Gen2 Taillights Melting?

[Andrizzle]

What??? I have some of those like 6ohm resistors that are 50 watts or something... But those didn't do anything when I tried them.


So where do I get one like you used? Also I thought adding resistors would prevent the bulb message.

 

[joegr]

What??? I have some of those like 6ohm resistors that are 50 watts or something... But those didn't do anything when I tried them.


So where do I get one like you used? Also I thought adding resistors would prevent the bulb message.

He added a series resistor. He now needs to add a parallel resistor. This one needs to be between the orange wire and the black/white wire. Please note that these are the gen II, 2004 colors. Apparently the gen I colors are different.

I would start with a 1000 ohm resistor and it that didn't work try lower and lower values. The lower the value, the more the resistor will heat up, so you will need higher and higher wattage resistors. Examples:

1000 ohm (or 1K ohm) - 1/4 watt or higher
500 ohm - 1/2 watt or higher
250 ohm - 1 watt or higher
100 ohm - 2 watts or higher
10 ohm - 20 watts or higher

Let's hope that something over 100 ohms works.

Orange wire = wire with +12V on it most of the time.
black/white wire = wire that is grounded when the parking lights are on.
Use this to figure out the correct wire colors for gen I.

 

[Andrizzle]

Can you buy resistors for this type of application @ Radioshack? I am picturing those little dinky ones you see on circuit boards, but I would assume having a larger ceramic one or something would be safer/less heat.

Also is it safe to assume my 6ohm 50 Watts ones are useless for this?

 

[joegr]

Can you buy resistors for this type of application @ Radioshack? I am picturing those little dinky ones you see on circuit boards, but I would assume having a larger ceramic one or something would be safer/less heat.

Also is it safe to assume my 6ohm 50 Watts ones are useless for this?

Yes, it can get at least 1/2 watt resistors from radio shack. They used to also sell 1W ones, but I don't know if they still do.

Your 6 ohms resistors would still work, but only for the brake/turn light circuit . The only catch is that they will generate 33 watts of waste heat. A 1000 ohm would only generate 0.2 watts of waste heat. Less heat = less chance of the taillight lens melting.

You could overload the parking light circuit with any resistance lower than 24 ohms.

The original bulbs would be 33 Watts (+ 8 watts for the parking light). Bulb turn/brake light filament = 6 ohms. Bulb parking light filament = 24 ohms.

 

[Alax7]

The 6 ohm resistors that v-leds sell dont work, I thought it was 60 ohms but it's written 6OHMS so it seems like 60 but it's 6.

I used a 1/2 watt 100 ohm resistor from radio shack because it was what I had laying around. I'm going to go to radio shack and get more resistors. In my head I was for sure that putting a resistor in parallel with the orange and white/black wire would fix the error message but it didn't. Maybe because of the resistor I was using.

 

[Andrizzle]

I just tried 470 ohm at 1/2 watt and 100 ohm at 10 watts and neither stopped the error message.

Radioshack didnt have the list u mentioned joe, so i tried to get the closest matching ones. Hopefully alax can find the right one.

 

[Alax7]

Did you get the lights to work with the parking lights on?

Last night a spent 3 hours trying. I just spent another and nothing. I even connected the bulb and the led bulb so it would have the filament bulb's resistance but the error message was still there. I tried 1 mega ohm,4700,1000, 470, 150,100,68,47,10,6. I'm stumped, it should be as easy as putting a resistor on the brake light wires but it wont work

Andrizzle, I thought you said you had figured out how to get rid of the error message but couldn't make them work with the running lights a while ago when you first got them.

 

[joegr]

Did you get the lights to work with the parking lights on?

Last night a spent 3 hours trying. I just spent another and nothing. I even connected the bulb and the led bulb so it would have the filament bulb's resistance but the error message was still there. I tried 1 mega ohm,4700,1000, 470, 150,100,68,47,10,6. I'm stumped, it should be as easy as putting a resistor on the brake light wires but it wont work

Andrizzle, I thought you said you had figured out how to get rid of the error message but couldn't make them work with the running lights a while ago when you first got them.

It could be that you are going to have to have the isolation diodes added, like I showed before.

 

[Andrizzle]

No I never got it to go away for the brakes. I had a message for the signals until I replaced both front and rear signals, with 4 LED bulbs there are no problems.


This is frustrating, so close to having it work correctly!... No way I can deal with that beeping sound everytime I brake, haha.

 

[Alax7]

It could be that you are going to have to have the isolation diodes added, like I showed before.

Yeah I guess I will have to try that after all.

Here's a question for you. How come the error message only comes on when the parking lights are on? If the parking lights are off there isno bulh out message, only happens with the parking lights being on.

No I never got it to go away for the brakes. I had a message for the signals until I replaced both front and rear signals, with 4 LED bulbs there are no problems.


This is frustrating, so close to having it work correctly!... No way I can deal with that beeping sound everytime I brake, haha.

So you dont have the chrome bulbs in there anymore? You have LED turn signal bulbs?


Yeah very frustrating.

I have a temporary solution for the error message, found it by accident. If you press and hold the break, the error message comes on. Keep the brake pedal pressed when the message comes up, then press the reset button and the message while still pressing on the brake. The message wont come on again until the car is turned off and on again. I tried it a few times and it worked.

Last night,I did this without knowing and it made me think I figured it out a few times so I would soldier everything and pack it up.When I would try it again, the message would be back on . But atleast we dont have to go with the annoying beep at night. Until I do that isolator joe is talking about I'll use the led's and do that little trick.

 

[Andrizzle]

Okay I will try that, thanks for the tip!

And yes I removed all of the chrome amber bulbs and replaced with LEDs. Now I am full LED and HID, just need these error messages out and I am good to go!

 

[joegr]

Yeah I guess I will have to try that after all.

Here's a question for you. How come the error message only comes on when the parking lights are on? If the parking lights are off there isno bulh out message, only happens with the parking lights being on....

I think that the current traveling from the parking light circuit into the brake light circuit is what's causing it. A couple of isolation diodes should prevent that. I don't say this with 100% certainty, because I haven't tried it.

 

[Alax7]

Okay I will try that, thanks for the tip!

And yes I removed all of the chrome amber bulbs and replaced with LEDs. Now I am full LED and HID, just need these error messages out and I am good to go!

No error message with the turn signals or did you put resistors in there already?

I think that the current traveling from the parking light circuit into the brake light circuit is what's causing it. A couple of isolation diodes should prevent that. I don't say this with 100% certainty, because I haven't tried it.

ok. Well I'll try that another day. These resistors have me beat

 

[Andrizzle]

Didn't need to put resistors, but when you have your parking lamps on, the front bulbs dont light up, but the amber sidemarker does, I think it looks sweet like this, plus the bulbs are so bright that if they did light up as parking lights, it would probably be too much. I think it looks great and adds emphasis on the angel eyes now.

 

[themiz69]

i only did mine last night and its bugging me! i didnt even find out today until the car was driven. so is 100ohm .5 the way to go so far?

 

[Bullschmidt]

Didn't need to put resistors, but when you have your parking lamps on, the front bulbs dont light up, but the amber sidemarker does, I think it looks sweet like this, plus the bulbs are so bright that if they did light up as parking lights, it would probably be too much. I think it looks great and adds emphasis on the angel eyes now.

Have any pictures of this? It sounds pretty cool.

 

[themiz69]

i have the same thing in the front as andrizzle. i just did the 100ohm 1/2w's in the back and now i have brakes but still no front. do u think it would make a diff if i put the resistors in the front too?

 

[Andrizzle]

bullschmidt, not really photos of it specifically, but picture having angel eyes on without amber parking lights next to them, then add led fogs that match the angel eyes, and you are talking about one sexy, crisp, white front.

themiz, you get hyperflash and bulb message - unless have LEDs in the front AND rear signals. I put no resistor on any of the signals. The only resistor I have is on the brake/tails like Alax.

I think it looks really great now, I love how the rear of my LS is shaping up with the all LED. It looks really good pressing the brake and seeing the LED lightbar in the rear window plus both tails lighting up instantly together and then turning off. Now I just need to get my taillights retinted so it doesn't look ghetto.

I need to take an updated photo of my melted tails, they are about twice as bad as when I first showed you all.

Also I did a hand test of feeling how warm the melted spot was with the LED in there... and I could not feel any warmth at all. What a huge difference from nearly burning my hand with the OEMs!

 

[joegr]

i have the same thing in the front as andrizzle. i just did the 100ohm 1/2w's in the back and now i have brakes but still no front. do u think it would make a diff if i put the resistors in the front too?

Okay, here's a warning for you guys. At 100 ohms, you need more than 1/2 watt. If you keep your brake lights on for too long, the 1/2 watt resistors are going to burn up.

Here's how it works.

Power = Voltage x Current

Current = Voltage / Resistance

So, P = V*V / R

Voltage = 14 or so when the engine is running.

P = 14*14 / 100
P = 1.96 watts.

You're asking a 0.5 watt resistor to handle 1.96 watts. It's not a good plan.

There are many places to get 2 Watt resistors, here's one of them
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=P100W-2BK-ND

(This assumes that you are using 100 ohm resistors between hot and ground to get rid of the bulb out message.)

 

[Bullschmidt]

bullschmidt, not really photos of it specifically, but picture having angel eyes on without amber parking lights next to them, then add led fogs that match the angel eyes, and you are talking about one sexy, crisp, white front.

That does sound super clean. I have LED fogs already and Alax just finished up my angel eyes for me the other day. I will have them back by the end of next week.

I didn't even think to ever get LED's for the turn signals. I have some chromium bulbs for that. You still have the amber side markers though right? I had mine cleared while they were apart so if I do an LED bulb then it might not technically be "legal" without any amber. Maybe I can find an amber LED bulb that would help out

 

[Alax7]

Okay, here's a warning for you guys. At 100 ohms, you need more than 1/2 watt. If you keep your brake lights on for too long, the 1/2 watt resistors are going to burn up.

Here's how it works.

Power = Voltage x Current

Current = Voltage / Resistance

So, P = V*V / R

Voltage = 14 or so when the engine is running.

P = 14*14 / 100
P = 1.96 watts.

You're asking a 0.5 watt resistor to handle 1.96 watts. It's not a good plan.

There are many places to get 2 Watt resistors, here's one of them
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=P100W-2BK-ND

(This assumes that you are using 100 ohm resistors between hot and ground to get rid of the bulb out message.)

The resistor used to work with the running lights is put on the running light wire only, the blue/black. This does not get very hot. At first I just used 100 ohm since it was what I had and it worked, but was going to get something more suitable if it got too hot. It did not get hot, barely started warming up some. If anything people should go with a higher watt 100ohm or whatever they feel is best.I also had a 4700 ohm resistor laying around but this wouldn't let the bulb light up at all

I bought a 100 ohm 10 watt resistor from radio shack today to use with the hot and ground wires so it wouldn't get hot , one of those rectangular white ones, ceramic I think. I tried using this for the bulb out message, it wouldn't get hot so thats good, but the message didn't go away.. I only listed what I used and worked so far.

 

[Alax7]

LED's all around does sound nice andrizzle. Pics please , just of the headlight with the led's

 

[suicidal66]

I had the same problem with my tailights melting after I switched from stock solid red to the 2 tones. I never even noticed they were dented in until I started sanding them to tint em, but tinting them didnt cause the problem.

 

[themiz69]

no hyperflash just the lamp out. i have leds in back and the switchback v-leds in the front. i really wish i could get them to switch lol.

 

[Alax7]

Switchback LEDs? A little info on that