beam24

I purchased a 98 Lx 470 and for the first time tried to tow my boat . After plugging in the 4 pin from the trailer to the truck realized that only one brake light is working on the trailer. This is a factory towing package. I can't seem to find any diagrams that may lead me to the problem. Does any one know if this could be some sort of converter or fuse related etc. Any help would be appreciated.

Gohawks63

Make sure the connectors are clean and free of any corrosion or rust. I had a similar experience towing my boat. Used a wire brush and everything was fine.

Another thing to keep in mind. My previous Land Cruiser was a '98. I started experiencing problems with my turn signals and one day my wife called me to tell me she couldn't take it out of park. Turns out the fuse blew for the brake lights and it was affecting the shift lock mechanism. When I replaced the fuse, it blew again. Obviously a short (good luck finding it).

I dropped the spare and traced the wiring and found that the taillight converter harness had shorted and melted. It is located above the frame rail where the spare is located.

I called Toyota and they told me that a new harness was $200. Since I didn't have immediate towing needs at the time, I removed the converter, and taped up the connectors figuring that I could always purchase it if I needed to tow.

A year later I received a recall notice from Toyota regarding reported problems with the tailight converter shorting. I took it to the dealer and they installed a new one. Luckily I didn't buy one. Maybe yours is starting to go. It wouldn't hurt to run the VIN to determine if it was fixed (assuming it's a factory hitch).

I've had no problems with my '04, but it is relatively new.

Hope that helps.