Brighter tail lights recs? August 04, 2019, 12:51:30 pm I replaced all the bulbs this year. Brake lights seem fine but turn signals seem dim and I'm not sure other drivers always see them. Should I buy higher wattage bulbs? Replace the fixtures with LED? Suggestions welcome...Pete
Re: Brighter tail lights recs? Reply #1 – August 04, 2019, 02:01:03 pm I have Peterson Piranha LEDs on my 2003; the first replacement set of Maxximas was not bright enough. You might want to start your search for the best fit with the website linked below.http://www.pmlights.com/leds.cfmWhen you do replace the taillights, do be aware that Lazy Daze does not provide a wiring "service loop"; they use the shortest wire length they can, and wires will vanish if not gripped with a hemostat or something similar. IMO, LED taillights are essential; the increased visibility for drivers behind you is significant! Newer rigs have these installed during production, but older rigs have to use aftermarket lights. 1 Likes
Re: Brighter tail lights recs? Reply #2 – August 04, 2019, 02:48:23 pm Hi Peter; Front or back turn signal lights? As Joan said, LED lights are way better for your lighting needs.For my Ford '99 TKB, I bought front direct replacements 3156/3157 CK LED Bulb - Dual Function 27 SMD LED Tower - Wedge Base | Super... They come in two physical sizes; an 18 LED SMD (thats the number of chips in the individual light) This bulb is closer to the size of the original bulb. I got the 27 'chip' bulb because it was brighter, and it's physically larger size still fit in my '99 Ford light housing. You will need the electronic flasher if you don't already have that. Don't waste your time or money with the 'bandaid' load resistors. Easier to change the source of the 'fast flash' problem, than more complexity and power wasting resistors. You'll need a 4mm. Torx screwdriver, to change the bulbs, but it can be done in 15 minutes.Actual LED headlights are still not quite there yet as a retrofit for my rig, but getting very close. I have more recommendations for tail light LED replacements, but the installation is more difficult. RonB
Re: Brighter tail lights recs? Reply #3 – August 04, 2019, 04:35:25 pm Until the taillight configurations changed in later model years, the light "cans" were integral to the lower rear panel and were painted the same color; in my case, it was the medium green. None of the body colors, particularly the darker paint colors, was light reflecting, so rather than just replacing the incandescent bulb with an LED, most owners replaced the whole light assembly. This is certainly more expensive that just replacing the bulb, but it does offer brighter tail and back-up lights. Some of us have a supplemental LED "light bar" mounted on the spare tire cover; this provides an additional warning to following drivers. As always, YMMV.
Re: Brighter tail lights recs? Reply #4 – August 05, 2019, 03:22:40 am In 2000 I repainted the tail light cans inside with white reflective paint. The voltage drop was so bad that the bulbs were pretty dim anyway. I went Full LED which helped a lot back in 2005 or so, when the Maxima bulbs became available. Since then I upgraded to a newer type LED light fixture, fewer LED's but brighter. Less expensive too, but I don't remember what type they were. I also added the high mounted center brake light on the rear tire cover. Not yet in my 'older' avatar picture. RonB
Re: Brighter tail lights recs? Reply #5 – May 18, 2021, 05:25:49 am Following this older thread. We replaced the tail lights with LED assemblies. Found all the above to be true with very little wiring to work with. Confused at the moment because the outside taillight on each side only works as a turn signal if the Head lights are off. Same issue upon braking. Husband switched the wires to see if that was the problem. No difference. In the case of our LD painted light cans —we had to replace with a new assembly due to rust. Ideas appreciated.
Re: Brighter tail lights recs? Reply #6 – May 18, 2021, 05:11:18 pm Hi Spartan11: I posted a list of parts in this thread Installation of LED tail lights, but I got the part number wrong for the flasher, which should be Amazon.com: Grote 44892 3 Pin Flasher (North American (JSO) Pinout): Automotive In your 2003 all 4 tail lights should do exactly the same thing. White wire is the common electrical ground for all 4. Red wire is the half bright Running light) connected to a beige color wire, common for all the marker lights also. Black wire is for full bright brake lights. I think you went too far back for the tail light change to modernize your lights. I removed all of my cans both on my rig, and another rig. They aren't needed. I used these stainless rings that go with the tail lights; lights: Round LED Truck Trailer Lights - 4" LED Brake/Turn/Tail Lights - 3-Pin... and rings: ST Series Stainless Steel Flange Mounts | Super Bright LEDs I had to cut holes in the back of the fiberglass indentions in the endcap to make room for the connectors. The lights themselves are too thin, so I cut pieces of closed cell polyethylene foam to push the lights out toward the rings. Use stainless screws. (the marking 'Top' will be upside down on the bottom). RonB 2 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Brighter tail lights recs? Reply #7 – May 19, 2021, 10:04:37 pm Thank you Ron. Trying to follow up on this.
Re: Brighter tail lights recs? Reply #8 – May 20, 2021, 12:43:31 pm Hi Spartan 11; Names are good. Pictures can help me, and others, troubleshoot issues. To me it sounds like you have the ground is connected to the wrong places. I would have to look at my wiring again. Your MidBath has access to all of the wiring, just on the driver side, from inside the rear storage compartment. There are screws around the periphery. The Fiberglas batting can be removed temporarily, I put it in a Ziploc bag to keep it from shedding on my hands. I retrofitted a friends 2001 MB, and tore out the cover on the passenger side. I replaced it with a 1/8" piece of plywood painted white, and screws like on the driver side. RonB
Re: Brighter tail lights recs? Reply #9 – May 20, 2021, 03:59:17 pm Wow, your wiring looks just like mine did. I tried to get all my grounds good and clean all the contacts on the bulbs but they were just not very visible in the turn signal department. After rewiring I finally bought some round led trucker lights including the backups. The unintended consequence was that my rather primitive 1990 computer would see them as missing and give me an error light on the antilock rear brakes. It also cancelled the cruise control every time I used the turn signals. All those problems were solved by adding resistors to each light which are also on Amazon. Starting over, I probably would have looked for some higher end led tails that already had the resistors built in!
Re: Brighter tail lights recs? Reply #10 – May 20, 2021, 05:09:55 pm Hi Jagerbeast; Wow, the 1990 looks a lot different than I expected. Do you have a molded fiberglass end cap? That hole in the back around your tail lights looks larger than a 4" diameter hole. No 'high end' or any other 'end' LED lights have any resistors other than current limiting for four diodes in series. The current issue that canceled your cruise control when the turn signal was used, was because the cruise control thought you had used the brakes. Even new cars still do that. I'd have to have that situation before I could come up with a work around that didn't involve load resistors to simulate a light bulb. I guess Ford fixed that problem by 1999. That picture of the wiring included all of the trailer socket wires, license plate lights and a few more I added. In 2017 I bought a 2001 MB for a friend. It had trailer socket wiring added by a 'professional' who couldn't even put on a wire nut properly. As a consequence, the marker light flickered along with the brake lights. He had also screwed up the harness by tapping into the LD provided socket wiring, not water proofing it, and it had corroded. I had to excise the rotted part, re-do it and redress the insides. It ended up looking better, and could operate lights on the towed vehicle, charge the towed's battery, and provide a decoded 'brake' signal for the auxiliary braking system, including a feed back LED on the LD dash to mimic the brakes on the towed for the driver to confirm proper operation. An added 7 pin socket. RonB
Re: Brighter tail lights recs? Reply #11 – May 20, 2021, 05:15:48 pm I also replaced the license plate lights with: 1-1/2” Round LED License Plate Light - Chrome Housing - Pigtail Connection |... a near perfect fit, brighter, whiter and no hose clamp around the old style socket that was meant for a metal (steel) hole. RonB
Re: Brighter tail lights recs? Reply #12 – May 20, 2021, 09:44:41 pm Wow! Your setup looks fantastic. My 1990 was before the fiberglass tail light buckets. It was a rat's nest of spliced wiring, wire nuts and mystery circuits in rotted wood. I did something similar to what you did by starting over at the original wiring harness and building a terminal box load center for all new tail light and tow circuits. I found it way less aggravating to take my time during the down season and just get everything new and clean. So far so good.
Re: Brighter tail lights recs? Reply #13 – May 21, 2021, 10:10:00 pm Ron, this is getting all too interesting. I think you have hit on what we need to investigate. Our driver's side compartment is no longer a compartment, so that panel should be visible from inside the RV. The LED's (we have only removed 1 can on each side and replaced with the smaller new version that has a fake stainless steel surround which i hate ) shine very brightly when I don't have the headlights on. Investigating the grounds seems to be the next order of business. It seems we don't get settled down to our home work until evening hits. Tomorrow will be the next trial and error. I will take pictures tomorrow as well. I have a big trip coming up in 2 weeks. Right now I can drive easily during the day with this problem, but I always drive with my lights on even in the day so I am determined to have this solved quickly. Thanks you ....
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