LED turn signals and clearance lights.

[Ken Sair]

Again, I had Jim Nichols install LED turn signals/clearance lights near the front of my 2007 Contessa. All works well with the headlamps on. With the headlamps off, the turn signals don't work. The wiring is correct. We are baffled.

Any suggestions are very welcome.

Ken Sair 2007 Contessa

[Dennis Mecklenburg]

I had a similar problem when I installed led tail lights on my Jeep wrangler. The turn signal flasher had to be upgraded to a Heavy duty type flasher. The original flasher depends on resistance to heat up the elements of the flasher and cause it to flash.  The led lights do not create this level of resistance, and therefore will not flash thru the original flasher.  Get a heavy duty flasher at NAPA or a truck shop, plug it in and your problem is solved. Good luck

[Edward Buker]

I believe there are electronic flashers made for led tail lights that do not require heating of bimetallic contacts to work. Not sure it is always distinguished by heavy duty or not. Dennis sending you to Napa is a good bet. With the headlights on you may be dropping voltage a little in the harness and that somehow is affecting the operation. In the end you are not pulling enough current reliably to get the flasher to work is a pretty good bet as Dennis indicated.

Later Ed

[Ken Sair]

The solution was actually quite simple after some brilliant sluething from Jim Nichols and Joe Van Loan at the Quartzite rally. Turns out the colors of the wires were reversed at manufacture and color did not match color.

Thanks Jim and Joe.

Ken Sair 2007 Contessa