OK, I finally got around to changing out my stock tail light housings on my 2000 Marquis. As you may know, the headlights, driving lights and tail lights are sourced from a Lincoln Navigator of that era, and all but the driving lights were modified in some fashion to fit the coach.
I ended up purchasing a set of LED replacement tail lights made by IPCW. I purchased model # LEDT-501EC, which are the clear version of the lights. They also make another version with smoked lenses. I paid around $212 for the pair, plus tax in California at Auto Anything. Here is the link
http://www.autoanything.com/lights/ipcw-led-tail-lightsThese lights, although they fit a Navigator, are really designed for a 1997-2002 Ford Expedition. The difference is, Lincoln Navigators do not have the back-up lights integrated into the tail light housing as they have separate back- up lights adjacent to the license plate. The Expedition on the other hand, has integrated back up lights. There are no aftermarket LED replacements I could find that were specifically for the Navigator with no back-up light provision. What that means is that there is an empty receptacle on the lights. I decided that I would use this space to put an addition LED bulb into to serve as an extra stop light.
Before I began the actual work, I hooked up a lead to test the new LEDs to compare with the old single bulb incandescent light from the original tail light. All I can say is that there is a (pun intended) night and day difference in light output and visibility between the two.
What I found is that there are four issues to solve when using these lights. First, the connection for the new light fixture was a wedge base, not the bayonet base of the old lights. Second, the attachment points on the new lights were not going to work through the thick fiberglass since they were too short. I would have to replace them. Third, in order to use the bottom (back-up light) receptacle, I had to find a new bulb socket and red bulb. And last but by far least, I had to modify the tail light cutout area on the motorhome to fit the new light fixtures since they had a much different rear profile.
I solved the first problem by going to my local Napa Auto Parts store and sourcing two part number LS6258 light sockets. These have a wedge base bulb holder (designed for a dual function bulb) and had the correct “ears” to fit the hole in the tail light housing where the bulb would normally fit.
For the second problem, I unscrewed the studs from the original tail light housings to use in the new lights. The new housings had a short stud with no threads that I believe are used in conjunction with a metal cap to secure it through the relatively thin sheet metal of the Expedition. After removing and cleaning up the old studs, I threaded them into the plastic holes as far as I could then used JB Weld to further secure them onto the housing. I let them dry overnight before trying to put any strain on them.
The third problem was handled partly at Napa by ordering two parking lamp connectors, part number EC135, and a connector with the wiring pigtail attached. I probably could have found a similar connector with a pigtail already attached but opted for the ease of being able to detach the wiring from the bulb socket. Total price for all the connectors and sockets was around $90. After I shopped online for hours I ended up buying a set of 3156-RHP28-T LED bulbs from Superbrightleds.com. They were decidedly pricey at $24.95 each, but were the brightest ones I could find at a rated 500 lumens. Link to these lights:
https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/tail-brake-turn/3156-led-bulb--single-intensity-28-high-power-led/1645/The third problem was a bit more complex and was a bit of trial and error. Because of the electronics required for the LED operation and the addition of the additional back-up light receptacle, modification of the fiberglass behind the tail light housing was required. I used an air grinder with a metal tip to cut away fiberglass to fit the different contours of the light housing. Fortunately, the fiberglass is quite thick and I didn’t worry about losing structural integrity by cutting away as much as I needed to, to make the lights fit.
After several sessions of grinding and trial fitting, I got the housing to sit in the corners as good as the originals. I noted that each side was a bit different and required different grinding to get them to fit properly. I then used the three original nuts and washers to re-secure the housings.
All that was left was to connect the wires to the original tail light loom, after cutting off the original bulb socket. I chose to use a terminal strip so that I could easily remove one or both of the lights’ wires.
As I mentioned earlier, the difference was profound and in my opinion, was well worth the effort and expense. The LEDs should last a lifetime and will save power while providing unmatched rear lighting, and modernize the look of the coach.
I can provide a full description and additional pictures of the process if you have any further interest in doing this to your coach.
