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Anybody try those LED lamps for your brick's brake / turning lights?

posted by  Lord Volvo on  Fri Sep 27 09:12 CST 2002
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last visit: Sat Oct 4 15:55 CST 2014
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I see some LED brake / turning lamps on eBay that are supposed to replace the filament-types we use. Anybody try them? I'm not looking to "rice" my car, but I think LEDs for brake lights would be kinda neat.

Wonder if the bulb-failure relay would like them.
--
Mike F - 1984 244 DL - 214,000 miles (give or take)








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    Anybody try those LED lamps for your brick's brake / turning lights?

    posted by  JetDriver on  Fri Sep 27 18:42 CST 2002
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    I read here in the last week or so that the bulb fail light would come on when using these.
    --
    92 244 lowered, Bilsteins, IPD sways, Unitek cam/header, TSW Revo 18x8's - 94 965 Niiice MONEY PIT! - 76 Datsun 280Z lowered, modified head, cam, headers, intake








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      Anybody try those LED lamps for your brick's brake / turning lights?

      posted by  pablos on  Sat Sep 28 01:23 CST 2002
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      last visit: Tue May 22 00:43 CST 2001
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      I still would like to try the LED's in the turn signals (and maybe brake)

      Another reason to take the idiot light for the bulb out indicator out....not that I do this but sometimes it's tempting!

      Somebody called me on my cell phone last week all in a panic about their turn signal light out (simple bulb holder issue)....They were all upset because the bulb fail light DIDN'T come on! I said basically; Thank God that the turn signals aren't in that bulb out circuit!
      --
      http://www.fidalgo.net/~brook4/oilslubesfilters.html








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        Anybody try those LED lamps for your brick's brake / turning lights?

        uid 55's pic
        posted by  john sargent on  Sat Sep 28 03:39 CST 2002
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        last visit: Wed Oct 22 09:07 CST 2014
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        I doubt that the Lamp Failure Relay would give failure indication when using the LED type of stop/tail lights. The Lamp Failure Relay simply compares current in parallel circuits. If the LED replacement lamps carried the same load current, there should be no problem.

        I have installed headlight relays on three 740 series cars to date, and will be doing a fourth sometime this fall/winter when my son is home from college. I can tell you that using relays in parallel operation does not make the Lamp Failure Light illuminate.

        Althought the Lamp Failure Relay and indicator lamp in the instrument cluster are a nice luxury feature on our Volvos, I have had enough trouble with current imbalance in all three supervised circuits (headlight, brake lights, and tail lights), that I doubt it is worth keeping the Lamp Failure idiot light in the instrument panel.








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          Anybody try those LED lamps for your brick's brake / turning lights?

          posted by  Lord Volvo on  Sat Sep 28 14:12 CST 2002
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          last visit: Sat Oct 4 15:55 CST 2014
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          That's what I thought. If both stoplights had the same type lamp in them (and they both worked) then the relay should like them. But I wondered if the much lower current drawn by the LED lamps versus a filament lamp would upset the relay.

          And maybe I'm the only one who doesn't mind the bulb-failure indicator in his Voo-Voo. Mine has behaved for the most part in terms of not telling me a bulb is out when one isn't.
          --
          Mike F - 1984 244 DL - 214,000 miles (give or take)








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          Anybody try those LED lamps for your brick's brake / turning lights?

          posted by  pablos on  Sat Sep 28 04:10 CST 2002
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          last visit: Tue May 22 00:43 CST 2001
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          I was thinking the same also, as in: WHY would LED's give a failure indication? I mean even if the current draw is low, it should be equal from side to side...

          I guess the only thing I could come up with is the error % from crappy wiring, lousy sockets would be a larger factor....so if one side was just "barely passing" (and hence not giving a failure indication) with incandescent bulbs (say a funky socket), then you switch over to LED's this one side "fault" could be more a higher percentage of the OVERALL current draw and just enough to cause the idiot light to come on....

          I never have actually disabled the thing....but I check my lights anyway, so it's sorta useless (but stock, so I keep it......)
          --
          http://www.fidalgo.net/~brook4/oilslubesfilters.html








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            Sounds too ricey

            posted by  someone claiming to be David Hunter on  Sat Sep 28 10:22 CST 2002 [RELATED]

            I had to analyze the brake light circuit some time ago. It seems to me that the rear window light was wired along with the left light. I believe the sensor compensates for this "imbalance" with an internal resistor. I may be all wrong but that's what I remember. If correct then the LED's would change the "balancing act" and the warning light would come on.

            The whole idea sounds a bit ricey to me.

            I check my lights when I am in a strip mall by looking at the reflections in the store window.








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            Anybody try those LED lamps for your brick's brake / turning lights?

            uid 55's pic
            posted by  john sargent on  Sat Sep 28 04:50 CST 2002
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            last visit: Wed Oct 22 09:07 CST 2014
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            The current draw of the headlight relays on our cars will be lower than the current draw of LED brake/tail lights. The healdight relays have never once caused the Lamp Failure warning light to come on. I can't say that about stop amd tail lights and the grounding issues for those lights.







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