adding led lights

[NManduke]

i want to add led marker lights to my truck. My question: what is the best way to wire them? i was thinking of going into the four conductor trailer hook up. Any ideas?

 

[Jeff Clark]

Do a search in the aftermarket section on wiring LED's. Lots of disscusion there.

 

[y-knot]

M&M,



Could you be a little more specific as to where you are mounting them, how many, what style light you are thinking about. I am not too sure about why you would use a 4-conductor wire?



Maybe this short summery would help?



Most like to have there marker lights come on when the trucks parking lights are on, so you would tap into one of the trucks parking light circuits, the rear tail light assembly is the easiest place to access the wires.

LED's are very polarity sensitive, they must be hooked up right or the will not work, also they can cause other lights in the circuit to not work as well. Some lights come with the polarity (+ or -) printed on the back. Others do not, so you would need to figure it's polarity out before the install. Number one rule when replacing the vehicles existing lights with LED's is to do one lamp at a time, make sure it and all the other lights are working, then go to the next.



When installing a group of lights, like on the air dam or along the bottom/side of the truck, it is best to run one wire for the + positive wire and one for the - negative wire. It may be easier to run only one, the + wire, and ground the negative wire with a mounting screw, but they corrode and generally are a pain in the butt. A little more effort now saves you latter.

If you are going to go ape **** and have many lights, then use a relay and make your own circuit, make sure it is fussed and well guarded.

Good Luck

 

[NManduke]

Thanks for the input! I was thinking of putting the lights above the running boards from wheel well to wheel well. How a many is still to be decided. I was planning on using the trailer four conductor plug for power.



Based on my experience, I have never had an issue converting over to LED's but I've only done it on big trucks. I guess you have different experiences, so would you advise me o just stick with the incandescent lights? Thanks!



JR

 

[y-knot]

I would go ahead and convert over, I have done so on several of our vehicles. I only meant for you to re-place them 1 at a time. Since they are polarity sensitive, you would not want to take out say 5-6 lamps and replace all of them with LED's at once. If if you had one reversed, you would not be able to easily find it. Most LED's do not come marked with there polarity, so you have to insert it into the socket, see if it lights, then go to the next one. It if did not light, switch it around, and try again.

I really like the new LED's, they give the truck a different look, and they will out last most people. Also the LED's have a very low amperage draw, ten LED clearance lights would not draw as much as one incandescent clearance light.

 

[NManduke]

I hear ya! Thanks! Now I just have to decide on what to get, and where to get them.

 

[David Pendleton]

www.superbrightleds.com



I have no affiliation, but I have found some really hard-to-find bulbs there.



Much cheaper than most, too.