Battle report from the LED front

[ddragon63]

First of all I'd like to thank everyone for putting up with me the last few days. As a few of you know working on this bike is not something I entirely enjoy. Most things can be replace, reproduced, or replicated. This bike can not. So i worry about FUBAR every time I touch it...

Now here's tonights findings. I took everything apart and found a suspected weak ground in my rear wiring. So i grounded everything up to a good chassis spot. I installed T.C.'s fuse box and then started testing things.

If I have a standard 1157 in the lower tail/brake and standards in the front running/turn spots I can put the upper rear (tail/turn/brake) LED's in and have everything working just fine with no feed back. I can swap out 1 front 1157 with an LED the side with the LED (when triggered for blink) everything works normal. When I trigger the side with the 1157 all flash like hazzards. NOW if install all 4 LED's my current draw goes down... the indicator light on the gauges barely flashes and all 4 flash like hazzards. If I run the front LED's and rear standard 1157's I get flash feed back.

My conclusion is my next problem for blinkers is the front. Would suspect load resistors across those 2 should solve that problem to run the LED's or keep standard bulbs in there.

NOW if I install my tail/brake LED (stock one on rear fender) and leave the upper LED tail/turn/brake in and standard front 1157 in I get feed back thru the rears untill I apply brake. while the brake is lit up all works as normal. I would assume if I install a load resistor across the lower rear LED it "should" solve this problem... BUT i would think it would need a resistor across the running side not the braking side.... correct?

Please note we have not got to the diodes in the "indicator" light in the gauge cluster and the tail/brake/oil bulb is still lit while the lower rear LED is in. Those issues I will get to later. Right now I'm just trying to get the turns to work right.

any input welcome

Thanks again....

[tweeleft]

Hello. I installed leds on the front turn signals. On my FJ1100,
when I changed the rears to a smaller non-led I did have to add resisters
Because the combo won't tigger the signal relay. Worded great afterwards.
Good luck

[ddragon63]

Hello. I installed leds on the front turn signals. On my FJ1100,
when I changed the rears to a smaller non-led I did have to add resisters
Because the combo won't tigger the signal relay. Worded great afterwards.
Good luck

thanks... I can get the no load electric flasher to signal now... It's just figuring out which other Gremlin's to expose to sunlight

when the load resistors get here I'm gonna mock up 1 in each front and put the LED's in and see if it licks the problem. if not we start looking deeper. this has been a learning curve I was not expecting. I use to think I was good @ electric problem solving. I may have to give my Lincoln Electric Rep back the shop smock he gave me for working on welders in the shop @ work.... As I'm getting upended by 33 year old 12v DC circuits

[crazy steve]

(Please note we have not got to the diodes in the "indicator" light in the gauge cluster and the tail/brake/oil bulb is still lit while the lower rear LED is in. Those issues I will get to later. Right now I'm just trying to get the turns to work right.

any input welcome

Thanks again....

Until you install those diodes for the indicator light or remove it from the circuit, you're going to keep having the 'feedback' issue.... trust me.

[natemoen]

Until you install those diodes for the indicator light or remove it from the circuit, you're going to keep having the 'feedback' issue.... trust me.

+1!!!! You need to do the diodes and only then can you continue to troubleshoot. You can't properly troubleshooting when you have a known absolute issue that has not been addressed!

DIODES FIRST THEN MOVE FORWARD!

[ddragon63]

Until you install those diodes for the indicator light or remove it from the circuit, you're going to keep having the 'feedback' issue.... trust me.

+1!!!! You need to do the diodes and only then can you continue to troubleshoot. You can't properly troubleshooting when you have a known absolute issue that has not been addressed!

DIODES FIRST THEN MOVE FORWARD!

yes... this is the 1 thing I've yet to do. I thought about it last night while laying in bed that I didn't unplug the cluster to take it out of the equation and test. It was a long day.... I'll stop by radio hack today and pick up a couple diodes. I'm gonna assume any 12v diode will work?

anyone got any thought on how to get the tail/brake/oil light to go off with my LED in the lower housing? its on for tail light. when I grab the brakes it goes off. maybe remove the singnal wire for the "tail" warning out of the equation?

[ddragon63]

Ok before leaving for work I went out and pulled the indicator bulb and put all the LEDs in and still had all 4 flashing @ once. Checked my front sockets and wiring, pulled the socket connector on the left side apart and the ground connector crubbled in my hands. Fix the connector. Left the indicator bulb out of the warning cluster and Woohoo!!!!! we have blinkers and no feed back.

Will get the diodes in as soon as I get an extra set of hands in the garage to help me pull the vetter out of the way.

Once I get that all buttoned up I can beat my head against the tail light warning light staying on due to led tail light

Thanks everyone for the continued kicks in the ass to get me in the right direction.

[skids]

I have all of my bikes running with LED brakelights, but I have found that running regular bulbs at either the front turn signals or the rear makes everything happy. I do use electronic flashers. I tried to make the rear turn signals (dual and red LEDs) light-up with the brake light but I just couldn't make that happen - even with the trailer conversion unit. The way I figure it, I save on amps.

[ddragon63]

I have all of my bikes running with LED brakelights, but I have found that running regular bulbs at either the front turn signals or the rear makes everything happy. I do use electronic flashers. I tried to make the rear turn signals (dual and red LEDs) light-up with the brake light but I just couldn't make that happen - even with the trailer conversion unit. The way I figure it, I save on amps.

Skids,

The way I got all 3 in the back to live together with the trailer box is I scotch locked into the factory brake signal wire going to the factory tail light on the power in side of the box. that way it still acts independently upon itself. the trailer box on the from car side has 1 brake light in wire I scotch locked this wire to my factory brake wire and did the same for the tail light wire. like I said this allows the factory brake light to work independently and the trailer box is just drawing from it to fire the 2 upper lights.

[natemoen]

I scotch locked them

Oh how I hate those little things!!!!!!!

The number of trailers I have had to rewiring because someone didn't do it right!!!

Ok, I am good now

[ddragon63]

Oh how I hate those little things!!!!!!!

The number of trailers I have had to rewiring because someone didn't do it right!!!

Ok, I am good now

I know I'm not a big fan of them either... but sometimes they are a necessary evil

[CaptonZap]

I know I'm not a big fan of them either... but sometimes they are a necessary evil

Amen! Here is where I will, if the person in charge demands to use them, urge said person to put a dollop of silicone sealant, the type Ford uses in all it's connecters, in the connecter before closing it up. And then wrapping it tightly with self healing rubber tape, and then saying a pray to the deity/deities of your choice, and then not riding in wet weather. Might last a year or two that way. CZ