LED headlight bulbs error message

[94Eddie]

Hi Eddie just wondering which brand decoder canbus did you buy and from what website please help thank you

Mine was sent from the manufacturer that I purchased the LED bulbs from. The ones I link below should work for you and if they don't you can easily return them.

SIRIUSLED LED Canbus Decoder

 

[Run Amok]

Hi Eddie just wondering which brand decoder canbus did you buy and from what website please help thank you

In my recent experience the cluster warnings are random. Even using the "decoders" or resistors sent by the bulb seller the warning still happens on occasion. I just push the button to make it disappear and move on. The lights themselves are not affected and are in fact working when this outage warning appears.
There doesn't seem to be a pattern or specific trigger for the warning to appear. Another user of this forum told me a while back that he has the same issue.

 

[94Eddie]

In my recent experience the cluster warnings are random. Even using the "decoders" or resistors sent by the bulb seller the warning still happens on occasion. I just push the button to make it disappear and move on. The lights themselves are not affected and are in fact working when this outage warning appears.
There doesn't seem to be a pattern or specific trigger for the warning to appear. Another user of this forum told me a while back that he has the same issue.

I find that the warning is triggered only while starting the engine when it is dark outside. When the lights cycle on while it is running, I don't recall ever getting a warning to check the headlights. My guess is that starting the engine causes a voltage and/or amp drop at the headlight connection that triggers the warning. My battery is getting near the end of its useful life and I notice that I get this warning more often than I did when it was new. I no longer use the resistors because I switched to bulbs that supposedly don't need them. OTOH, my wife's 2015 Edge has LED bulbs and she has never gotten a warning. The same goes for my 2007 Mustang GT. I think this is mostly a problem only with the 4th gen Explorers and Mountaineers.

 

[Run Amok]

I find that the warning is triggered only while starting the engine when it is dark outside. When the lights cycle on while it is running, I don't recall ever getting a warning to check the headlights. My guess is that starting the engine causes a voltage and/or amp drop at the headlight connection that triggers the warning. My battery is getting near the end of its useful life and I notice that I get this warning more often than I did when it was new. I no longer use the resistors because I switched to bulbs that supposedly don't need them. OTOH, my wife's 2015 Edge has LED bulbs and she has never gotten a warning. The same goes for my 2007 Mustang GT. I think this is mostly a problem only with the 4th gen Explorers and Mountaineers.

I have LED headlight bulbs in my 2007 Mustang GT also. Never once an issue. I've used LED headlight bulbs in several Ford Super Duty pickups with no issue either.
I don't think it has anything to do with the issue at hand, but just for the extra information I did use FORScan and turned on DRL on the Exlporer.

 

[davidmmm69]

Hi Eddie just wondering which brand decoder canbus did you buy and from what website please help thank you

I've tried a few different ones and these are the ones that worked perfectly

 

[davidmmm69]

I find that the warning is triggered only while starting the engine when it is dark outside. When the lights cycle on while it is running, I don't recall ever getting a warning to check the headlights. My guess is that starting the engine causes a voltage and/or amp drop at the headlight connection that triggers the warning. My battery is getting near the end of its useful life and I notice that I get this warning more often than I did when it was new. I no longer use the resistors because I switched to bulbs that supposedly don't need them. OTOH, my wife's 2015 Edge has LED bulbs and she has never gotten a warning. The same goes for my 2007 Mustang GT. I think this is mostly a problem only with the 4th gen Explorers and Mountaineers.

My 2010 explorer does it but none of my other fords

 

[J_C]

Keep in mind that there may be another alternative solution "IF" this uses a similar LOM (light out module) to the 2nd gen explorer.

It uses a comparator IC and puts the current for the bulbs through a sense resistor, then the IC measures the voltage drop across that resistor. You can set the threshold for pass/fail of sufficient voltage drop (determined by how much current the bulbs are drawing) by changing 1 to 3, little 2 cent resistors on the circuit board. Pass/fail as-in, if it passes you don't get the bulb out message, but the LOM will still work to signal a bulb has failed if the bulb stops drawing its (new) lesser current amount that you set the LOM threshold to.

IF you don't even care whether the LOM (or subcircuit if integrated into another module) works to indicate a bulb failure, just that it not indicate there is a failure when your bulbs work fine, then another alternative may be to just cut the signal wire on the LOM circuit that tells the console display to indicate a bulb is out.

2nd gen uses an LM1946N and the datasheet even shows an equation to alter the resistor values but if 3rd gen explorers' LOM uses a different IC, the datasheet for that may also provide an example of how to mod it so that it doesn't trip on the lower current that LED bulbs use, without having to resort to the extra load of adding a power resistor in parallel like a more universal DIY resistor mod or those kits do.

I made a post relating to the 2nd gen LOM some time ago, think this is it:

97 EB 'Check ALL Lamps' after LED switch

I replaced all my 1997 Explorer Eddie Bauer lighting with LED lights. Brake, tail, reverse, turn, interior and the headlights are now HID bi-xenon everything but the high mount 3rd brake light and instrument panel/dash is now LED. Prior to replacing the stock bulbs with these LED's I had no...

www.explorerforum.com

 

[Run Amok]

I've tried a few different ones and these are the ones that worked perfectly

Looking at the photo in your post I think I bought the same fog light housings for my 2009. The lenses were completely gone away when I bought the Explorer.

 

[94Eddie]

Looking at the photo in your post I think I bought the same fog light housings for my 2009. The lenses were completely gone away when I bought the Explorer.

Does anyone know if the fog light housing for the 4th gen Explorers also fit the 4th gen Mountaineers?

 

[Run Amok]

Does anyone know if the fog light housing for the 4th gen Explorers also fit the 4th gen Mountaineers?

Here's the link: Fog Light Set Fit For 2006-2010 Ford Explorer 2007-10 Explorer Sport Trac Front | eBay
Fitment chart only shows Explorer and Sport Trac. But I usually question the accuracy of those charts on eBay and Amazon.
There are currently some Mountaineer sets listed on eBay but they're over 3x the price. Some of them are listed by Fairway Ford. I'd contact them and ask if Explorer units will work for you. I've bought several items from them both via eBay and directly. They've always been helpful and answered my questions.

 

[Bazz270]

Does anyone know if the fog light housing for the 4th gen Explorers also fit the 4th gen Mountaineers?

No, they are not the same

 

[occupant]

I know this is an older thread, but I installed Beamtech H13 lights in my wife's 08 EB about 7 months ago.

"BEAMTECH H13 Led Bulbs, Fanless In Line 9008 Fog Light 6500K 12000LM 60W Xenon White Halogen Replacement Fog Light Of 2"

The exact item I purchased has been removed from Amazon (sold out I guess) but I got them on a lightning deal for about $31 for the pair. They do not distort or cause people to flash their high beams at me. You can tell there's a SLIGHT blue tint to them looking straight on (6500K) but the light output on the ground ahead of the truck is a clean bright white. Polishing and clearcoating the lenses also helped quite a bit. I'm cheap and don't believe in any of the "kits" out there. I buy square foam backed sanding "pads" in various grits and go to town with a 10% Dawn 90% water solution in a cheap trigger spray bottle and just rinse and repeat until it's smooth and clear enough to spray the clearcoat. For that I do use the Meguiars Headlight Clearcoat because it was on clearance at Ollie's for $4 a can. Like I said, I'm cheap.

Anyway, I get the same error messages people have described in this thread on the dash cluster every time it was driven in the dark. Bothered her, doesn't bother me. I installed the "decoders" that they sent and the only change was the error codes come on about 30 seconds of driving later than they did without the little decoder harnesses.

Just wanted to say I'm plenty happy with a $31 set of LED headlights. If they can last another 11 months they will be outliving the previous Sylvania Xtravision halogen bulbs I had in there before.

 

[occupant]

Here's the link: Fog Light Set Fit For 2006-2010 Ford Explorer 2007-10 Explorer Sport Trac Front | eBay
Fitment chart only shows Explorer and Sport Trac. But I usually question the accuracy of those charts on eBay and Amazon.
There are currently some Mountaineer sets listed on eBay but they're over 3x the price. Some of them are listed by Fairway Ford. I'd contact them and ask if Explorer units will work for you. I've bought several items from them both via eBay and directly. They've always been helpful and answered my questions.

I wish I had seen this thread before I got the $30 Cheda set I did on Amazon. $18.80 shipped for the pair? Daaaaaaaang...

 

[occupant]

this is the Cheda fog light set (stock style H11 bulbs) and the Beamtech H13 bulb headlights BEFORE adding the decoders and polishing the lenses

 

[davidmmm69]

What brand did you use? I've went through two different brands on Amazon and none of them have solve the error message

These were the only one thar that worked for me

 

[J_C]

I want everyone who drops in LED retrofit bulbs to have their vehicle towed if a warning isn't enough.

No excuse for blinding others and it is a fact that you can not in any case, ever, see better without blinding people more with the LED retrofit drop in bulbs.

There is no such thing as magical bulbs. Even if it has the exact same beam pattern, which it never does, to whatever extent it casts further, brighter, and colder color temperature, your glare is blinding other drivers, pedestrians, and animals. If it were just a matter of more light, then factory lights would have had more a long time ago.

Headlight mods do not belong on public roads, where if you can't see well enough, then you are driving too fast for conditions.

 

[94Eddie]

@J_C
I will respond to you by saying that one needs to do some homework when picking a LED headlight bulb. IMO, the best color temperature for visibility and less irritability to oncoming traffic is 5000K or lower. Also, buy bulbs where the LED chips are positioned the same as the OEM bulb's filaments. Lastly, keep the lumens reasonable. Doing these three things make for LED headlight bulbs that are not any more a problem than those found in new vehicles. IMO, some new vehicles have worse, and more irritating, headlights than properly chosen replacements.

 

[J_C]

^ While I agree with that in concept, it practically never happens.

5000K is too cold a color temp, and who is measuring their OEM bulb filament, then is able to determine the measurement of the chips on the LED bulb before purchase? People buy something, it's not right, maybe they buy something else but they aren't going to buy every bulb out there only to discover that it's impossible.

The retrofit LED bulbs can't have the same position because it's about nearly 360' radiance from an incandescent filament, which no high power (needing heatsinking behind it) chip LED can do. Position multiple chips in different directions and then you have hot (candella, not color temp) spots to try to make up the difference.

Yes you can decrease the amount that they produce glare, but it will always produce more than the correct bulb for the housing, to any extent where it offers equal, let alone more useful light for the driver.

Plus they're still illegal. I welcome new standards that also make many new vehicle factory LED headlights illegal.

 

[94Eddie]

I have never been flashed by oncoming traffic with the bulbs I have been currently using for three years. Not once. I have never been troubled by law enforcement locally or during travel across multiple states. At night, I have been behind local cops, driving toward them etc. and have never been flashed or even acknowledged by them in any way. The 5000k temperature is not blue in tint. It is a daylight color. I tried bluer bulbs but did not like the color because they were fatiguing to my eyes. The 5000k daylight color is about perfect between warm and blue and is very close to most new vehicles with OEM LEDs and better than some. I checked the light pattern between OEM and the LED bulbs I am using and they are the same. The vertical cutoff point is the same as is the spread. I am using replacement LED bulbs responsibly and will continue to do so. What others do, I am not responsible for.

 

[J_C]

I have never been flashed by oncoming traffic with the bulbs I have been currently using for three years. Not once. I have ever been troubled by law enforcement locally or during travel across multiple states. At night, I have been behind local cops, driving toward them etc. and have never been flashed or even acknowledged by them in any way. The 5000k temperature is not blue in tint. It is a daylight color. I tried bluer bulbs but did not like the color because they were fatiguing to my eyes. The 5000k daylight color is about perfect between warm and blue and is very close to most new vehicles with OEM LEDs and better than some. I checked the light pattern between OEM and the LED bulbs I am using and they are the same. The vertical cutoff point is the same as is the spread. I am using replacement LED bulbs responsibly and will continue to do so. What others do, I am not responsible for.

I stopped flashing people long ago because there is no point. What are they going to do, turn their headlights off? It is not my burden to flash every vehicle on the road, just as it isn't to try to "correct" other forms of bad driving. On the road in a moving vehicle is not the right place for that.

5000K, due to containing more blue light, causes more glare than a warmer color temperature at the same brightness level and beam pattern. That's how the human eye works. If it casts the exact same beam pattern (which they practically never do in an incan housing), and the exact same brightness, there are two results.

It causes more glare to others, and the driver can't see as well either. The only way for the driver to see better with a colder color temp LED retrofit is to increase light output and cause even more glare to others. That is the science, no way around it. Human eyes have far fewer blue cones than red or green, and are overwhelmed more, the colder the color temp. Many people are complaining about OEM LED lights too!