SteveF Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 I`ve recently fitted some LED indicator and stop/tail light bulbs in an effort to improve the rear lighting (as well as cleaning lenses, reflectors etc). The issue I now have is the indicators run at the normal speed for the first couple of flashes then go to double speed, almost like a bulb has blown, however they are all working! Do I need to uprate the flasher unit as well? Everything was working fine until the new bulbs were fitted and the new LED stop/tail bulbs are ok as well!! Advice gratefully recieved. Steve. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pat Kinsella Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Steve. The LED lamps will not give sufficient electrical loading for these old bi-metalic flasher units, there needs to be a reasonable electrical load (20+ watts) to make the bi-metalic heater strip within the old mechanical flasher unit heat up "open the contacts" - cool down "make the contacts" and carry on this process until you cancel the signal. you would be best to order an electronic type (2-pin) - which will work better with these LED lamps. something like this .. http://www.cbsonline.co.uk/product/2_Pin_LED_Flasher_Relay_LEDRLY2P hope this helps Pat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tim D. Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Not meaning to hijack the thread, but can you get LED bulbs for dash gauge lamps? Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SteveF Posted June 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Tim, it`s been discussed on here several times but the concensus seems to be that they don`t give a good enough "spread" of light around the instruments. A search should tell you more. Steve. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tim D. Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Cheers, will look Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grabea Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 After success with leds in my Merc instrument panel I bought these http://www.rapidonline.com/Electronic-Components/Ossc-pw86a1b-12v-White-LED-Bulb-100-41-0840 for my 6 but haven't got round to fitting them yet so can't comment but in the Merc the improvement was 100%. If you go for leds don't change your charge light or the alternator won't work. Regards Graham Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tim D. Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 did you go for the 30 or 100 degree visible angle? Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike G Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 (edited) . Edited June 22, 2012 by Mike G Quote Link to post Share on other sites
silvertop_john Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 Hi Check out this site http://www.allpartsa...le.asp?ID=20061 Mike G An interesting site, Mike. I guess the important paragraph is: "As with Xenon HID conversion kits, it is also not possible to obtain approval on LED replacement bulbs either. The use of LED replacement bulbs in exterior lighting functions is therefore not permitted. LED replacement bulbs are not ECE approved for exterior use and will fail the MOT test as a result. LED bulbs are however permissible for interior applications on a vehicle." I wasn't aware of that - thanks for the pointer. John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grabea Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 Tim, I went for the 100 degree angle as I figured this would give a better spread of light for this application, still another 3 weeks before I'm home and get to play again! Graham Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grabea Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 (edited) Maybe I'm mistaken or maybe retailers are claiming ECE approval for their products but I'm certain I have seen adverts offering E marked led bulbs for exterior lights ie side lights etc.? I believe the reason that aftermarket HID kits are illegal is that they must be fitted with "self levelling devices" I well remember being followed along a bumpy road by a certain device of Italian manufacture and it was like having a WW2 searchlight waved up and down behind me as the levelling device tried in vain to keep the headlights level!!! Never did trust Itallians with anything electrical!! Graham Edited June 22, 2012 by Grabea Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Gill Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 Hi all. Fitted LED side bulbs to our MGB-GT (yet to do it for the TR6) and no problem with MOT. See www.click-parts.co.uk Product No. 233 LED White. Have I gotten away with it ? Alan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Wee Wills Posted June 23, 2012 Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 halfords sell bosch 3 watt bulbs ive got them in mine ,quite a difference at night.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HowardB Posted June 24, 2012 Report Share Posted June 24, 2012 I fitted LED bulbs to my TR7 instrument panel and they significantly improved the illumination, but they were not cheap and had to be specially obtained from the USA Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Damson6 Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 Just been reading an article about the Maserati GranCabrio and it has triangular tail lights that use 96 LED's to ensure maximum night-time visibility! but as it is a new model they may have had them type approved? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Davidw Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 I fitted LED bulbs to my TR7 instrument panel and they significantly improved the illumination, but they were not cheap and had to be specially obtained from the USA Howard I was advised by Speedy Cables that these would get too hot & melt the plastic coloured light diffuser hood. Are you sure you haven't had this problem? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Davidw Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 Damn' ! Sorry Howard. I meant to address that remark to Willie! halfords sell bosch 3 watt bulbs ive got them in mine ,quite a difference at night.. Wills please see my remarks above incorrectly addressed to Howard. Sorry, chaps - trying to get to grips with typing on an iPad! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tthomson Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 For those interested in LED lights for your TR gauges. I have written about this in TR Action two or three years ago. I spent some time trying to use replacement LED plug in lamps in the gauges, but even with high spread LEDs, the brightness was still very limited. I even took the gauges apart and painted them inside with highly reflective paint to no avail. In the end I used flexible LED strip lights that have a sticky back under the shroud of the gauge (in front of the dial). It was a tight fit and I had to dismantle my gauges to fit the wires, but they are now bright enough to read by! In fact they are so bright I had to design and build a dimmer for the LEDs (The standard panel lamp dimmer is not suitable). Because LEDs can be switched on and off extremely rapidly, controlling the brightness is best achieved using pulse width modulation. All of this information was posted on this forum at the time, but if you want further information, I can always send you this via email (The forum file limits make this impractical to send via the forum), just PM me with your email address. my email is in the signature below Kind regards TT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TRTOM2498PI Posted January 30, 2013 Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 Hi Grabea, Just following up on this thread. what were your results from your new bulbs. ? Which TR do you have out of curiosity. ? Cheers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grabea Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Hi TRTOM, Still not got them fitted yet as my better half has put them in a safe place and now I can't find them!! Mine's a 1970 CP in Damson btw bit of a rolling resto but still lots of fun, hoping to get a start on the body soon and slowly converting the interior to new tan, also got to fix the overdrive which has become very reluctant, hoping it's electrical as it was working fine before. Roll on some warmer weather!! Regards Graham Quote Link to post Share on other sites
aylesburyduck Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 Howard I was advised by Speedy Cables that these would get too hot & melt the plastic coloured light diffuser hood. Are you sure you haven't had this problem? bit late i know..i tested these the other day connected both on the bench ie 2.2 w and 3.0 w for about 40 mins they were still ok to touch, if anything the 2.2 felt a tad warmer[THINNER GLASS ? ] Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Davidw Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 bit late i know..i tested these the other day connected both on the bench ie 2.2 w and 3.0 w for about 40 mins they were still ok to touch, if anything the 2.2 felt a tad warmer[THINNER GLASS ? ] Thanks very much. Useful information. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Geoff Davies Posted February 16, 2013 Report Share Posted February 16, 2013 Hi hope this helps but as with bulbs there are LED`s and LED`s. so quality and performance can differ significantly. Lumileds is part ofPhillips and is the major supplier of original equipment automotive LED`s so if you can source their LED`s that would help. A lot of the low end LED`s are what’s used in toys. I have seen mention of the likes of Bosch etc. Bosh, Lucas, GE, Hella, Ring and others all source from LCC (Low cost Countries) like China, Turkey, India etc. Companies like Hella who make lamps use Phillips bulbs in their lamps that go on the production lines. The only suppliers that make their own bulbs are Phillips and Osram each holding about 50% of the European original fit bulbs. Phillips bulbs are made with quartz glass that allows a higher pressure gas to be used thus giving a longer life. The ignitor (Filament) is also accurate to microns and is heavier duty to ensure an accurate beam pattern and that vibration does not damage the ignitor. This also ensures that the bulb is accurate inside the reflector and lens. The light output in a bulb starts to reduce from first use. Most manufactures advise the lifetime of their bulbs from start to end of use (until the light goes out) Phillips give their lifetime as from start to 80% so a 20% reduction in the amount of light it produces. My point is you may well find you get much better light just by changing the bulbs to a good quality bulb that hasn’t passed its useful life instead of using LED. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tthomson Posted February 19, 2013 Report Share Posted February 19, 2013 Just an endorsement of what Geoff said. A good bulb is better than a low cost LED. The only disadvantage is the brightness when compared to modern dashboards. I solved this using front mounted LED strips, but this is not a simple process and it requires a properly designed dimmer. I chose to use LEDs for their longevity (I should never need to replace them), but LEDs shining on the back of the gauge dial with very little spread of light are possibly worse than using standard bulbs. Good luck TT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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