Ok so I bought my maxima with the tail lights not working from a friend under the assumption that it needed a fuse. Well thats not the case. The car was sitting for a while and there was a lot of moisture in it. Anyway here is my problem:

Things that don't work:

Reverse lights
Turn signals
running lights
break lights
Front lights that turn on when you turn the turn signal on

What does work:

Headlights
Rear side markers

Anyone have some suggestions. I am going to go furiously dry things out with a hair dryer.

 

sounds like you might have some rusty grounds

 

So I did some work on the beast today and got my turn signals to work. I dont know about the rusty grounds as none of the cables to the lights in question are giving off any voltage.

 

you'd better get a DMM and check for continuity in the circuits then. there might be a loose connector somewhere or something like that.

 

did you check the fuse that says clearance illumination. everything in the front will work, but everything in the back plus dash will not. it's a 15A fuse

 

Called the dealer and after some talk with a mechanic we think it is the stop lamp sensor which burnt out due to moisture. I guess it was a fairly common problem and with the wiring schematics in the book it would make total sense that it would be the probem.

 

always helps when you have the wiring schematics to look at with problems like yours