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Ok can anyone educate me regarding LED bulbs for indicators, I was looking at changing my front park / indicator lights on my FJ and thought why not upgrade them to LED bulbs.

I already have the new/old indicators with glass sunburst lenses (nos), they have bayonet fittings for dual fillament 12v globes. Is there a straight change over LED bulb that will fit straight in??

The tail lights I have are festoon type bulbs that I was going to leave as is, will this work with LED's in the front??

Would I need a different flasher can??

I know that you can buy complete LED indicator units that could be used but I prefer to retain the "Old school" look of the car, any info like brand names, suppliers etc appreciated.

Mick

6V or 12V in the FJ?

Yes Mick,

You will be able to get what you need on eBay.

You will need to switch to a low resistance LED flasher can.

Should be able to do the lot for under $50.

MeFB wrote:6V or 12V in the FJ?

12V

(AUST)Mod wrote:Yes Mick,

You will be able to get what you need on eBay.

You will need to switch to a low resistance LED flasher can.

Should be able to do the lot for under $50.

So I can run LED front and leave the back as is?

Will the LED flasher can work with both ? (Normal filament bulbs in the back with LED front)

Mick

choppedfan wrote:

MeFB wrote:6V or 12V in the FJ?

12V

(AUST)Mod wrote:Yes Mick,

You will be able to get what you need on eBay.

You will need to switch to a low resistance LED flasher can.

Should be able to do the lot for under $50.

So I can run LED front and leave the back as is?

Will the LED flasher can work with both ? (Normal filament bulbs in the back with LED front)

Mick

If you keep the standard can, and just change the fronts to LED, then the indicators will flash too fast like you have a blown globe.

If you convert to an electronic flasher unit, then that will happily drive your new LED front globes and standard rear indicator globes at the same time without a problem (and also trailers that have either sort of globe). Make sure you get the correct pin arrangement on the new flasher.

The function of your parking lights should remain unchanged.

Too easy

Thanks guys

Mick

i bought several off Evilbay from China and found that my either the dual circuits are connected or dont work on one of the 2 circuits. ite i put them in one way and parkers work but indicators dont, and if i put them in the other way the idicators work but parkers dont. the other set i bought had both circuits bridged internally so my halo rings in headlights blinked (both left and right) while the indicators were going (ie circuit in buld bridged the indicator charge into the parkers circuit....Oh the quality of Chinese manufacturing!!!

Also, i have tried using LED's in the brake ligths, the bulbs are brighter than standard fillament type but because the lens in red, it cuts out a lot of the bluish light that LEDs produce so while they may be brighter without the red lens, theyre dimmer with the lens. this is due to the fact that while LED's may be brighter, the filament bulbs produce way more warm light compared to the LED's that the red lens does not filter out.

if only it was as simple as plugging in a new filament bulb!

what a pain!

There must be globes available with a resistor in them that you can plug straight in without other changes? Let me do some interweb digging.

Apparently adding a 50W 6Ohm resistor to the wire leading to each indicator fitted with an LED globe will fool the standard flasher-can into thinking that it has a normal globe installed.

Never tried it, but it does have the ring of truth to it.

MeFB wrote:Apparently adding a 50W 6Ohm resistor to the wire leading to each indicator fitted with an LED globe will fool the standard flasher-can into thinking that it has a normal globe installed.

Never tried it, but it does have the ring of truth to it.

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Be very careful using resistors in line as they do build up a lot of heat .............Fingers

Very good point! The ones everyone is talking about are built into little aluminium heat sinks like these:



You'd still want to be careful where you mounted them though. It wasn't that long ago they were using them as kettle elements.

MeFB wrote:Very good point! The ones everyone is talking about are built into little aluminium heat sinks like these:



You'd still want to be careful where you mounted them though. It wasn't that long ago they were using them as kettle elements.

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Use the resister flasher can option ...far safer ............Fingers

One more thing to note.

At a bit more cost, Hella, Narva & LED brands are far more superior globes and lights than the Chinese copied crap.

That's great re the big wigs supplying LED replacements but where to buy?
Local Repco/superCrap etc do not stock them.

Can't be bothered with extra resistors etc. replaced flasher but that's as far as I'll go, need to be plug in and go replacements or I stick with filament bulb.

artyfartymarty wrote:need to be plug in and go replacements or I stick with filament bulb.

That's what I would do