LED at rear lights

Topic: LED at rear lights (Read 998 times) previous topic - next topic

LED at rear lights

December 09, 2019, 05:46:07 pm

I'm having a little painting work done on the coach and while looking at the rear light bulbs, I wonder if I can switch them out for
LED??
How do I determine what bulb to buy?
Has anyone done it to a 2001??

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #1 – December 09, 2019, 06:18:33 pm

Use this number and buy wherever you want to.

Amazon.com: Yorkim Super Bright 3157 LED Bulb White, 3157 LED Brake Lights,...

As an Amazon Associate Foretravel Owners' Forum earns from qualifying purchases.

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #2 – December 09, 2019, 07:20:36 pm

Try Yitamotor.com for LED.
I bought 1156 and 1157 LEDs and am quite satisfied with price, quality, and delivery.
Your bases are different than mine so I would think you might need 3156 (single "element") and 3157 (double "element")
The 3xxx is indicative of the type base you have and the last two digits are indicative of the number of features handled by that LED.
For example: 3157 would be for a combo LED that would handle running light and brake light (Super Bright and "Not so bright--for running light)

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #3 – December 09, 2019, 08:04:46 pm

Do you guys not have the "hyperflash" problem when switching out your stock bulbs for LEDs? I don't have a Foretravel myself, so I'm uncertain as to the flasher logic, I just know that when I switched out all my truck exterior bulbs (headlights, markers, backups, and turn signal/brake lamps) I needed to either A: install resistors on each flashing POS line or B: install a grounded load-adjusting flasher (which I did). This is the one I installed, though of course the necessary one would be dependent on application - not sure what kinda flashers y'all have:
Amazon.com: CEC Industries EF32RL Flasher: Automotive

As an Amazon Associate Foretravel Owners' Forum earns from qualifying purchases.

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #4 – December 09, 2019, 09:14:41 pm

eBay sells the adjustable flasher unit .
I used one on my cycle whe n led bulbs were swapped in .
I added the led taillights on the bus and left the OE lamps intact.

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #5 – December 09, 2019, 11:23:30 pm

Resisters are not always a good idea, if they are anywhere that they area against a combustible material, they can get very hot when the hazard warning lights are used for long periods of time, as many have said "resistance equals heat"
Replacing flasher is the way to go.

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #6 – December 10, 2019, 08:03:28 am

Now you guys got me wondering.
If I use one LED for , say the right turn on the rear, I also have a 11 LED light bar on the rear also flashing, one right turn incandescent bulb in the Ford headlight assembly and one incandescent bulb under the right mirror arm, not to mention the indicator light on the dash.
Enough resistance? Not enough resistance?
Then, when I add on my towed light bar I add another (2) 11 LED light bars or an additional 22 LEDs.
Still not enough resistance to prevent hyperflash?

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #7 – December 10, 2019, 09:05:19 am

Does it work ?
Should be fine imho

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #8 – December 10, 2019, 09:24:23 am

Won't know until we get the coach out of storage in April.

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #9 – December 10, 2019, 09:27:16 am

Replacing flasher is the way to go.
[/quote]

Replacing to a....what???
Of the three bulbs shown, in my situation, which are 3156 and which are 3157 ??
Thanks

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #10 – December 10, 2019, 10:44:56 am

Quote from: GleamB – December 10, 2019, 09:27:16 am

Replacing flasher is the way to go.

Replacing to a....what???
Of the three bulbs shown, in my situation, which are 3056 and which are 3057 ??
Thanks

The middle one is a 3157 and the other 2 are 3156. Electronic flasher at any parts store if needed. So far my original flasher is working with rear and front led's, will see what happens when I add led marker lights on the mirrors and the side marker.

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #11 – December 10, 2019, 10:54:47 am

I changed mirror and running lights to LED two years ago. No problems. Never heard of words like "hyperflash" or resistors. Just changed the bulbs. Thanks for the help. So... just a new flasher? Nothing special for LED?

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #12 – December 10, 2019, 11:07:12 am

Electronic flasher is special flasher, originals were mechanical.

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #13 – December 10, 2019, 11:17:01 am

I think that between the wire runs and the multiple lights , The OE stock bus flasher will flash just fine. Mine do .

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #14 – December 10, 2019, 11:34:38 am

This article explains why you need resistors when changing to LED bulbs on your turn signals.

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #15 – December 10, 2019, 11:56:54 am

Quote from: Bob and Julie – December 10, 2019, 11:34:38 am

This article explains why you need resistors when changing to LED bulbs on your turn signals.

He mentions just using a led compatible flasher in the article claiming it is just as much work as adding a resistor. Not in our case for sure.

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #16 – December 10, 2019, 12:03:04 pm

Quote from: craneman – December 10, 2019, 10:44:56 am

The middle one is a 3157 and the other 2 are 3156. Electronic flasher at any parts store if needed. So far my original flasher is working with rear and front led's, will see what happens when I add led marker lights on the mirrors and the side marker.

I think if it works already, it's going to continue to work, since as you add fixtures you're also adding resistance - if anything, the more LEDs you add, the closer to the original resistance of the incandescent bulbs you'll get.
Mine worked as long as I had one incandescent bulb on each circuit, but as soon as I went all-LED I had to switch out the flasher... I tried adding more LEDs to make up for it, but I have a small truck, I could only reasonably put so many on the thing :-P

I've never entirely figured out a pattern of which flashers work with all-LEDs and which ones don't... my '76 Malibu flasher worked just fine when I swapped to LEDs, as did my '06 Ram... but this '91 Ranger required switching out the flasher. I guess it's just a matter of the resistance that each flasher is designed to be able to work with, but try as I might I haven't been able to nail down a particular spec that I can look up that will tell me if the stock flasher is going to work or not... it's pretty much just a matter of going for it and seeing what happens!

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #17 – December 10, 2019, 10:53:23 pm

If I needed an LED compatible flasher
What part number is it?
Where would I get it?
How can I find the original one when I open up the back of the dash?

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #18 – December 10, 2019, 11:03:09 pm

Even with all the LED lights and regular lights on the coach and the towed, how much you want to bet I will get rear ended by some rectum?

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #19 – December 10, 2019, 11:11:48 pm

You can see the (2) two filament wires inside the glass. This indicates it is a bulb with two (2) function capability and is a xx57
One (1) filament wire inside the glass indicates single or one (1) function capability and is a xx56.
Please note that the xx prefix on the 56 and 57 are merely meant to indicate that you might have 1057, 1057, 3156 or 3157.
The last two (2) digits indicate also whether you have a single or double contact socket that the bulbs go in.
A xx56 bulb will not work in a xx57 socket. Same goes with the xx57s. The contact wires or points for the electricity to light the filament(s) are designed so contact is not made if you put the wrong bulb in the wrong socket.

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #20 – December 11, 2019, 12:26:04 am

Rectum, I darn near killed em.

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #21 – December 11, 2019, 08:48:22 am

Ebay . short search turns up the flasher.

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #22 – December 11, 2019, 12:08:35 pm

Again, is the original flasher easy to identify behind the dash?

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #23 – December 11, 2019, 12:25:06 pm

Lift the dash, turn on turn sig, listen for the click, turn on 4 ways, listen for the clicks. You should have 2 very similar flashers near each other .

Re: LED at rear lights

Reply #24 – December 11, 2019, 12:28:24 pm

Being a newer coach than Mike's yours is probably behind the panel in front of the passenger seat. Mine are.

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