2017 Ford Police Interceptor Utility turn signal led blue

[interceptor23]

Hey guys,
I just bought a used 2017 Ford Police Interceptor Utility and am having an issue with the turn signal light being blue, not amber. I have been troubleshooting this for 2 days now and have narrowed it down to the resistance module (don't know the official name) that the turn signal led is plugged into (looks like a black square with 2 sets of wires going into/out of). I have plugged the led bulb into the other side and it turns amber and have also swaped the resistance module from the good side to the other side and the bulb is amber. So that eliminates bad wiring and the bulb being bad. So it has to be the resistance module. I have searched on various parts stores online and cant find an official name or the actual part. I think I read somewhere that in order to change a sequence in the light, you have to add a 12v power supply for more than one second? Anyone know how to switch the led back to amber from blue?

 

[J_C]

Welcome to the forum!

The flasher module might be made by Whelen. Does it have a heatshrink covering over it? If so then it might be useful to cut that back to see if there is a part model # on a sticker, unless you want to keep using it and don't want to source more heatshrink material, then you can keep looking to find a possible part #, or look at what is available from Whelen at the link below to make a best guess, or see my final paragraph for another method to figure out what it's doing and then you may not need to know the model #.

Go on their website and see if you can find that part, then on the product page for that model, look at the Documents link to the Install Guide, the instructions which will state something like apply 12V to the scan lock or control wire for less than one second (more than one second may potentially make the module go back to the prior lighting mode instead of forward to the next), and when it is in the right pattern/mode, leave it there for more than 5 seconds to make that the default when it's turned on. These instructions may vary for different module model #'s and I don't know which yours is. If the two modules are out of sync with each other, then I'd also wonder if one or the other is faulty and not switching modes.

Accessories Archives - Whelen Engineering Company, Inc.

Whelen provides several accessories to compliment and complete all of our lighting products.

www.whelen.com

Also see this topic below, I don't know if there's anything useful in it, but it seems loosely related:

Simple $10 LED PIU Front Turn Signals Fix

The front amber turn signal LED’s have gone bad on my 2014 PIU. One side about four months ago and now the other side has gone out. These are the infamous Whelen proprietary lighting package lights. I planned to go with new bulb sockets with LED bulbs. I read that the 3157/4157 bulb socket would...

www.explorerforum.com

Essentially what I'm guessing is, your module has a light power wire and a control wire input, and the two outputs, one goes to the blue and one to the amber, so if you wanted to get rid of the module entirely, you'd just direct wire the light power input wire to the output wire going to the amber. This could be confirmed with a multimeter before cutting anything, wire position/function and that it's outputting 12V (or 14V-ish with alternator running) so not performing any voltage reduction or resistance function.

 

[interceptor23]

Welcome to the forum!

The flasher module might be made by Whelen. Does it have a heatshrink covering over it? If so then it might be useful to cut that back to see if there is a part model # on a sticker, unless you want to keep using it and don't want to source more heatshrink material, then you can keep looking to find a possible part #, or look at what is available from Whelen at the link below to make a best guess, or see my final paragraph for another method to figure out what it's doing and then you may not need to know the model #.

Go on their website and see if you can find that part, then on the product page for that model, look at the Documents link to the Install Guide, the instructions which will state something like apply 12V to the scan lock or control wire for less than one second (more than one second may potentially make the module go back to the prior lighting mode instead of forward to the next), and when it is in the right pattern/mode, leave it there for more than 5 seconds to make that the default when it's turned on. These instructions may vary for different module model #'s and I don't know which yours is. If the two modules are out of sync with each other, then I'd also wonder if one or the other is faulty and not switching modes.

Accessories Archives - Whelen Engineering Company, Inc.

Whelen provides several accessories to compliment and complete all of our lighting products.

www.whelen.com

Also see this topic below, I don't know if there's anything useful in it, but it seems loosely related:

Simple $10 LED PIU Front Turn Signals Fix

The front amber turn signal LED’s have gone bad on my 2014 PIU. One side about four months ago and now the other side has gone out. These are the infamous Whelen proprietary lighting package lights. I planned to go with new bulb sockets with LED bulbs. I read that the 3157/4157 bulb socket would...

www.explorerforum.com

Essentially what I'm guessing is, your module has a light power wire and a control wire input, and the two outputs, one goes to the blue and one to the amber, so if you wanted to get rid of the module entirely, you'd just direct wire the light power input wire to the output wire going to the amber. This could be confirmed with a multimeter before cutting anything, wire position/function and that it's outputting 12V (or 14V-ish with alternator running) so not performing any voltage reduction or resistance function.

Thanks for the response, I feel like we are getting closer. I've def considered spray painting at first but didn't know how it would turn out with the blue and that led light is expensive to replace.

Here are details for the module in question (seems I'm having a posting issue with the pic attached):
WPT: U502
PN: 01-0687877-21D
There is a number stamped into the plastic: 6G092

There are 2 sets of input/output wires, one has 3 wires, the other has 2 wires.

I didn't see it on the Whelen website and have searched using those numbers with no results unfortunately.

 

[peterk9]

Thanks for the response, I feel like we are getting closer. I've def considered spray painting at first but didn't know how it would turn out with the blue and that led light is expensive to replace.

Here are details for the module in question (seems I'm having a posting issue with the pic attached):
WPT: U502
PN: 01-0687877-21D
There is a number stamped into the plastic: 6G092

There are 2 sets of input/output wires, one has 3 wires, the other has 2 wires.

I didn't see it on the Whelen website and have searched using those numbers with no results unfortunately.

Welcome to the Forum.
Let us know if you figure it out. I don't believe this has been brought up here before.
For your information, Levittown Ford is a forum vendor that offers a discount on shipping. Their prices are also lower than those on Ford Parts should you decide to order parts.

Peter

 

[interceptor23]

Welcome to the forum!

The flasher module might be made by Whelen. Does it have a heatshrink covering over it? If so then it might be useful to cut that back to see if there is a part model # on a sticker, unless you want to keep using it and don't want to source more heatshrink material, then you can keep looking to find a possible part #, or look at what is available from Whelen at the link below to make a best guess, or see my final paragraph for another method to figure out what it's doing and then you may not need to know the model #.

Go on their website and see if you can find that part, then on the product page for that model, look at the Documents link to the Install Guide, the instructions which will state something like apply 12V to the scan lock or control wire for less than one second (more than one second may potentially make the module go back to the prior lighting mode instead of forward to the next), and when it is in the right pattern/mode, leave it there for more than 5 seconds to make that the default when it's turned on. These instructions may vary for different module model #'s and I don't know which yours is. If the two modules are out of sync with each other, then I'd also wonder if one or the other is faulty and not switching modes.

Accessories Archives - Whelen Engineering Company, Inc.

Whelen provides several accessories to compliment and complete all of our lighting products.

www.whelen.com

Also see this topic below, I don't know if there's anything useful in it, but it seems loosely related:

Simple $10 LED PIU Front Turn Signals Fix

The front amber turn signal LED’s have gone bad on my 2014 PIU. One side about four months ago and now the other side has gone out. These are the infamous Whelen proprietary lighting package lights. I planned to go with new bulb sockets with LED bulbs. I read that the 3157/4157 bulb socket would...

www.explorerforum.com

Essentially what I'm guessing is, your module has a light power wire and a control wire input, and the two outputs, one goes to the blue and one to the amber, so if you wanted to get rid of the module entirely, you'd just direct wire the light power input wire to the output wire going to the amber. This could be confirmed with a multimeter before cutting anything, wire position/function and that it's outputting 12V (or 14V-ish with alternator running) so not performing any voltage reduction or resistance function.

Update: I found where I read connecting the 12v power to change the flash pattern:

https://www.fordservicecontent.com/ford_content/catalog/motorcraft/2017-Sedan-And-Utility-Modifier-Guide.pdf

Page 54 specifically in the electrical section. There is a lot of good info in this modifier guide, however since a majority of these upgrades for Police work have been removed prior to me buying it for civilian use, it is tough to figure out what is still there and what isn't. Half the battle is figuring out the right name for things to be able to do a correct search. Getting closer.

 

[J_C]

Thanks for the response, I feel like we are getting closer. I've def considered spray painting at first but didn't know how it would turn out with the blue and that led light is expensive to replace.

Here are details for the module in question (seems I'm having a posting issue with the pic attached):
WPT: U502
PN: 01-0687877-21D
There is a number stamped into the plastic: 6G092

There are 2 sets of input/output wires, one has 3 wires, the other has 2 wires.

I didn't see it on the Whelen website and have searched using those numbers with no results unfortunately.

Based on the PN #, which Google and eBay show is a Whelen Ion series light, I would assume they integrated the controller and LED assemblies but used a Ford designed housing? Anyway here is a page with several install guides that show wiring setup, which does vary per model for some of them. If you're 100% certain this light only does two colors, blue and amber, that narrows it down a bit:

ION® Series

ION® Series lightheads are compact, versatile, and built for a wide range of applications. Whether for emergency vehicles, work trucks, or utility fleets, the ION Series delivers powerful illumination in a sleek design. These lightheads are available in SOLO™, split, DUO™, and TRIO™ models with a…

www.whelen.com

You stated two sets of wires going in and out of it, meaning 4 wires total, correct? If so then I am still leaning towards the description I guessed in a previous post, that one of the two input wires is switched 12V to turn the light on, and the other is the control wire to give it either 12V for less than a second to cycle forward the mode, or 12V for more than a second to cycle the mode the other direction like stated in the Modifier Guide PDF you linked.

What does the signal housing connector look like, is it three wires, two from this module and then a ground wire? I was a little unclear when you described swapping the bulb side, quote "I have plugged the led bulb into the other side and it turns amber", so you moved the entire light housing with both colors to the other side, not just an individual bulb module in the housing?

I also noticed that some of the Ion series also have a gray Sync wire running between the two modules, to synchronize their pattern timing on/off, but not the color which must already be set the same. I did not read all those Install Guides on the linked page, so that too may differ between different Ion models.

Another alternative is take a picture of the flasher control module and send that to Whelen to ask them, and since the issue may not have been brought up on this forum, could post the picture here too.

 

[interceptor23]

Based on the PN #, which Google and eBay show is a Whelen Ion series light, I would assume they integrated the controller and LED assemblies but used a Ford designed housing? Anyway here is a page with several install guides that show wiring setup, which does vary per model for some of them. If you're 100% certain this light only does two colors, blue and amber, that narrows it down a bit:

ION® Series

ION® Series lightheads are compact, versatile, and built for a wide range of applications. Whether for emergency vehicles, work trucks, or utility fleets, the ION Series delivers powerful illumination in a sleek design. These lightheads are available in SOLO™, split, DUO™, and TRIO™ models with a…

www.whelen.com

You stated two sets of wires going in and out of it, meaning 4 wires total, correct? If so then I am still leaning towards the description I guessed in a previous post, that one of the two input wires is switched 12V to turn the light on, and the other is the control wire to give it either 12V for less than a second to cycle forward the mode, or 12V for more than a second to cycle the mode the other direction like stated in the Modifier Guide PDF you linked.

What does the signal housing connector look like, is it three wires, two from this module and then a ground wire? I was a little unclear when you described swapping the bulb side, quote "I have plugged the led bulb into the other side and it turns amber", so you moved the entire light housing with both colors to the other side, not just an individual bulb module in the housing?

I also noticed that some of the Ion series also have a gray Sync wire running between the two modules, to synchronize their pattern timing on/off, but not the color which must already be set the same. I did not read all those Install Guides on the linked page, so that too may differ between different Ion models.

Another alternative is take a picture of the flasher control module and send that to Whelen to ask them, and since the issue may not have been brought up on this forum, could post the picture here too.

A search on Whelens site for the PN comes back with a page not found, same with any link in google results, so if it is a Whelen, then I assume it isn't used anymore and they moved onto the new sync system. They must archive old products after vehicle warranty is up (I think its 5yrs or 100k).

I've reached out to a local Ford dealership and they suggested they take a look at it and I've reached out to the original dealership that I bought it from, in which they recommended to replace it all together with reg amber bulbs and matching socket.

As far as posting a pic, I have tried multiple times, but for some reason, it keeps giving me an error when posting the reply with either a pic attached or an inserted hyperlink (I can paste a link which gets converted into a hyperlink after I submit post). Not sure if its on my end or not so I sent a message to a mod and waiting to hear back. So in the meantime, I can only post text replys.

To answer you question on what it looks like, there are 6 wires total on batt side side and 5 wires total on bulb side.

Batt side:
There are 2 wire harnesses. The left wire harness comes from 4 wires (purple, green w/ white stripe, white w/ orange stripe, and grey with white stripe) and is reduced to 2 wires (black and white) which is on the left side of the module. On the right side (second wire harness) there are 4 wires (black, brown, yellow, and red) all of which attach to the right side of the module except for the red crosses over and attaches to the left side with the black and white wires.
Recap: Left side-black, red, white. Right side-yellow, brown, black.

Bulb side: Left-white w/ yellow stripe, and white (possibly with purple stripe? faded colors). Right-red, white w/ grey stripe (and possibly yellow stripe), and yellow.

To clarify about swapping the bulb, I physically removed the bulb from the passengers side where it is turning blue upon activating the turn signal and plugged it into the drivers side where it turned amber upon activating the turn signal. That told me that it isn't something wrong with the bulb and that the drivers side was the good side since it was performing as expected.
To confirm this even further and to eliminate any question to faulty wiring past the module, I took the passenger side module (the blue side) and when plugged into the drivers side, turned the bulb blue as well. This tells me its an issue with the passenger module since that's the common denominator.

The bulb looks exactly like the bulb in the second link in your first post Simple $10 LED PIU Front Turn Signals Fix and the control unit looks very similar but not exactly the same (unless wires were removed in that post). None of the new Whelen Ion series are remotely close so non of those guides will help.

At this point, I am going to mess around tomorrow morning with identifying each wire coming in/out of the module and see what I can do with that info. Most likely I will have to replace the led bulbs and module with reg amber bulbs so if I mess something up tomorrow, no harm, and if I can figure it out, then I get to keep the leds. I'll try to remember to provide an update regardless so hopefully it might help someone in the future.

 

[Dr Phil]

A search on Whelens site for the PN comes back with a page not found, same with any link in google results, so if it is a Whelen, then I assume it isn't used anymore and they moved onto the new sync system. They must archive old products after vehicle warranty is up (I think its 5yrs or 100k).

I've reached out to a local Ford dealership and they suggested they take a look at it and I've reached out to the original dealership that I bought it from, in which they recommended to replace it all together with reg amber bulbs and matching socket.

As far as posting a pic, I have tried multiple times, but for some reason, it keeps giving me an error when posting the reply with either a pic attached or an inserted hyperlink (I can paste a link which gets converted into a hyperlink after I submit post). Not sure if its on my end or not so I sent a message to a mod and waiting to hear back. So in the meantime, I can only post text replys.

To answer you question on what it looks like, there are 6 wires total on batt side side and 5 wires total on bulb side.

Batt side:
There are 2 wire harnesses. The left wire harness comes from 4 wires (purple, green w/ white stripe, white w/ orange stripe, and grey with white stripe) and is reduced to 2 wires (black and white) which is on the left side of the module. On the right side (second wire harness) there are 4 wires (black, brown, yellow, and red) all of which attach to the right side of the module except for the red crosses over and attaches to the left side with the black and white wires.
Recap: Left side-black, red, white. Right side-yellow, brown, black.

Bulb side: Left-white w/ yellow stripe, and white (possibly with purple stripe? faded colors). Right-red, white w/ grey stripe (and possibly yellow stripe), and yellow.

To clarify about swapping the bulb, I physically removed the bulb from the passengers side where it is turning blue upon activating the turn signal and plugged it into the drivers side where it turned amber upon activating the turn signal. That told me that it isn't something wrong with the bulb and that the drivers side was the good side since it was performing as expected.
To confirm this even further and to eliminate any question to faulty wiring past the module, I took the passenger side module (the blue side) and when plugged into the drivers side, turned the bulb blue as well. This tells me its an issue with the passenger module since that's the common denominator.

The bulb looks exactly like the bulb in the second link in your first post Simple $10 LED PIU Front Turn Signals Fix and the control unit looks very similar but not exactly the same (unless wires were removed in that post). None of the new Whelen Ion series are remotely close so non of those guides will help.

At this point, I am going to mess around tomorrow morning with identifying each wire coming in/out of the module and see what I can do with that info. Most likely I will have to replace the led bulbs and module with reg amber bulbs so if I mess something up tomorrow, no harm, and if I can figure it out, then I get to keep the leds. I'll try to remember to provide an update regardless so hopefully it might help someone in the future.

Interceptor:
Did you have any luck identifying the wires? I am having issues with one of these also and am looking at changing it to a standard bulb / harness.