'97 Avalon: No parking/tail lights

Check for the fuse for the instrumentation lighting. It's usually in that circuit. They all should either be labeled or found in your owners manual.

There are usually two locations for fuses, in the engine compartment and by the driver's left foot. Check your manual.

start pulling fuses, both in the engine compartment and below the instrument panel, on the left side. Take them out and put them back one by one, and you'll finally see the blown fuse easily. and check the manual, if you have one.

That was the first thing i did. Every fuse is OK. That's why I think it's a bad connection somewhere in the circuit, but I dont want to pull the whole wiring harness apart with some good idea where it would be best to start.

I haven't found any fuses below the instrument panel -- the book only mentions the two panels under the hood, near the battery.

Does the instrumentation lighting work? If not, change that fuse. Sometimes just a visual on a fuse is deceiving, a continuity check is always definitive. If you do have a circuitry problem, plug in a same amp circuit breaker fuse until you find the offending short or open.

Have another look at the book. I think you'll find that on the left side of the instrument panel, roughly in front of your left knee, there's a pull-out panel...it may serve as a pocket change drawer, but pull it out and in the dim darkness behind it, is a panel with quite a number of bayonet type fuses (the modern kind, not glass tubes) in it. It's an unmarked panel with a finger depression in my 03 Avalon. Good luck!

Jay, is your car USA or Canadian spec?

Check the Tail fuse in the instrument panel fuse box Check the taillight control relay in the instrument panel fuse box Check the headlight switch Check the integration relay in the instrument fuse box Check the taillight bulb Check the wire harness

Jay,

The wiring harness that travels from the trunk lid to body is flexed every time the trunk is opened and it may have broken/shorted wires.

Tom

Good guess, but the only wires that go to the lid are the licence plate light and trunk lock release. All other lights are on the body.

Thanks Ray. It's a US spec car. I'll have look there.

Tail lights bulbs (all 6 are OK) and the tail-light-not-working warning message does not come up on the instrument cluster (but probably wouldn't if the fuse/relay is bad).

I wonder why my owner's book doesn't mention the fuses/relays in/under the instrument panel?

I don't know, I just read the section in the factory repair manual ;-)