LED tail light problem (revisited..... not fixed after all)

[ARKPAT]

I do not know if this is reduntant if the information is some where else. Her goes:

Trailer lights I found at the following Website:
http://www.easternmarine.com/em_store/lighting/


L.E.D. bulbs require min. and max. voltage with a certain currect level to maintain a brightness level set. Usually most people use resistors (cheap ) to limit the current flow to the L.E.D. ~20mAmps. You can use a circuit or device call a CONSTAINT CURRENT DIODE to replace the resistor with so that the current is at the level desired so here is some some tecky infomation below.

http://unclean.org/howto/led_circuit.html

:-) Pat

[WarPony]

If it worked back in November, why doesn't it work now?

That's what I'd like to know!! My vehicle tail lights work fine.

[madjack]

Jeff...check the ground again...it is the cheapest and likliest problem, if it worked in November and not now...the biggest problem with grounding to the body is galvanic corrosion...check those body grounds again to check for any kinda corrosion/rust that may have formed...
madjack

[goldcoop]

WP-

Check out:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/carbulb-notes.htm

The answer may lie within?

Cheers,

Coop

[WarPony]

Will do, guys. I have had to drive it (the Camino) this winter and Kansas loves the salt for snowy roads and salt luuuuuuuuvs metal and electrical connections. Don't give up on this yet, any other suggestions or improvements will be appreciated.

[Micro469]

WP---- You got those lights fixed yet???

[WarPony]

No, Micro. I had to change an engine in one of my cars so I haven't had time to do much other than check my ground points. I will start on my trailer after the engine is finished. The lights are the first item on my list of things to do.

[DrJerry]

From: http://www.superbrightleds.com/carbulb-notes.htm

Turn signal issues with LED bulbs
LED brake/tail lamps will not flash with thermal flasher units due to their extremely low current draw. These installations will require an electronic flasher unit, available in our car bulb shopping category (for some vehicles) or at your auto parts store. Try to find flashers designed to work with LED bulbs, they will say "LED compatible". Often HEAVY DUTY flashers will also work with LED bulbs.
Another fix is the installation of Load Resistors which are wired across (in parallel with) the turn signal bulbs to simulate the load of a standard filament bulb. We also have these available in our car bulb shopping category.

[Mitheral]

The problem I have with the type with the single circuit is that my cruise control won't work when the lights are on because of the line voltage feeding back to the sensor wired into my brake switch. It thinks the brakes are on and turns off the cruise control.

A diode reverse biased in the brake light feed line will fix this problem.

Also you shouldn't need kludges like load resisters on a trailer, the load imposed by your regular bulbs in your tow vehicle provide enough load to cycle your flasher (assuming your tow's lights are working without the trailer connected). They are crutches for people converting old vehicles to LEDs.

When ever something like this is driving me crazy I like to reduce the numer of variable. First step: make up a couple 6-10' test leads. Attach one end directly to a battery and use the other to probe your trailer connector. That way you know the problem is in either your trailer or your car. It sucks to spend three days trouble shooting a trailer and then find out your tow is the problem DAMHIKT.

[WarPony]

WOW!!! 15 months ago I posted this question. I had forgot about this until tonight when I was browsing through Steve's (sdtripper) index and found a link to this. Well, to update this thread, my GF Anna bought a 93 Ford F-150 in July of '06 to haul our butts and the TTT around this great country of ours and the LED tail lights that I had been cursing for so many months have worked fine.......... the transmission was a whole different story .

My theory is that the wiring on my '78 Camino was to blame after all. The previous owner had used those gawd awful ScotchLok connectors to install the 4-prong trailer plug I was using. I had also found some cracks in other parts of the wire coverings and figured the water and salt had gotten into the copper and caused corrosion.

That's my theory anyway.............. I had a glitch with one of my tail lights at the LCG that jplock and HAP had pointed out to me but fixed itself on the way home so I chalked it up to a flaky ground connection between the trailer and truck.

I love the brightness of the LED's......... I'm always looking at the lights on the big rigs and think, "Hmm, I wonder where they got those lights from?"


Jeff

[bobhenry]

I was general manager for a U-Haul center for 3 years and hooked up thousands of trailers to just about every make and model vehicle. We installed hundreds of hitches and wired even more for trailer lighting.
It became very common to run a wire from a trunk latch bolt or any nice shiney car connection and wind it around the screw down hitch connection on the rental trailer. 99% of all light problems immediatly disappeared. On my tow vehicles I have ran a dedicated ground from the engin block with 12 gauge wire and soldered and shrink sealed the joint connecting this wire to the ground wire connection at the car plug. The last 2 trailers I have wired I have provided dedicated ground wires to eack and every light fixture and do not experience signals that won't blink and nervous lighting that blinks out and back in at will. Provide a wire path from each load directly back to a good ground on the tow vehicle. The time taken to do this once will save you hours of aggrivation down the road.( or on the road)

[Dale M.]

Things I have discovered....

It's always crucial to have excellent ground connection between tow vehicle and trailer. Even if you use direct wire method (to lamps/leds) its always a good idea to bond wired ground to trailer frame.

When using LED tail lights on trailer and TV has incandescent, the added load of leds usually will not effect properly working TV turn signals.

When using LED as after market tail lights on vehicle (replacing standard incandescent), standard thermal flashers will not operate because there in NOT ENOUGH current draw through flasher to cause them to operate. No trailer connected.

An electronic, constant speed flasher will always work better than a thermal/resistive flasher when adding trailer connections to tow vehicle...

Scotch-Loks suck, they are no substitute for properly installed crimp connectors.

All connections whether crimped or ring connector (screw) to a ground surface can benefit with the use of Silicone Dielectric grease to help prevent corrosion.

Dale

[Micro469]

Things I have discovered....

It's always crucial to have excellent ground connection between tow vehicle and trailer. Even if you use direct wire method (to lamps/leds) its always a good idea to bond wired ground to trailer frame.

When using LED tail lights on trailer and TV has incandescent, the added load of leds usually will not effect properly working TV turn signals.

When using LED as after market tail lights on vehicle (replacing standard incandescent), standard thermal flashers will not operate because there in NOT ENOUGH current draw through flasher to cause them to operate. No trailer connected.

An electronic, constant speed flasher will always work better than a thermal/resistive flasher when adding trailer connections to tow vehicle...

Scotch-Loks suck, they are no substitute for properly installed crimp connectors.
All connections whether crimped or ring connector (screw) to a ground surface can benefit with the use of Silicone Dielectric grease to help prevent corrosion.

Dale

ScotchLocs, if you are referring to those little round connectors with goo in them are made for SOLID wire IDC connections . They are NOT made for stranded wire......

[Arne]

I found some flashers won't work well with low amp draw... they may require more than the leds have.. I've switched to napa heavy duty flashers, and it worked ok.

[WarPony]

I cleaned ground connections, added a ground wire, used a heavy duty flasher, used a flasher made for LED lights............ nothing worked. I even made a jumper wire and ran the tail lights from the battery in the tongue box of my TTT. They worked fine, so I'm still convinced the car wiring was the problem all along.