LED running light

FMC · Veteran Member

LED running light

Mike Harding · Guru

Despite your assertion that "earths are good" it does sound like a voltage drop to the LEDs issue - a voltage drop to a filament lamp will simply result in reduced brightness which may, or may not, be obvious but LEDs have a sharp "knee" and if the voltage drops below that they stop working altogether - which is obvious.

I assume both the LED and the indicator have independent wires carrying the current in the positive pole but both share a common ground return via the vehicle chassis? I'd be checking those ground connections again.

Put a meter (ideally an analogue one) *directly* across the pins of the LED and check for voltage variation when the indicator is operating.

FMC · Veteran Member

Thanks for that, will try that and see what the result is, much appreciated.

Cheers

dragonfly1 · Senior Member

I take it you have fitted the led light to your caravan if so and you have a late model tow vechile you may have to fit a special tow harness with resistors in

Dragonfly1

FMC · Veteran Member

The van is a Golf Challenger 23' 1998 and the tow vehicle is a 2001 Toyota Landcruiser

Originally thought that I would replace globes with LED as they individually failed without replacing the lot in one hit.

Cheers and thank you

PeterD · Guru

Darian, If you are referring to the front lamps on your van then these are specified in ADR 49-00. They are designed to emit a specified light beam. To meet the design they have to be fitted with a globe to the dimensions specified in ADR 51. LED globes have a vastly different size to the original incandescent globes. Unless the fitting has an ADR compliant globe in it your van is considered unroadworthy.

If you want to fit LED lights to your van you need to change the whole fitting with an ADR approved one.

FMC · Veteran Member

Thanks for that information, will consider changing all of them at a later date.

Cheers

Darian

oldbloke · Guru

dragonfly1 wrote:
I take it you have fitted the led light to your caravan if so and you have a late model tow vechile you may have to fit a special tow harness with resistors in
Dragonfly1

Most likely this is the problem. You can easily make the harness with the resisters if you are handy with a soldering iron. It's been discussed on this forum. Just use the search box.

Also it is most likely that if you fit leds it will be roadworthy. The lights are designed for the purpose.

PeterD · Guru

oldbloke wrote:
dragonfly1 wrote:
I take it you have fitted the led light to your caravan if so and you have a late model tow vechile you may have to fit a special tow harness with resistors in
Dragonfly1
Most likely this is the problem. You can easily make the harness with the resisters if you are handy with a soldering iron. It's been discussed on this forum. Just use the search box.

The OP was fitting LED globes into the front lights on his van. On the same circuit there is two tail lights and at least four side lights. All would be the original incandescent globes. That would have put sufficient load on the circuit to satisfy any monitoring circuitry in the tug. His problemwould have been a dud LED globe or bad connections in the front light fitting.