LED Stop-Tail Globes anomaly

[stumpeater]

I have mostly got LED globes on my car, when I wired them up I tested them individually, tail lights.... OK, stop lights... OK. I didn't notice 'till recently that all the parking lights were coming on when the brake lights were on. After a lot of mucking around I figured out the problem. When on "park" all the leds are on dimly and when on "brake" the same leds glow brightly, but a voltage is leaked out of the "park" pin on the globe, hence lighting up all the parkers. A simple diode on the parker wire fixed the problem. I hope this helps others, and saves a few brain cells.

[Rob. Smith]

What brand are the globes ? Shouldn't have they had the diode built in ?

[stumpeater]

Surprise, Surprise, they are made in China!! Imported by Bright Light Auto Parts.(Ebay) Re: diode, I would have thought that too. It's not a big deal, I just thought I may save someone else some hassles.

[Rob. Smith]

Yeah.. Bright Lites aren't too bad...they sell all sorts of bits and pieces..I'm surprised they didn't know the solution to your problem and tell you before they sold you the bits. This is a pretty standard problem. I found out the hard way as well but I have been making my own lamps so I had to learn by trial and error.

[trularin]

Another common problem is blinker load. If you put LEDs in, they may not load the blinker correctly causing an assortment of problems.

Just a bit more.

[Rob. Smith]

Originally Posted by trularin

Another common problem is blinker load. If you put LEDs in, they may not load the blinker correctly causing an assortment of problems.

Just a bit more.

Yep there's not enough current to heat the bi-metal strip in the flasher can...there's an electronic unit available now. Most mobs that supply the LED lamps supply the can.