin2048]

Bump.. anyone? I'm tired of dodging cops cause I have no brake lights

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[suprasick]

Bump.. anyone? I'm tired of dodging cops cause I have no brake lights

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Needless to say you should not be on the road with no lights....

Your answer is in the TEWD.

Another way is to use a multimeter. Do you have one?

 

[jetjock]

^ This. Hard to have sympathy for anyone who chooses to endanger others instead of learning to repair what is arguably one of the simplest circuits in the car. Or pay to have it done. Course, being so focused on his own needs (avoiding cops) is probably getting in the way...

 

[Nick M]

I tried to connect them like in the original post but I don't have a red/white wire.
Car is an 87 non Turbo 5 speed

Sent from my MB886 using Tapatalk 2

87 Wiring Diagram from Toyota

 

[Austin2048]

Needless to say you should not be on the road with no lights....

Your answer is in the TEWD.

Another way is to use a multimeter. Do you have one?

Sometimes I don't have a choice. I need to be to interviews and work. I try to stay off the road as much as possible. I stay off highways and try to stay out of heavy traffic areas. The last thing i need is someone rear ending me cause my brake lights don't work.

I looked at the diagram for the stop light circuit. I've never read a wire diagram before but what I got out of it was that if I connected the green/white wire with the red/blue wire, I should have brake lights minus the 3rd brake light.

I agree that a multimeter would make this a lot easier to figure out but I don't have one or the money to buy one yet.

^ This. Hard to have sympathy for anyone who chooses to endanger others instead of learning to repair what is arguably one of the simplest circuits in the car. Or pay to have it done. Course, being so focused on his own needs (avoiding cops) is probably getting in the way...

I'm not asking for sympathy, I'm asking for help. Wiring is not up my alley. I'm only posting here because I couldn't figure it out myself. I don't drive unless I absolutely have to. I don't just go driving for the fun of it.

87 Wiring Diagram from Toyota

Ill definitely be buying one of those in the future...

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[Austin2048]

Does it sound like I have a short or a bad ground somewhere? I got another tail light sensor from a scrapped 86 along with the plug and a few inches of wire. I plugged it all up to my car and the brake lights come on and stay on. I studied the wiring diagram and I'm 90% sure that the way I was wiring it to remove the sensor was correct but the brake lights come on and stay on when its wired that way. I don't have the time to take apart the interior to look for a short or bad ground if that isn't the problem.

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[Austin2048]

A friend of mine figured it out. The brake light switch had to be adjusted. He had the same problem in his 87.

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[suprra_girl]

Fanks for the bypass <3

My mums supra was having fun with blinking dash lights and headlights with the box, bypass has fixed all xD

 

[drogon]

I need some help! Im knew to this forum I have a 1990 white supra NA, I changed all the tail light bulbs to LED bulb off of superbightleds.com, I put in a new flasher relay to get rid of the bulb warning light and the fast blinkers, also every time I step on the breaks it make my dash and parking lights come when I let go they turn off. Checked all bulbs and everything works fine assumed it was was the TLFS so I did the bypass, bulb warning light is off, lights work fine but every time I push on the break pedal its still making my dash and parking lights come on. I checked to make sure the right bulbs are in the right place(1156&1157s) no corrosion. Its super annoying and was wondering if anyone knew what else I can check to find out why its doing this.

 

[Dan_Gyoba]

Look up the TEWD on CygnusX1.net. Particularly the brake light system on Page 74. Troubleshoot. You've got something cross-connected somewhere.

 

[drogon]

Thank you will do!