On the road need help, brake lights fuse blowing

Hi folks Im asking for a favor here.. need brake lights to continue trip and I have a hunch what might be blowing the fuse, probably wiring going into the rear hatch to power the high center mounted brake light has flexed to death in near the rubber tube and broke causing short.

 

I bought tools to solder and go at this... just need a look up I have limited Internet access.

 

Which side of the hatch hinge left or right side, as facing the rear opening of the wagon, does the wire powering the center stop light run through and what is its wire color on 2006 Legacy wagon, 2.5i non turbo, if that makes a difference.. ?

 

I am assuming the center stop light is wired in common with the other two rear brake lights. And the one fuse powers it all... they all fail as a set for a blown fuse.

 

 

And if that hinge wire turns out fine any other ideas for blowing the 20A STOP fuse? Once replaced all brake lights are good for a while.

 

Thanks guys!

You are probably on the right track. That area definitely has been a culprit for me.

 

When you repair it, I suggest making life easy and splicing in a new wire that runs through the rubber flex boot. You can more easily access the wiring by pulling off the trim in the cabin. I used heat shrink solder sleeves and a heat gun to splice in new wires, but if you've only got a soldering iron and some wire, make the best of it for now and fix it when you're done your trip.

 

Hopefully the attached images can help you. I wasn't able to find a quick answer for left or right, but it appears to be a brown or black wire.

 

A dead short to ground would cause the fuse to blow. If it blows only when the light is activated, I'd look for wiring that is broken before the light.

Passenger side is where most of the wires go. I believe the head liner can be dropped down without much trouble if needed.

No need to drop the headliner. Pull the D-pillar trim and the liftgate trim, splice in a new wire, and run it through the hinge boot.