LED Upgrade Woes

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Location
Choctaw, Oklahoma
My Car
1973 Mach 1
351c 2v
Edelbrock 4bbl, Performer Intake
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Pertronix Electronic Ignition
Okay, let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up...

HiPo Elite LED kit for the cluster, running markers and brakes, reverse, blinkers and front running lamps. Front running lights don't work.

Everything is working now EXCEPT: my front running lights do not work.

Running lights = parking lights. For those who use different terminology.

Installed Electronic Flashers. Obviously they are working as seen below. Am I dealing with a bad ground? I'm really confused how my blinkers work fine until the running lights are on. But the running lights don't work at all.

Headlights/running lights OFF:

Front Blinkers - Work

Rear Blinkers - Work

Headlings/Running Lightst ON:

Front Blinkers - Do not work, associated blinker lights up half power and remains steady.

Rear Blinkers - Do not work, associated side does not change.

I am confused how my blinkers work fine but my running lights don't. HELP!

Edit: Allow me to thicken the plot. Regular Incandescent Lamps allow the system to work perfectly.

 
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The Polarity for the running lamp circuit appears to be reversed. Unfortunately this is not correctable in the circuitry and is a failure of the bulb's design. Anyone used LED replacements for the front running lamps / blinkers? I'm looking for good suggestions before I just give up...

Edit: I know it sounds weird to say the bulb is messed up but if I turn the bulb around in the socket (1157s have offset bayonet fittings to prevent them from being installed incorrectly) and hold it in place with the running lights on it works. But I have no way to reverse the polarity to the bulb since obviously with the blinkers working, the polarity is correct on the other side of the system. I'm so confused. I just wanted plug and play happiness lol.

 
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It seems like I remember someone posting that they had to reverse some wiring in a few spots to make theirs work. I lucked out and did not have that issue.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 
If you put the original incandescent bulbs back in, and the system works correctly, I would suspect the LED bulbs.. They are not all made the same.. Try a different manufacturer..

I find lately that parts made in foreign countries don't always fit and function properly. (no insult to these countries intended)

 
Sounds to me that the bulbs are crap. Take it up with Hi-Po Parts and let them know. I had a problem with their Extreme (not bright enough) and Elite series dash bulbs, but that was not so much the bulbs but their diagram that were incorrect. A heads up and been mentioned many times, DO NOT USE an LED in the ALT. socket if you have idiot lights. It MUST be an incandescent bulb. Also, for the flashers, an ordinary electronic flasher is not OK, you'll need a grounded electronic flasher that they don't tell you about. I stuck with incandescent bulbs for now as I too only used an ordinary e flasher.

 
I find lately that parts made in foreign countries don't always fit and function properly.  (no insult to these countries intended)
 Why not! The crap that we are having to put up with is NOT acceptable and more importantly, the US companies who are having this stuff made, should not put up with it either.

 
Okay, let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up...

HiPo Elite LED kit for the cluster, running markers and brakes, reverse, blinkers and front running lamps. Front running lights don't work.

Everything is working now EXCEPT: my front running lights do not work.

Running lights = parking lights. For those who use different terminology.

Installed Electronic Flashers. Obviously they are working as seen below. Am I dealing with a bad ground? I'm really confused how my blinkers work fine until the running lights are on. But the running lights don't work at all.

Headlights/running lights OFF:

Front Blinkers - Work

Rear Blinkers - Work

Headlings/Running Lightst ON:

Front Blinkers - Do not work, associated blinker lights up half power and remains steady.

Rear Blinkers - Do not work, associated side does not change.

I am confused how my blinkers work fine but my running lights don't. HELP!

Edit: Allow me to thicken the plot. Regular Incandescent Lamps allow the system to work perfectly.
when i put in led for the running lights and blinkers i had to install a 50 OHM RESISTER   for the turn signal(I DID THE 2 FRONT )  but that sounds like the opposite of your problem

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If you research a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee you will find out that all the factory lights have switching grounds depending on the head light selector switch. LED's only work with one positive and negative, so when I upgraded my lights I got creative. I made a diode corrective wring harness, that allowed power to be from either lead in the harness, but forced the main leads to always have the same positive and negative out. So the old Jeep I had was able to have running light, and blinker LED's under all functions. If you can not find the problem, I would just force it to do what you want. The simple ones I made has lasted... Maybe 7 years and still going strong? It is a totally viable option. I would say this sounds like a deeper electrical problem, this will only bypass it.

 
First of all my apologies for the massive delay in my response. Life happened.

Summary of events. 

Ordered a different set of LED bulbs from NPD that had been recommended specifically for the Mustang application.

No dice.

So, options: cut the harness and rewire/frankenstein it into working or just go with a new set of Amber Incandescent bulbs.

I chose the latter. I just don't have the real desire to rewire and rework for what little gain is to be had.

Now, hopefully the other bulbs I have for the cluster work as designed or then I may seriously be tempted to go ham.

Thanks again for all the replies and knowledge. As always, this forum is a gold mine.

 
When you decide to mess with them again it's easy enough to test them, just ground the base of the bulb and touch a 12 volts wire to the contacts, or get a bulb socket at the parts store and wire it up to your battery.

My guess is that you have a ground issue on your front lights. Missing or corroded grounds will cause floating grounds or ground loops that seek the ground path through other circuits.

 
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