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1998 rav Running light and dash light fuse keeps blowing

4K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  jiggseob 
#1 ·
So I know this is an old car and there are alot of threads already but I still can't seem to find an answer. Everytime I put a new fuse in the "tail" socket it blows after a couple minutes of driving. Ive replaced all of the bulbs including the license plate ones, ive checked all of the sockets and none are burnt, ive replaced all of the bulbs in the gauge cluster and still it's doing it. I even replaced the turn signal bulbs upfront since they're 2 way bulbs. Does anyone have an answer for this? Ive been scratching my head for a week now trying to figure this out. Please help!
 
#5 · (Edited)
-- Hondaguy93, are you handy with a multimeter and reading electrical schematics?

-- Please confirm: Is it fuse #23, as shown in the drawing at www.autogenius.info/toyota-rav4-xa10-1998-1999-fuse-box-diagram/, that keeps blowing?

-- If possible, post a photo of the fuse box that identifies the fuse (fuses?) that keeps (keep) blowing.

-- I would start by disconnecting the plugs in the engine bay for the headlights. Run the Rav4. Does the fuse (fuses) keep blowing?

-- I am looking at the 1998-2000 wiring schematic. If you search for 1999Rav4wiringdiagrams.pdf, you can download it. In particular, I am looking at pages 24, 30, 40 and 42.

-- If you answer the questions above, I can probably offer a systematic approach that may help you find the fault/ground/short as quickly as possible.
 
#6 ·
-- Hondaguy93, are you handy with a multimeter and reading electrical schematics?

-- Please confirm: Is it fuse #23, as shown in the drawing at www.autogenius.info/toyota-rav4-xa10-1998-1999-fuse-box-diagram/, that keeps blowing?

-- If possible, post a photo of the fuse box that identifies the fuse (fuses?) that keeps (keep) blowing.

-- I would start by disconnecting the plugs in the engine bay for the headlights. Run the Rav4. Does the fuse (fuses) keep blowing?

-- I am looking at the 1998-2000 wiring schematic. If you search for 1999Rav4wiringdiagrams.pdf, you can download it. In particular, I am looking at pages 24, 30, 40 and 42.

-- If you answer the questions above, I can probably offer a systematic approach that may help you find the fault/ground/short as quickly as possible.
Yes its 23. Ive tried driving with just the running lights on and it still blows. Ive noticed that when I brake the dash light flicker before the fuse pops. I though maybe it was a bad bulb in the cluster but I replaced all of them. When I first bought it a year ago I had the same problem but I replaced a bulb in the cluster and I was good to go. This time nothing is working
 
#8 · (Edited)
-- Hondaguy93, are you saying that the fuse blows when you press the brake pedal?

-- Try this: Remove the 10 amp "Turn & Gauge" fuse. The "Turn & Gauge" fuse is in the same box as the Tail Fuse. Start the engine. Does the Tail fuse still blow?

-- Attached are a couple of sections from the 1998-2000 Rav4 service manual that I am using. The Tail Fuse (fuse #23) appears on pages 24, 40 and 42. Page 30 seems helpful as well for a DRL equipped Rav4.1.2.
 

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#11 ·
I tried to take that turn and gauge fuse out and it seemed like it caused it to blow even faster. I don't know if I mentioned this yet but this only happens when I'm driving. I left my car running for 2 and a half hours the other day and the fuse did not blow. I mashed the brake pedal while it was sitting running And I accelerated the engine. Perfectly fine until I tried to drive
 
#13 · (Edited)
When chasing a blowing-fuse short, I like to put a light in-series in the circuit to replace the fuse. I've created a pair of jumper wires, a female spade connector on one end, and the blade from a smashed fuse soldered on the other end of the wire. I use two of these wires, about 8 feet long, to splice a 5001 old-skool sealed beam hi-beam-only headlight into the circuit where the fuse was. The fuse blade soldered to a wire goes in where the fuse was, and the female spade connectors go to the two prongs on the back of the sealed-beam. I use some electrical tape to temporarily insulate the connectors on the back of the sealed-beam so I don't short out. This headlight, being 50 watts or so, will pass about 4 or 5 amps @ 12v, well below the melt-harness amperage. With 8 feet of wire off the old sealed beam headlight, I put the headlight where I can see it then start wiggling harnesses and wires and bulb sockets until I see the state of the light change. Works great for chasing those intermittent shorts that blow a fuse then work just fine for a while. Much less destructive than putting successively bigger amperage fuses; 10 then 15 then 20 then 25 then 30 amp and watching for where the smoke is coming from.

When the headlight is dim-lit, such as it would be in-series with your tail lights circuit, you can clearly see that. Then when headlight goes out, you have interrupted the circuit. When the headlight goes full bright, you have dead-short but are only passing 4 or 5 amps. No melting wires.

This is my hay-wire implementation of a current-limiting indicator test light. Good luck.
 
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