Trying to wire up LED tail/turn/stop lights...

[DB_1]

So, I bought some 4" round LED tail/turn/stop lights to replace my stock (Ranger) tail lights that I keep destroying while off roading.
Stock tails had individual bulbs for stop/turn/back-up...turn and back up bulbs have 2 wires each and the stop bulb has 3 wires.

What i'm trying to do is eliminate an individual light for the turn signals and have the 4" round LED's handle the turn signaling.
I wired the turn signal wires to the stop/tail wires and everything was working until I pressed on the brake pedal then the turn signal wont work simultaneously when the brakes are applied. All other functions work individually though.

Can these be wired the way I want them or do I just have to run individual lights for turn signals?

 

[Stic-o]

I think they make a kit for this. Just go to pep boys or whatever. They should have a adapter in the towing section, to go from 2 lights to 1. I looked into this along time ago, because I was going to change my rangers tail lights over to the 2000 ones with no seperate turning indicator.

 

[boominXplorer]

Now does the LED light have any way to dual function? Like half be lit and half be off as where you can separate the 2 signals? Thats really the only way you can ger rid of the turn signal/brake problem

 

[410Fortune]

you need more lights, how about some tiny side marker LED's as turn signals? That would be dope.

If not then its over, trash the project, I will but it from you for $500 as soon as I get my $1000 from Section

 

[Stic-o]

now that I think about it boom is right. You have it right Dave. They can't work at the same time. When you apply the brake, it should overide the turning indicator. Just look at and car with no seperate turning indicator.

Just use your hand signals

 

[boominXplorer]

Thats a good idea as 410 put it, get some ricer side marker lights. You can find those in the ricer section at the auto parts store for under $20.

 

[410Fortune]

Circuit City carries Eurolite, I put some sweet ass 3 led blue ones on my fenders in place of my factory BII side markers, I love them they are bright as hell, mounted up high and really annoy the Honda's next to me at the light.
Safety first!

Dang I need to get some more for my 96!

 

[FROADER]

Dave, check your pm's...

 

[Stic-o]

You could just get some of these

 

[Tilt168]

Circuit City carries Eurolite, I put some sweet ass 3 led blue ones on my fenders in place of my factory BII side markers, I love them they are bright as hell, mounted up high and really annoy the Honda's next to me at the light.
Safety first!

Dang I need to get some more for my 96!

just letting you know but thats illegal in most states....
check into your laws but most front turn signals have to be white to amber or somewhere inbetween and rears have to be red to amber, aka why you cant have white rear turn signals (which i wanted to do)

other then that....i would freakin love to have blue turn signals! but im stuck with hyperwhites

 

[410Fortune]

yes I understand my side markers are illegal, but I have never been hassled for them, CO cops are pretty leinient unless your a total jerk

 

[Jefe]

Don't forget you also have parking lights to deal with which you never mentioned.

It'd be complicated to take a truck designed for 2 bulbs (one being two way) and wire it to a single light. You'd need Diodes and relays and resistors. But you'd still be missing the parking lights.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Check this link out: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=157011. This is # 1 in my list of useful threads. It explains the problems that LED taillight replacement bulbs have with the Ford TCC ground circuit.

 

[Stic-o]

Didn't Rick deal with this problem not to long ago? I know there was a thread somewhere.

 

[DB_1]

Don't forget you also have parking lights to deal with which you never mentioned.

It'd be complicated to take a truck designed for 2 bulbs (one being two way) and wire it to a single light. You'd need Diodes and relays and resistors. But you'd still be missing the parking lights.

The parking lamp function works fine with these lights, only probs i'm having are what I previously mentioned. I do have some 2" round LED's I can make fit on the brackets I already made, just wondered if there was a way to wire these things up the way I wanted

I'd like to see how the jeep tails are wired up since they use one light for turn and stop/parking lamps (and back-up lights).

410, I'd never spend $500 on tail lights for something that will only get thrashed on I think I have around $100 into this project with lights, sheet metal and connectors. These are all trucker style round lights so if I happen to break one, it's cheap to replace one.

Boomin,
These are just simple 3 wire LED's, no kind of bypass function.

 

[FexplorerV8]

just use 2 lights per side, one for the brake and one for the turn signal.

OO_________________OO

 

[mikeh44]

led lights

I have a 2004 explorer xlt to put led lights on your explorer you can do it one of two ways buy the right lights off of ebay in led of course or go to superbrightleds.com and get them from there. main problem is this the leds donot draw enough power for the flasher to function properly to correct this you will have to install a load resistor at each light it needs to be 6 ohm 50 watt installed across the turn signal wire and ground do not mount the resistor on plastic it gets very hot. also your leds one wire is turn and brake one wire is tail light

 

[Jefe]

The parking lamp function works fine with these lights, only probs i'm having are what I previously mentioned.

Ok the lights you have are two ways, so the only problem is when you want to use the turn signal, but your brake light is on. Minor problem.
I know exactly what you're talking about, its just not easy to do with what you've got. If you had a TJ or a Focus where they are factory wired to only use one two-way bulb it'd be a piece of cake.

 

[FROADER]

I like what you decided to do. Looks good Dave!

 

[Jefe]

Ok, been looking over Ranger, Explorer, and Focus Electrical diagrams.
And I found the solution. Wire into the trailer harness wires.
There are four wires; Ground, Parking, Left Turn/Brake, Right Turn/Brake

I don't have your year Ranger CD so I can't tell you what color wires those would be though. And you will likely have to get some resistors to put in place of the stock light bulbs so the flasher still flashes at the correct interval like Rick did in his thread

Also it looks like the 2000 Ranger actually has the wiring you're looking for. Combined Turn/Brake light per side. Did they change the tail light design?

You're lucky I have nothing better to do than sit at a computer on a Friday night.