LED wiring - '97 TJ

ramjo

ramjo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2010
Location
Marion,NC
Swapped in some Axial LED headlights with the halos in my TJ after the factorys died the other day. Plans are to use the halo for turn signal and DRL. (Lost turn signals after swapping to tube fenders a few weeks ago) .

Do I need to add another signal light to each side to eliminate the hyper flash symptom or is there another way around that?

I also have some 1" LED's in the rear bumper wired into the backup lights. Output is cut in half when headlight/parking lights on. Any option for keeping them hooked into this circuit and maintains full output?
 
I don't know the specifics of Jeeps, but I'll give some suggestions. You can add a relay for the bumper LEDs, where the relay coil will be switched by the existing backup light circuit. Where you tap off for the relay coil will require a little thought though; I would disconnect those bumper LEDs and see what the voltage is on the backup lights. If it's high enough to switch the relay coil, you're good to go. If it's not, you will need to run a wire to whatever is turning the backup lights on (likely another relay under the dash or in a body control module). There's also the matter of where to tap off the power for those bumper lights if you use a relay.

For the signal lights: If you have a discrete flasher module, you can get a LED-compatible flasher replacement for it. The problem is that the traditional flashers are a bi-metallic type, and heat/cool when current goes through it which makes it flash. If the load current is too low (with an LED for example), the flasher toggles too fast, which is the same thing that happens if a bulb is blown out.
A solid-state flasher will solve this, as will a ballast resistor (like posted above). Some LEDs already have a ballast resistor built in, for that reason. A ballast resistor just wastes power to satisfy the flasher operation, so it's not a great solution.

I like the solid-state flasher solution though, as they are compatible with any type of bulb you use.
 
Last edited:
Fabrik8 said:
Sorry to say, you really get what you pay for when it comes to LED quality.
Click to expand...


Yea...I didn't have high expectations. They are a lot brighter than than a factory TJ. Hopefully I'll get a few years out of them. I'm not paying $500 for headlights though.
 
They make the flasher module, as stated above for the hyper flash. The TJ's have a very strange ground system for controlling the turn and side marker, there is a way to wire it, the best diagram I've found is on metalcloak tube fender install pdfs.
 
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