LED Dome Light Bulb Conundrum

[Cruster]

This is awesomly weird...glad I saw this thread, it might save me from shooting myself in the head someday when I'm replacing bulbs

 

[Carlwalski]

OK guys, I was out there testing some lights and I luckily enough managed to find a bit more on this odd condition. In the cab, pitch dark, if I push the dome light with the new LED to turn it on, the LED comes on but only VERY VERY lightly. You can just see a faint glow around the same size as the bulb itself, again, it's so faint in normal day-to-day light you would never see it, the two guys with the same issue, go try it for yourself in pitch black conditions. Now, when I turned the key to accessories, I tried it, and it turns on/off like it should do lol! This leaves me to believe this bulb must require a higher watt rate to function. By itself under it's own power, it just doesn't have enough oomph to light up as designed and needs other items to engage which cranks up the vehicles amps to get them running and on and in turn, the LED bulb gets the required juice.

 

[SilvrSRT10]

I'm just grasping at straws here but what happens if you turn the bulb around 180 degrees in the mount? One end should be +12v and the other Ground. If you have them in backwards that may be causing the odd behavior. I haven't tried messing with the LED bulbs so I don't know for sure but that might be something to try.:dontknow:

 

[Black1]

I'm just grasping at straws here but what happens if you turn the bulb around 180 degrees in the mount? One end should be +12v and the other Ground. If you have them in backwards that may be causing the odd behavior. I haven't tried messing with the LED bulbs so I don't know for sure but that might be something to try.:dontknow:

Could try that... :rock:

LED's take very little power to run. ANY kind of voltage running through the system will turn them on. This would explain your issue of them lighting up when any other interior light is turned on.

My LED tail lights used to flash when I opened and shut my doors. :dontknow:

 

[BAD-RC]

Yeah I also have leds in my cargo lights and they stay on very dim untill the truck stops all power after the key is removed for 10 mins or so. I've had mine in for a year now without a dead battery so I'm not worried. I think the crazy lights are kinda cool I like to mess with people when they ride with me

 

[Vman455]

I'm just grasping at straws here but what happens if you turn the bulb around 180 degrees in the mount? One end should be +12v and the other Ground. If you have them in backwards that may be causing the odd behavior. I haven't tried messing with the LED bulbs so I don't know for sure but that might be something to try.:dontknow:

I tried turning them around in mine, as a first reaction when I installed them, hit the light and had nothing happen. It's the same either way--push-button function doesn't make them turn on/off unless the dome lights are turned on by the door or instrument panel switch.

 

[Carlwalski]

Yup, I concur, no change. The ends of the bulbs look identical so flipping them does nothing.

 

[SilvrSRT10]

Yup, I concur, no change. The ends of the bulbs look identical so flipping them does nothing.

Well......it was worth a shot. It would seem to me in a DC system that they would have a positive and a negative pole on them. Like I said, haven't messed with LED's so I wasn't sure. Now I know with some tail lights they needed a resistor of some sort because the current draw was so low that it would give a "Bulb Out" indicator on the dash or the turn signal would act erratically. Very strange this electrical stuff.

 

[Carlwalski]

Well......it was worth a shot. It would seem to me in a DC system that they would have a positive and a negative pole on them. Like I said, haven't messed with LED's so I wasn't sure. Now I know with some tail lights they needed a resistor of some sort because the current draw was so low that it would give a "Bulb Out" indicator on the dash or the turn signal would act erratically. Very strange this electrical stuff.

Thanks for the help all the same bud.

I have never heard of the bulb out indicator for the tail lights?
I know there are issues with some HID headlight kits, but not the tails?

 

[SilvrSRT10]

Thanks for the help all the same bud.

I have never heard of the bulb out indicator for the tail lights?
I know there are issues with some HID headlight kits, but not the tails?

I tried LED bulbs on my work truck. The Stop and Turn signals use the same bulb. When I would turn on the turn signal it would blink really fast. I think it could be fixed with an electronic blinker module but I didn't take that step. There wasn't enough resistance in the LED's to make the thermal blinker control to act right. The bulb out indicator wasn't a problem on our trucks that I know of. This was on a friends vehicle some years back. Good luck figuring it out.

 

[505'sFastestViper.]

led lights do not require higher wattage hell it would be a lot less would be my guess.....it seems like everything carl does kicks his ass hahaahha here is a joke i just thought of...how many new zealanders does it take to change a light bulb lol more then one thats for sure!!!!!!

 

[JTS VENOM PERFORMANCE]

led lights do not require higher wattage hell it would be a lot less would be my guess.....it seems like everything carl does kicks his ass hahaahha here is a joke i just thought of...how many new zealanders does it take to change a light bulb lol more then one thats for sure!!!!!!

LOLOL Carl is gonna kick your ars buddy LOLOOOL

 

[Vman455]

Thanks for the help all the same bud.

I have never heard of the bulb out indicator for the tail lights?
I know there are issues with some HID headlight kits, but not the tails?

If you swap to LED taillights and turns, you need load resistors wired inline. On older cars, you can switch the flasher in the fuse box to an electronic one, but these trucks have that damn TIPM or whatever--no separate flasher.

 

[SilvrSRT10]

If you swap to LED taillights and turns, you need load resistors wired inline. On older cars, you can switch the flasher in the fuse box to an electronic one, but these trucks have that damn TIPM or whatever--no separate flasher.

Carl's problem is his LED overhead lights. I was having the problem with the LED tail lights on a different vehicle. I just need to get an electronic blinker for it when I get around to it.

led lights do not require higher wattage hell it would be a lot less would be my guess.....

You are correct. LED's require very little current and they have very little resistance on the electrical system. On older vehicles with thermal blinker modules the LED's do provide enough resistance for it to act correctly. They end up flashing very quickly or erratically. They can also give a false bulb out indication.

 

[JTS VENOM PERFORMANCE]

Carl's problem is his LED overhead lights. I was having the problem with the LED tail lights on a different vehicle. I just need to get an electronic blinker for it when I get around to it.
You are correct. LED's require very little current and they have very little resistance on the electrical system. On older vehicles with thermal blinker modules the LED's do provide enough resistance for it to act correctly. They end up flashing very quickly or erratically. They can also give a false bulb out indication.

about $10 fix buddy

LED Bulb Load Resistor 6 Ohm / 50 Watt For Signal or Brake light with Dual Filament LED bulbs upgrade USE

LED bulbs may cause some newer vehicles to indicate a bulb is burnt out (because of their low power consumption). Some cars indicate this by increasing the flash rate of the turn signals, some turn on a bad bulb indicator. This can be remedied with our Load Resistors wired across the turn signal bulbs to simulate a filament bulb load.
This 6 Ohm, 50 Watt resistors can be connected across the turn signal bulbs to simulate the load of a regular filament bulb (2 Amp load). This will solve LED related turn signal problems such as hyper flashing or burnt out bulb indications. This LED Load Resistor can be use with most signal or brake light which uses SINGLE or DUAL FILAMENT LED light bulbs, like the 7443, 1157, 3157, 4157, 1156, 7440, 3156 etc

 

[Carlwalski]

Thanks guys, good to know I'm not the only one, just the only one to come forward and make it known.
Not the end of the world and I'm sure between us all we can sort this out, I hope lol. :laugh:

 

[Carlwalski]

So what sought/style/part # are you guys with working aftermarket bulbs using?

 

[SpudRacer]

Big Dave came over to "the other thread" to ask me to come over here to help you out.

My credentials?? I have replaced EVERY bulb on my SRT10 with either HID, or LED (including the dome lights). What you need to install bud, is a small resistor.
Go to this web site and order a bunch of the SMALL load resistors...
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-...tion=DispPage&Page2Disp=/tail-brake-turn.html
Your options for wiring them in include pinching the wire between the bulb's metal end and the clip, or removing the dome light assembly (or overhead console depending on where you're trying to install the LED) and soldering the wires to the appropriate metal circuit. Not a hard job if you know how to solder. These little buggers can get HOT if you leave your dome light on for extended periods, so make sure you have them in a safe location. I had my headliner down for a different project, so I drilled a small hole in the crossbeam just above the center dome light, and mounted the resistor to that so it wouldn't sit on top of the headliner and risk a fire. As for the LEDs in the overhead console, I have them suspended in the air along side the large vertical plastic seperators (by cutting grooves in the plastic). Hopefully that makes sense once you get the console in your hands and your brain tells you what you need to accomplish.

If you want to see photos, I think I have a ton in my gallery at "The other site", so feel free to check them out. If they aren't there, PM me and I'll send you some.

Oh, I also wired in a third dome light in the rear of the headliner just forward of the rear window to get more light to the rear seats using all factory parts. It looks 100% factory and also works with an LED.

If you 're curious, YES, EVERY internal bulb you replace with an LED will require it's own load resistor. There is no way around it.

Hope it works out for ya, going back to "My" forum.

 

[wesalbert]

So what sought/style/part # are you guys with working aftermarket bulbs using?

I wasn't able to get by the place I bought mine at. Will see if I can get back by there today.

 

[SilvrSRT10]

Big Dave came over to "the other thread" to ask me to come over here to help you out.

My credentials?? I have replaced EVERY bulb on my SRT10 with either HID, or LED (including the dome lights). What you need to install bud, is a small resistor.

Tom, thanks for coming over and helping out. I knew I was going to the right guy when I heard that you had replaced everything on your truck with LED's.:rock: