Whats wrong with my lights, fuse, wires?

blk_ice_360

2000 Avalon . Now when I use the key fob to lock/unlock, the outside lights do not flash. Also the park lights aren't on .

thecardoc3

How much it might cost is the lesser of the problems that you are facing. Finding a shop and tech familiar with and skilled in the routine is the biggest problem for you right now. A shop that can do this effectively will give you an upfront estimate on the order of one to two hours of diagnostic time. The most that they can promise is to not go over the two hour limit without talking to you so that you have an idea of what is going on. There are many occasions that the one hour minimum is plenty of time hence the range to start out. As you try to find a shop to look into this, something to keep in mind is a shop that excels in this kind of work will have a separate labor rate for diagnostics then they do for regular repairs. The regular labor rate is calculated to also have parts being sold which is a portion of the gross profits, when doing diagnostics there are no parts being sold and therefore to be successful the shop must account for that.

thecardoc3

You need to find another mechanic who tests with the kinds of routines that I explained.

blk_ice_360

Found out my 10 amp fuse kept blowing ( driver side box by the peddles .. Replaced but keeps blowing ..any ideas?

blk_ice_360

Number 30 fuse in box..smh .could it be a relay?

elias

with anything weird with lights/flashers/signals/brake-lights, it's usually good/easy/inexpensive to suspect & test each bulb location as possible cause.
so removing each bulb one at a time and/or swapping it with new bulb may provide a good clue to the root cause, retesting with each individual change. (sounds like you probably already have a huge pack of new fuses on-hand...)

thecardoc3

It cannot be the relay, the relay is in the circuit before the fuse. A trick that top technicians use is to install a load device (such as a headlight) in place of the fuse for testing. With the power applied, the "short" cases the lamp to turn on and that limits the current that is flowing to a predictable level for testing. The tech can then use a tool like the low amps current probe to measure the current that is flowing in the various sections of the circuit and that leads them right to where the failure is.

BTW. There are several exposed sections of the circuit inside the truck that can be easily accessed and unplugged in order to try and narrow down which branch of the circuit that the failure is in. Without the right tools and a solid routine you are limited to the labor intensive routine of simply disassembling random sections until you manually discover the problem. Pinched wires behind any of the lamps are a possible cause, even a defective bulb can do this. We have also found abraded wiring harnesses where the trunk hinges are.

blk_ice_360

@elias‌ and @thecardoc3‌ , I guess I will take the bulbs out the back and do trial and error..but I didn't know a blown blub can cause a fuse to blow , preventing other lights from functioning . hopefully I can narrow it down. .. Thing is , I parked it and haven't driven it..but I locked my doors one night  with my fob and the lights didn't flash. Also noticed the break lights were out . smh.searched around and seen that #30 slot fuse ( 10 amp) blown. Changed it and blew it immediately. 

So I guess I will start with changing bulbs

blk_ice_360

@thecardoc3‌ .smh. Changed the bulbs..didn't work, the technique that u was explaining , how much does it cost

blk_ice_360

Thanks for the info @thecardoc3‌ !! One mechanic said it was the brake lamp failure modular sensor relay. Could this be possible? Each shop tell me different issues

thecardoc3

You could try unplugging it and see if the next fuse blows. However that wouldn't really show you if the sensor has failed or not, but it would isolate a portion of the circuit.

blk_ice_360

Damn car damn headache

blk_ice_360

@thecardoc3  hey! Still at it. Smh. I had a mechanic look at it again. He placed a fuse with wire around to try to keep current running through it but then smoke started coming from the passenger side dash. He told me that the issue was over there. The only thing that I know is over there is the ecu. Could this cause my park lights to not come on. As I stated before the lights no longer flash when operationing the security locks.  Also when I put a new fuse in , it doesn't blow until I click the switch for the lights , then I immediately hear a another click sound that comes from that switch.