The extra pair of diodes are needed because the DC current reverses direction through the turn signal and side marker lights when turning the headlights on or off.
TJ LED front turn signals
- Thread starter bcdawson27
- Start date
His drawing is a different way of doing exactly what I do and would not need those two unused diodes to work properly. He is implementing the same exact style of resistor I use.
You haven't done shit. Post pictures of your setup in detail fuck tard.
What the fuck is your problem? The forum would be a much nicer place without you and all your bullshit. Stop seeking out my posts to comment on. You don’t know WTF you are talking about as far as reworking the harness goes for LEDs. It is simple, it has been proven to be done, and a great write up has been provided to the forum by steel city 06. All the doubt being tossed around is ridiculous.
I’m sorry you failed at this project. If you weren’t a moron, you would have figured out how to do this yourself already and wouldn’t need me to prove it’s possible. I am short on TJ videos at the moment but they work the exact same as the YJ I have in videos. I have coached two other YJs and two other TJs and all work flawlessly.
I’m not posting pics of the diodes or the resistors because I don’t take pics while I work. The proof is in the blink, if you can’t understand the difference between this and stock, then I can not help you.
Now….fuck off.
WestCoastDan
TJ Addict
Add 'defending your choice' to the time spent drawing your diagram & soldering the circuit together, and you hardly even have time left in the day to drive the Jeep. 
Tangerined
TJ Enthusiast
Yeah... just using a rectifier on it's own might not work if you also have a LED bulb installed at the front facing signal light. Originally with filament bulbs, the circuit relies on the 2 different resistances of the high and low filament of the that front facing bulb to change the brightness of the side facing bulb, since they're connected in series.
It really depends on the LED you installed in the front facing plug and how that bulb's LED driving circuit is handling the high and low brightness. If it's just using 2 different powered LEDs for high and low then voltage drop across them will be the same and which will then cause your side facing LED to not flash with a bridge rectifier when driving lights are on.
So sure fire way for getting your front signal LEDs to work is to use the diodes and resistor method.
It really depends on the LED you installed in the front facing plug and how that bulb's LED driving circuit is handling the high and low brightness. If it's just using 2 different powered LEDs for high and low then voltage drop across them will be the same and which will then cause your side facing LED to not flash with a bridge rectifier when driving lights are on.
So sure fire way for getting your front signal LEDs to work is to use the diodes and resistor method.
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The side facing bulb actually does not change brightness in stock form. It is a simple on and off bulb and still works that way. It's wires are just turn signal and parking lamp.
When headlights are off and you turn on the blinker, it gets power from the turn signal circuit and grounds through the front parking lamp circuit by traveling through the filament to ground. Therefore it blinks with the front bulb.
When headlights are on, it gets power from the parking lamp wire and grounds through the front turn signal filament to ground.
When headlights are on, and you turn on the blinker, it gets 12V from both sides (already has it on parking side, and gets it on and off on turn signal side), which causes the side bulb to go off as the front bulb blinks on.
Basically the whole problem with LEDs to begin with is that the side markers no longer can reach ground when an LED is in the front socket. Previously the ground electrons could travel through the filaments, but now you have an LED and whatever circuitry its manufacturer used, so it almost never works that way anymore. So rather than doing anything to keep the stock floating ground type of setup working, you're better off running a new dedicated ground, putting a diode on each of the other two and a resistor on the parking lamp to artificially dim the bulb, and then you effectively now run the side marker as if it were a 3 wire bulb like the fronts are.
On the contrary, you can put non-polar LEDs in the side markers and they will work perfectly fine in the stock setup because they are non polar. Problem with that is most LEDs are too bright in stock form to be a running lamp. So I like to find the brightest LED I can get, dim it down as a parking lamp and let the turn signal portion (full brightness) be nice and visible.
And for what it's worth, I can do what I do with your method as well, I just can't hide a rectifier in a loom like I can the wya I do it, so I don't do it with the rectifier. End of the day, what you commented to me previously was correct, using only two of the rectifier's diodes, I would be able to accomplish exactly what I do already, since you included the resistor on yours as well. I just prefer the smaller profile of the way i do it and like to be able to tape it inside the loom to the other bundle of wires for longevity and clean looks.
Tangerined
TJ Enthusiast
I have non polar LEDs in the side facing lights. They will flash when running are off, but they stop flashing when running lights are on because of the reason I mentioned before. This is when I wired in the rectifier and resistors.
Did you have LEDs up front too? I probably should have been more clear, I meant you can run non polar side markers with incandescent front bulbs. As soon as the front bulbs are changed to LED, it doesn't matter what the side markers are, they will need to be rewired with the diodes or rectifier, and the resistors on the parking lamp wires.
Everything’s been working great. Thanks for your help!
So I am reading two separate perspectives on LED lights. One point of view believes that you can run LED lights (beyond headlights) and one believes that you cannot.
You are reading two views, yes, one from someone who HAS installed them and knows how to make it work (actually two people in this thread), and ill-informed conjecture from a bunch who have not.
I run all LEDs with no problems. The biggest issue for me was wrapping my head around how abstract the process was.
TBH, it’s easier than the work i did to run switchable front/rear cameras both to a single Input touch screen that also auto runs the rear camera in reverse.
It’s really quite simple in reality, once you understand what the parts do. I’ll agree, the first time I ever read the diagram I wasn’t really sure WTF I was reading. Quick YouTube vids to understand what diodes and resistors do got me understanding it’s in no time.
From that point it was just a matter of figuring out what connectors I wanted to use for best long term lasting results.
WestCoastDan
TJ Addict
You are reading two views, yes, one from someone who HAS installed them and knows how to make it work (actually two people in this thread), and ill-informed conjecture from a bunch who have not.
I’ll agree with the above only enough to say that there are indeed 2 views… One view is held by those who seem to insist that doing so adds some type of value; largely only ego related, and another view by the rest of society who questions “Why bother?”…
I’ll agree with the above only enough to say that there are indeed 2 views… One view is held by those who seem to insist that doing so adds some type of value; largely only ego related, and another view by the rest of society who questions “Why bother?”…
WestCoastDan
TJ Addict
and once again, the thread is not titled “do you personally think LEDs are worth it?”
Nobody cares if you think they’re worth installing or not. Nobody cares if I like them either. You don’t think they are worth it, I think they are. Neither of our opinions matter. What does matter is the thread was about making them work, and an easy solution that is proven to work well was provided.
Why do I personally want them? It has fuck-all to do with ego. Here are a few reasons:
- They’re brighter
- I like the color better
- I like the instant on/off
- Gives me the ability to run a white/amber option to use the white as a DRL like a modern vehicle if preferred (I don’t use these currently but I have before)
- They’re unique (barely any Jeeps have them like I do, I think that’s neat)
- I like to tinker and modify things
I like the idea of LEDs working more efficiently (producing less heat), being less of a load on my alternator, and because they work better (brighter looking) with my smoked lens.
I find it enjoyable to update my rig in areas that I wish to modify. I definitely don’t mind if others go a different route that works better for them.
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TheGanzman
TJ Enthusiast