LEDs for turn signals, brakes and reverse lights

[Stanglover]

Do you have a solid state flasher with a separate ground wire? This is required for LEDs

Just what I was going to add.
In my picture, there are two short jumper wires attached. On MY car, I found the original flasher wires were inserted in the wrong sockets ( when made at the factory). For incandescent bulbs, this matters not, but with LED's it does. This is something to look for on your car. I made jumpers because I was unable to remove the wires to switch them around, no tool to do it!
I get my LED supplies from Bill at www.HiPoParts.com

 

[Renxus]

Do you have a solid state flasher with a separate ground wire? This is required for LEDs

Well, supposed to be the right one (same in the car). Well grounded too.

 

[Renxus]

Forgot to mention, that the indicators flash well. They just go dark for this second once the turn light goes on.

 

[Stanglover]

Well, supposed to be the right one (same in the car). Well grounded too.

View attachment 82792

Do you have one for the 4 way flashers as well and grounded? Not sure if that really matters for the issue you have, but the 4 ways will need the same flasher.

 

[Sheriff41]

Just what I was going to add.
In my picture, there are two short jumper wires attached. On MY car, I found the original flasher wires were inserted in the wrong sockets ( when made at the factory). For incandescent bulbs, this matters not, but with LED's it does. This is something to look for on your car. I made jumpers because I was unable to remove the wires to switch them around, no tool to do it!
I get my LED supplies from Bill at www.HiPoParts.com

I had to do the jumper wire fix on mine, also.

 

[Stanglover]

I had to do the jumper wire fix on mine, also.

I've heard of others too. I don't think "quality control" was that important back then. That or the people building the harnesses were either color blind or plain dumb.

 

[midlife]

I've heard of others too. I don't think "quality control" was that important back then. That or the people building the harnesses were either color blind or plain dumb.

It's simpler than that. The flasher can is a simple switch and it really doesn't matter in the original configuration which wire goes first. Thus, the manufacturer of the harness didn't really care which wire went into which pin. With LED's now being polarity sensitive, the order of the wires does now make a difference.

 

[Stanglover]

It's simpler than that. The flasher can is a simple switch and it really doesn't matter in the original configuration which wire goes first. Thus, the manufacturer of the harness didn't really care which wire went into which pin. With LED's now being polarity sensitive, the order of the wires does now make a difference.

Indeed, that's why I made the jumper wires. If I'd had the tool to pull and switch the wires around, I 'd have done that. It's on my shopping list.

 

[Renxus]

Indeed, that's why I made the jumper wires. If I'd had the tool to pull and switch the wires around, I 'd have done that. It's on my shopping list.

Well, do you mean to switch the wires around for the flasher? Did that but no change.
The flashers are blinking well, no issue there. What amazes me, is that once the lights come on it powers the signal indicators in the dash as well. It should not be connected anyhow. It is like the LED parking light is creating a new connection to the dash that is not there with the old bulbs in action. Beats logic to me..

 

[Stanglover]

Well, do you mean to switch the wires around for the flasher? Did that but no change.
The flashers are blinking well, no issue there. What amazes me, is that once the lights come on it powers the signal indicators in the dash as well. It should not be connected anyhow. It is like the LED parking light is creating a new connection to the dash that is not there with the old bulbs in action. Beats logic to me..

WEIRD!! Beats me too. Electrical stuff is not my strength. Midlife.. HELP!!

 

[Renxus]

Figured it out. The LED lamps act differently from the regular ones. The issue is that it uses the same elements in both modes. One line is just a bit more restricted than the other line. Now what happens is that once I send current to the lower mode for park lights it also feeds back to the turn signal line and thereby powers up the indicators in the dash. Need to research whether is there any LED option that powers the separate elements by separate lines.

 

[Stanglover]

Figured it out. The LED lamps act differently from the regular ones. The issue is that it uses the same elements in both modes. One line is just a bit more restricted than the other line. Now what happens is that once I send current to the lower mode for park lights it also feeds back to the turn signal line and thereby powers up the indicators in the dash. Need to research whether is there any LED option that powers the separate elements by separate lines.

View attachment 84478

I switched all my lights to LED's. I have not had any of the problems you describe.
I buy ALL my LED stuff (except the headlight LED's) from Bill at HiPoParts.com. Here is a pic of the bulb I have to replace the 1157' Are you using a grounded LED flasher like this one, main and 4 ways? NOTE: the jumper wires are because my harness was wired backwards at the plug and the flashers are polarity sensitive.

 

[Stanglover]

Well, do you mean to switch the wires around for the flasher? Did that but no change.
The flashers are blinking well, no issue there. What amazes me, is that once the lights come on it powers the signal indicators in the dash as well. It should not be connected anyhow. It is like the LED parking light is creating a new connection to the dash that is not there with the old bulbs in action. Beats logic to me..

A bit late replying to this, but re-reading through and with my very limited knowledge of electrical stuff, it seems like someone in the past may have been "playing around" in the car's wiring system and screwed things up.
What you're describing just doesn't make sense to me. Perhaps our friend Midlife has a better explanation.
This has to be very frustrating indeed.

 

[midlife]

Sounds to me like a very bad ground connection at the rear lamps, which are notorious for this sort of thing. I re-crimp the ground 90* connector, remove it, sand down the little tab, and use a dremel with a wire brush on the inside of the socket.

What's happening is that by searching for a ground to chassis, it can't find it at the socket, so it goes through the other filament (dash signal indicators) to find a decent ground.

 

[Renxus]

This is how a regular BAY15D LED works in comparison to the classical bulb

Our cars need LED bulbs where the LED elements are kept separate like filaments thus eliminating the current feedback to the turn line that will keep the dash turn indicators glowing. There are tons of those LED bulbs but no explanations for how they are built.

 

[Renxus]

Well, I feel a little embarrassed - it was too easy to solve by adding a simple diode to the turn signal line. It works now the exact way it is supposed to. Case closed.