pass rear tail light inop
 

I was pulled over due to an inoperative passenger rear tail light. upon further inspection, I noticed the pass rear fog light (marker) was also out. I checked the bulbs with a multi meter and they were fine. also I was checking for voltage to the lamps, and found no voltage. the brake lights, turn signal and reverse lights are working as advertised. when I looked at the fuse diagram inside the fuse box, I noticed the tail lights were on a common fuse for both sides, and since the drivers side was working there should not be a problem there. does anyone have any suggestions?

The circuit board is known to crack so see if you have power entering the circuit board. Then advertise for a complete replacement. I replaced mine on the '01 with later model lights and then sold my originals to people whose circuit boards had failed. Others have them lying around in the garage just gathering dust so they are available if you ask.

upon further inspection, I noticed the pass side marker light was also out, and the a-3 fuse was blown, although when checked with a multimeter it chimed for continuity (when the link melted, it bridged inside the fuse). installed a new fuse and it blew immediately when the headlights were turned on. time to pick up some new 7.5 amp fuses. will disconnect everything and begin spark chasing. more to follow.

There is no passenger side rear fog light ... so it's not "out."

a days worth of spark chasing completed..... yay. the diagnosis is the insulation inside the passenger side headlight assembly was completely deteriorated. when touched the insulation was just crumbling off to the wire. quick fix was to use some liquid electric tape (liquid vinyl) to insulate the exposed wires. no more fuses popping, yay. now it looks like I will be investing in a new set of headlights....