Electrical hiccup...I think??

[Petetheprinta]

98 300tdi Auto. Replaced the rear bumper with steel kaymar type thing from another Disco. I fitted a large LED brake, light and indicator (both sides of course) on new bar and took power and existing earth from original rear taillight assembly and took brake from brake light off trailer connection. I couldn't get brake power from existing brake lights due to drawer set up in rear.

All works well, lights work, brake lights work and indicators work, problem is indicators indicate very rapidly like 2 flashes per second also, trailer light thingy on dash no longer lights up as it used to.

I assume I will eventually burn out indicator relay if it keeps going. I haven't actually replaced the trailer connector yet as I run out of time today. So bare wires but not touching anything.

Any help gratefully appreciated. Thanks

Pete

[bee utey]

LED lights draw too little current for standard flasher cans therefore they think a globe is blown and fast flash. Its a design feature to show you need to replace a bulb. You can either
1. fit standard 21W indicator globes somewhere, like in the pillar lights.
2. fit resistors to mimic globes, around 7 ohms 20 watt minimum, or 2x 14 ohm 10 watt in parallel.
3. fit a LED compatible flasher can.

[Petetheprinta]

LED lights draw too little current for standard flasher cans therefore they think a globe is blown and fast flash. Its a design feature to show you need to replace a bulb. You can either
1. fit standard 21W indicator globes somewhere, like in the pillar lights.
2. fit resistors to mimic globes, around 7 ohms 20 watt minimum, or 2x 14 ohm 10 watt in parallel.
3. fit a LED compatible flasher can.

Thanks for reply, more questions.

1. There are 21W indicator globes in rear indicators already. On rear pillars. Or do I have the wrong idea about what you mean?
2. Resistors have no idea about.
3. Will any LED compatible flasher do or does it need to be something special? Where do you get those from?
4. Indicators worked ok when original rear bumper with indicators was removed, why didn't they flash quickly then when globes were obviously not working as they were removed.

Thanks again.
Pete

[bee utey]

I didn't think that there were 21W globes in the pillar lamps. I thought they were only 5W numbers. I am probably wrong! In any case your 21W globe count has gone down and your flasher can is complaining in the only way it knows.

If you have no idea what resistors are I suggest you take it to an auto electrician or ask at an electronics shop for advice on how to solder resistors across your LED indicator lamp harnesses.

As for LED flasher cans, see your auto electrician/LR specialist as your LR flasher is probably not like those in most Aussie sold cars.

BTW nearly everything on the planet is available on ebay, so long as you know what you need.

[Petetheprinta]

Thanks again, still don't understand why the flasher didn't indicate a problem when original globes were removed totally, surely it would fast flash if globes were missing. I can put in Narva LED load resistors but defeats the purpose and by all accounts generates huge amounts of heat. I will look around for a LED friendly flasher unit, failing that I will remove flasher unit open up and try and cut the circuit to the ic chip that detects voltage drop (found reference on jeep site how to do this) Plenty of spare ones at wreckers to practice on lol.

[Petetheprinta]

Problem solved. Very simple fix in the end, it works but I have no idea why. I couldn't understand why, as has been said, the lndicators were working normally when there were 2 globes missing, surely the fast flash should have warned me globes were not there but it didn't.

I removed the earth wires from LED'S that I had attached to original loom where OEM indicators were and earthed them to a bolt on the chassis, lo and behold the things worked. I assume that the flasher somehow uses original earth wires to let it know if globe is kaput. Remove that from the equation and it worked, (for me at least). No need for new flasher, resistors, or to replace old lights...brilliant. I have no idea if unit now warns me if globe has gone, but I will remove one to try it.