himile99 Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 After 301K miles, my amazingly trouble-free wagon has started popping the fuse for the tail light circuit. None of manuals I have is very helpful. Does anyone know of a weak spot in the system to zero in on? Is there a connector somewhere so the front or rear lights can be disconnected to narrow this down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 (edited) if it's an 1157 type bulb, it could have a sagging element. I sometimes read of people needing to clean corrosion at the bottom of bulb sockets. there are lights on the hatch right? sometimes the wires in that boot from the body to the hatch get abraded. Edited September 20, 2016 by 1 Lucky Texan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 I'd start by unplugging the wiring that goes through the lift gate. Pop the rear edge of the headliner loose and you should be able to get to the connector relatively easily. The section that has to flex every time the gate opens or closes is somewhat-common to fatigue, break, and short out. If unplugging that doesn't fix your problem, start checking the bulb sockets for corrosion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
himile99 Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 Both those suggestions make sense, and the hatch wiring was already a thought. Also, if the Haynes manual diagram is correct, the tail light fuse is after the combination switch, so that shouldn't be the problem. I'll start checking things out a bit later... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
himile99 Posted September 21, 2016 Author Share Posted September 21, 2016 Dang, this isn't going too well! Bulbs and sockets all looked good. Have disconnected the hatch, both tail lights, trailer harness, and both headlights. Things are still popping. I replaced the tail/clearance fuse with a 20A circuit breaker (don't shoot me, it's all I had) and the main with a 25A fuse (until it gave up). The right front clearance light lit both filaments until I fiddled with the ground contact, afterword it only lit the clearance filament but the breaker still pops. Another clue might be that the sub-fan 2 fuse was blown, I don't know for how long though, when I replaced it, the fan worked fine. This is one of the few vehicles I don't have a factory service manual for, anyone had any luck with downloads or CDROMS from Ebay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 Ebay is a very good place to find the factory manuals and CD ROM data. Hopefully you haven't damaged the wiring by adding larger fuses. One trick you can use safely to help find the bad spot is to solder the connections of a spare taillight across the connections of a blown fuse and place it in the circuit having the problem. The resistance of the lamp will limit the amount of current available to the short to a safe level while you hunt for the problem. Some of the lights on the circuit may even light up slightly. The leg with the short on it will not be able to light up due to the short circuit. Once the connection to the short is removed the light in fuse panel will dim down and the other remaining lights in the circuit will glow slightly brighter. The light in the fuse panel is in series with the other lights. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 you dont need to spend money on a digital FSM... http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
himile99 Posted September 21, 2016 Author Share Posted September 21, 2016 I'll be rigging up a test light later, thanks for the link to the manual! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 I'll be rigging up a test light later, thanks for the link to the manual! you are welcome. Be aware that the site does go down from time to time, so I would recommend downloading the files relevant to your vehicle and saving them on your computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
himile99 Posted September 22, 2016 Author Share Posted September 22, 2016 I did in fact save it to my computer, gotta love free stuff! Test light worked like a charm too! It finally went off when I unplugged the rear harness at the right kick panel. The offending wire splits five ways so I started snipping them, of course, the last one I picked was the culprit! So I've got a little extra soldering and heat shrinking to do. I figure I better pull that section of harness out to see if there is any further damage. Not going to finish it today, but I feel much better knowing the mystery has been solved. Thanks for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Thanks for the feedback. Glad you pinned down the trouble and you're welcome for the help. Rather than just following the wire, you might be able to find the trouble faster after seeing which light doesn't work after you get the good lights connected again. When you pin down the bad light disconnect the light socket and see if the trouble goes away doing that. If it doesn't then check the wiring near that area for a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
himile99 Posted September 23, 2016 Author Share Posted September 23, 2016 All fixed now. That problem was 18 years in the making. The wiring harness was pinched under the right rear seat belt tensioner. Ready for the next 300K. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 Wow, I wouldn't have guessed that. Good work tracking it down, though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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