Need LED assistance

Silver Fox

Silver Fox

New Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2021
Messages
3
Location
Treasure Island, FL
Before I purchased Hooke Road Front LED Turn Signals w/White DRL Compatible with Jeep Wrangler TJ 97-06, I had previously purchased new LED side marker turn signal lights. These lights were super bright, and worked all the time. After installing the front LED turn signals from Hooke Road, the new side markers are super dull, and only work when the turn signal is on, and the headlights are off. I did not use the resistors included, because I had previously purchased a flasher relay for my new LED taillights, which fixed the hyperflash. Should I have used the resistors with the front ones? The reason I didn't is because I had read that they were for fixing hyperflash, which again, I had already fixed. When I questioned Hooke Road, they sent me a picture of the installation directions, which were already in the box they sent. LOL. The email was accompanied with text, that was clearly from a non-English speaking representative. Can anyone please help. Thank you very much!!!, Al K.
 
The side marker circuit will not work properly with LED lights. The only way to make them work properly is to install a small bridge rectifier to drive each side marker light or to convert them back to incandescent bulbs.

The side marker circuit requires the bulbs to conduct in both directions which changes when the headlights are turned on. LED bulbs only conduct in one direction, incandescent bulbs conduct in both directions. Installing the bridge rectifier will allow that circuit to conduct in both directions.

Personally I'd go back to the OE incandescent bulbs in the side marker circuit.
 
Thank You!!! Is there a certain bridge rectifier that you can recommend for this particular situation? They seem to be relatively inexpensive. Id like to keep the LEDs if possible, because I ordered the CLEAR lenses, which look really cool against my black fenders. i.e., I got rid of all my orange.
 
I am curious now if there is a difference in model year circuitry when it comes to the lighting. I have a 2000 Canadian market TJ and just put LEDs on every single piece of exterior lighting, and did the flasher relay mod instead of getting a new relay and everything works fine. No rectifiers or resistors, just plug and play mostly with no hyperflash and nothing seems dimmed. The front turn signals or some cheapo amazon switch back LEDs, the sides are I believe LEDs that came with my EAG fender flares that I put some smoked tint paint over, and the tailights are Rugged Ridge.
 
I really doubt your side markers are working properly both with and without the headlights being on. You probably just haven't noticed they don't work the same depending on your headlights being on or off.
 
Jerry Bransford said:
I really doubt your side markers are working properly both with and without the headlights being on. You probably just haven't noticed they don't work the same depending on your headlights being on or off.
Click to expand...
Jerry, you absolutely can put a non polarity sensitive LED in the side markers. You can not put them in the fronts without causing issues. A non polar LED side marker bulb will work exactly like the incandescents do because it is ok with power and ground being hooked to either side.

The diode/resistor pack is an extremely easy and quick thing to splice into the side marker wiring to fix all issues caused by the front bulbs being changed to LED. It is easier to conceal in a loom and makes the two wire bulb work just like a 3 wire where it's dim for parking lamps and full brightness for signaling.
 
Silver Fox said:
Before I purchased Hooke Road Front LED Turn Signals w/White DRL Compatible with Jeep Wrangler TJ 97-06, I had previously purchased new LED side marker turn signal lights. These lights were super bright, and worked all the time. After installing the front LED turn signals from Hooke Road, the new side markers are super dull, and only work when the turn signal is on, and the headlights are off. I did not use the resistors included, because I had previously purchased a flasher relay for my new LED taillights, which fixed the hyperflash. Should I have used the resistors with the front ones? The reason I didn't is because I had read that they were for fixing hyperflash, which again, I had already fixed. When I questioned Hooke Road, they sent me a picture of the installation directions, which were already in the box they sent. LOL. The email was accompanied with text, that was clearly from a non-English speaking representative. Can anyone please help. Thank you very much!!!, Al K.
Click to expand...
Your problem is the LEDs being in the front. The side markers rely on the front LEDs for grounding and putting LEDs up front ruins the side markers ability to get the ground it needs. Look up steel city 06's diode/resistor mod, or go back to stock. The diode/resistor mod is really easy and solves the issue fully. Buy a cheap resistor kit so you can play around with different resistance values and see what brightness you like the bulb to be at night so that it's still able to be seen, but a good brightness change when the bulb goes to full brightness for turn signaling.
 
machoheadgames said:
Jerry, you absolutely can put a non polarity sensitive LED in the side markers.
Click to expand...
I was not speaking theoretically, I was responding to XCRN. I too understand LEDs and that there are some LED configurations (dual) that are non-polarity sensitive. However, they are not in common in side marker light sets.
 
Jerry Bransford said:
I really doubt your side markers are working properly both with and without the headlights being on. You probably just haven't noticed they don't work the same depending on your headlights being on or off.
Click to expand...

Ill pay more attention with headlights on and off with the fender flare markers, but I can say for sure no issues on the front facing signals. Could also be these are not LEDs? As heavy as I went with the smok tint im suprised they are as visible as they are in daylight. They are more noticeable in person and I think will be plenty visible to other drivers.

1C2C7708-9210-4023-9559-F0151B81C509.jpeg


5C8CA861-6EFA-424A-9731-E8D810419D53.jpeg
 
Jerry Bransford said:
I was not speaking theoretically, I was responding to XCRN.
Click to expand...
I meant to quote your first post in this thread, post #2. I don't recommend changing the side markers to be super bright because it's obnoxious in the always-on parking lamp mode at full brightness, but you absolutely can do it so long as the bulb is not sensitive to polarity, which many modern day options are not. That's all I was getting at.
 
I have what appears to be the same type of side marker lights with the two wires and they do work differently when the headlight are on/off. I never bothered to install a bridge rectifier since it's no big deal to me.

TighteningScrew.jpg
 
Top Bottom
Back