LED Taillights ?

Getting ready to convert my taillights to LED on my 2004 TJ.

Was wondering from anybody who has done it what you found to be the best lights. I am assuming that more LED's = brighter and better. Looking to get either some4"'s with 56 or 60 led's. I have been to some sights with tips on installing but would like to hear from any body here who has done it on 2004's or newer.

I heard that on these years you may have to move the vapor canister on the passenger side that is tucked in the tub somewhere

Thanks,

Reply to
Intergate
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I have not done it on a TJ, can't help there.

The problems I see with the LED conversion are:

1) backup lights - you have to mount something on the bumper or elsewhere 2) side markers - maybe another hole for flush mount on the side? 3) license plate light - got me
Reply to
JimG

Tim, By tail lights (I'm asuming the back only) do you mean the Red - running, turning, stopping lights? Or the back-ups too? Or what other lights (do you have to change the running lights with this hook-up)?

Could you post the links that you have viewed for these products? Thanks, Steve

Reply to
popeyeball

PS: Do you intend to use a seperate relay in the back?

Reply to
popeyeball

Sorry,

Yeah I mean the flush mount LED Lights where you have to drill a hole in the tub and put in a rubber grommet.

I just ordered these from Mesa 4x4:

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?part_num=DE-030302 The only thing I need now is some 2" side marker lights and a flasher.

Reply to
Intergate

The evap canister and other stuff is behind the rear passenger wheel well. Most LEDs will be shallow enough that it won't interfere. I recessed my stock lights cause I hadn't seen it done before (and I didn't want to shell out for new lights) and had to... adjust a few things. It's kind of a pain. I recommend against it. (the adjusting that is)

n
Reply to
Nathan Otis

check my install out, was pretty painless. the only thing that I don't show in the pics is the rear backup light. I just mounted a small hella lamp to the bottom of the license plate. Other then that there bright and I get allot of comments on them. The only thing I need to figure out, since the current load is so much less, how to slow down the blinkers, I am guess I need to change the flasher unit??

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-Joe

Reply to
Joe

Joe,

Thanks for the pix. Where did you get the LED's with the chrome Ring. I am going to use the ones with the rubber grommets, But I like those, they are the same ones that are on the trailers I pull. I am a Truck Driver.

What size where those lights, The Diameter I mean and what size was the hole saw you used. Did it go through the metal pretty good?

Also what year is your TJ. I was wondering if you ran into the vapor canister behind the passenger side light and if you had to move it?

There are a couple ways to get around the flasher problem as explained here:

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I think I am going to try the EP-27 Flasher route first.

Reply to
Intergate

For your flasher here is a link that will help:

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Here is what I did for the running lights, reverse lights and license plate:
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I have no idea about the vacuum cannister on the '04.

More LED's does not nescarily mean brighter. There are some 9 LED lights that are just as bright as the 56. Check eBay for the lights, I heard there was a guy on there that sells some good lights. It should be evident who he is, he sells a bunch of them.

--James

Reply to
RocknCJ

Damn, That only goes up to 2000, Mine is a 2004 and I guess they changed in 2001. I need to know the fix for 2001's up............. anybody?

I have seen the link about cutting open the original and modifying that but am wondering if there is a direct replacement flasher unit for the 2001 and up models

Good Link though.

Reply to
Intergate

I was going to suggest this guy too, but I can not find a link to his name... He's on there though and his stuff is cheaper than most... I rode a trail behind someone with his LED tail lights installed and MAN were they bright! I'll keep looking for his name.

n.

Reply to
Nathan Otis

I ordered my lights from Mesa 4x4 2-weeks ago, then had a family emergency and left for Aberdeen, for a week, i had ordered the light-boltz also but my bank was off line, i emailed Mesa 4X4 but wasnt home for his response, when we finaly connected over the phone, He informed me he had already sent the boltz, and i got him my card numbers over the phone, this was 5 days later, NOW thats AWSOME customer service, home now and installing the lights tommorrow, there nice looking and well built, also ordered the side marker lights from them, didnt think of that till this thread, DU,,, i am in no way afiliated with them, i just think his customer service was tops,

johnp

Reply to
Dirty Ditch Dawg

The other thing you can do is, solder in the resistors like I did in my write up.

--James

Reply to
RocknCJ

I agree, this was my first order and Jay was the best!

Reply to
Intergate

I don't think you have to move anything, but you might have to take the vapor canister out while cutting the hole for the tail lights. You will find this out when you reach inside the fender to unscrew the mounting bolts for the existing tail lights.

All you need to do is find the resistance of the standard light bulb, and put a resistor in the brake/turn light wire when you connect the LED to the existing wire harness. The stock light bulbs have X resistance - whatever X might be - but the LED has virtually no resistance, so the flasher circuit won't behave properly. All you need do is determine the value of X, and install a resistor that is that value, ± a few ohms. I think a standard bulb will have 390 ohms, so you can use a 470 ohm resistor. This is a very common size of resistor, and you can get them in quarter- or half-watt versions that can take the heat of holding the brake lights on for extended periods of time. I am not sure how heavy the resistor needs to be, but my inclination is that a quarter-watt should do the trick just fine.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT I flush-mounted my stock tail lights on my CJ, they look pretty good, and they are protected from brush and branches much better than the way the factory lights are normally mounted. Using this approach required me to make larger holes, but I retained the stock behavior of the circuits, and I didn't have to buy new lights.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

Hey dawg,

What size hole saw did you use if you used one?

Reply to
Intergate

im using a jigsaw, its on tommorows agenda, i ordered the side-marker lights and im waiting for them, i have a 2 3/8 holesaw for those, , trying to get the bugs outa my 1inch body lift i did today first, i wasnt gonna pay 18 bucks for a 4.25 holesaw, and another 16, for the bitt, jigsaw blades and a small drill-stone was onlt 12bucks, , i copied some-ones idea i saw on a web-page, (cant remember who or id give him credit,,sorry,) and have a tractor/bus light mounted on my spare-tire so im wiring that up on the backup wires, johnp

Reply to
Dirty Ditch Dawg

Hi Jeff,

I differ with your resistance assumption of brake and tail lamps. In the standard 1157 bulb used in CJ's, the brake filament is about 6 ohms and the tail is 22 ohms. A resistor would have to be rated at 27 watts for exact brake/turn lamp simulation. That's a huge resistor that will get very hot. That said, I don't know what resistance it would take to achieve a satisfactory blink rate, it could very well be higher than 6 ohms, thus reducing the wattage requirement.

I think modifying the blinker relay is the safer more efficient way to go IMO.

Reply to
JimG

Whatever.

The brake and turn are the same, the tail is the other. I was winging it, and tried not to give a spec for the resistance. The thing to do is to measure a bulb, find the resistance and buy an appropriate resistor.

I suppose you are right on the wattage though. Lamps are easily way to hot to touch, so the wattage is gonna be way up there.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

got mine in today, Gawd that back corners THIN,, (maybe some corner guards later on, it never ends does it,,grin) you could cut it witha pair of sizzors, but the jigsaw worked fine, and MAN there bright, got my light-boltz wired up, side lights and backup tommorrow, oh ya blinkers didnt work, just like the instructions said, as ive got the YJ i need to get a high rate flasher, tommorrow, johnp

DAM Dirty Ditch Dawg, is startin to look like a real jeep,

Reply to
Dirty Ditch Dawg

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