LED Turn Signals Finale
After being befuddled by my last attempt at LED turn signals, I spent several days doing research online. I contacted DDM tech support, and called XenonDepot tech support several times. I even succumbed to calling for help from an electrical engineer... who's an ex-girlfriend... ummm yea.... less than helpful. Thanks a bunch to Robert at
@XenonDepot
, he couldn't tell me specifically which resistors I needed for the truck, but was very interested in doing right by customer service.
Recap
So the problem isn't putting in the LED's, that part is troublesome but not difficult. The problem is simulating the removed incandescent bulbs because the LED's don't have the same resistance or load.
Front bulbs are replaced easiest by unscrewing the front half of the wheel well liner, and going in that way. Not the easiest for soldering a connection though.
Rear bulbs can be replaced by removing the access panel at the rear, although I had a difficult time due to the short pigtail and length of the LED tower over the incandescent bulb, so I removed the taillight housing from the truck to replace the bulb. Just 2x 10mm nuts with a deep well socket, much easier.
My original plan (see previous post) was to use the biggest resistor I could find, and install only one on each side. So I ordered 2 pair of 11ohm resistors from XenonDepot. Well as stated above this worked fine, if you only swapped out the front or rear turn signals to LED's, but not both front and rear. Even with a resistor installed in each corner I still had the hyperflashing problem.
Testing & Research
And so I launched into the scientific method we all learned in high school and never expected to use.
Incandescent bulbs: Front ~3 ohms - 1.85 amps, Rear ~2 ohms - 1.85 amps
Resistor specs: 11 ohm - 1 amp, 6 ohm - 2.5 amp, 3 ohm - 4 amp
Well removing 5 ohms and adding 11 (or 22) ohms shouldn't cause the hyperflash, so the bulb out relay doesn't use resistance of the circuit. Next guess amperage. So I read multiple threads, including this fix. Not knowing which would work, and not wanting to wait for parts to arrive to troubleshoot twice, I ordered a set each of 3 ohm and 6 ohm resistors. Again I stayed with XenonDepot because the housings are large and metal (good for heatsinks), and Robert made me a fair price since I couldn't return the ones I had already soldered into the truck.
With the 11 ohm resistors still soldered in the front, I start troubleshooting at the rear just holding the connections in place. Holding either the 6 ohm or 3 ohm in to the circuit with LED installed prevented the hyperflash, which started again as soon as they were removed. Tested both at the rear bulb socket, as well as the harness which plugs into the taillight, hyperflash eliminated connected in either place.
Install
I was going to just solder the 6 ohm into the rear, and then decided against it for several reasons: few mounting options in rear body, minimal airflow those locations, rear pins are small and difficult to work with. Well that meant mounting in the front, plenty of options, lots of airflow, and bigger wires to work with, the only catch is having to remove the bumper again. Well nothing else better to do today, and I've already done it a couple times, so why not again?
Removed radiator cover, inner fender cover, upper bumper, lower bumper, and splash guards behind the headlights. Removed front LED's, removed previous silicone tape, disassembled the connector, desoldered and removed the 11 ohm resistors from the circuit. Touch connection tested 6 ohm and 3 ohm resistors: 6 ohm hyperflash, 3 ohm normal ops. Doing the math, that makes sense.
OEM configuration is 1.85A x 2 = 3.7A per side
11 ohm (1A) and 6 ohm (2.5A) for total 3.5A is close enough for the circuit. Which is why the 6 ohm (2.5A) is not enough by itself. When the front turn signal burns out there's a second filament which has a draw of 0.45A (+1.85A Rear = 2.3A). So with only 2.5A (6ohm) the circuit assumes a bulb is still out hence the hyperflash.
So in order to use only one resistor in the circuit, it has to be the 3 ohm (4A).
So just like I did with the previous install I soldered the wires of the resistor (this time the 3 ohm/4 amp) to the signal & ground pins of the front head light harness. Ops good. Reassemble connector, wrap with new silicone tape - ops good. Reinstall in housing - ops good. Now I have only one resistor, wired into the front signal, and LED's in both front and rear on driver's side working appropriately.
Repeat on the other side, but almost forgot to install the rear LED before testing everything. Ops good on every step, just like the driver's side. Yeehaw working LED turn signals!
I know I'm supposed to use self tapping screws to mount the resistors, but somehow I still forgot to get any. So I just zip-tied them in place, in the void between the wheel well liner and the inner fender body. Finally the task of reinstalling everything else I removed, that took about as long as wiring in the passenger side. Man I can't imagine trying to do this more than once with the factory bumper, but it is simpler with the SSO Slimline, less bolts on the bottom to remove.
@Friggin Idiot
- This is great info! In most cases, the XD 11 Ohm resistors will do the job all around but there have been cases where the 3 and 6 Ohm have been needed and this demonstrates that perfectly.
I've not been doing much aside from working lots of overtime, so the truck has only been getting regularly scheduled maintenance. Today I finally got a sunny day where I could unpack a couple small boxes of parts and set to work on some lingering pitfalls.
@Southern Style Offroad
In my install of my SSO bumper I removed the baffles for the A/C condenser since I had forgotten to cut them to fit with the bumper. In my excitement about the bumper and fatigue from doing the install I left them somewhere.... somewhere they got tossed into the recycling. Since doing so I've noticed a couple things:
A) This summer my A/C didn't seem as cool as it had been
B) I'm getting progressively more tire rub while reversing with more than 3/4 of a turn of the wheel
Near as I can surmise the airflow is taking the path of least resistance around the A/C condenser instead of through and cooling it. That means flowing into the void in front of the wheel wells. Now the passenger side liner is vented for the air intake, but the driver's side is not. Obviously the airflow is looking for an escape which means pushing the wheel well liner into the wheel well, to the point where it has torn away the plastic which holds it in place. So I ordered a new set of baffles, but I might have to do a wheel well liner too.
I started with the driver's side baffle, repeatedly playing some demented version of Tetris with the piece trying to get it somewhat in place so I could see how much I had to cut. After several tries and some small cuts, I gave up and set about removing that center bumper which was causing me so much headache. Turns out you have to loosen the headlight assemblies to do that. At this point I'm more frustrated by the Tetris than anything else, so I loosen them with hopes they won't be far off when I get it all back together. Things went quickly after that, even more so when I realized I also had to cut the bottom of the baffle to fit around the bumper mount. Once I got the driver's side installed, the passenger side only took me two cuts to get a correct fit. I just used the same ripsaw blade I had used during the original SSO install, except actually had my Dremel back this time making a nice difference.
@Baja Designs
While I had the front bumper off, I figured it would be a good chance to change to the updated faceplate on the BD Squadron-R fog lights and fill the gap. I also have a set of driving/combo lenses that I was going to put on as well since the wide/cornering doesn't quite have the distance I would like in the dense fog/clouds of the TN mountains in the rain.
Remember I tried this a while back and had issues removing the screws from the faceplate. Sadly the faceplate screws are still stuck solid, I managed to get only a single screw loose on each fog light (there are 4 each light). Not replacing faceplates like that, and I started to wonder about just how "user servicable" these really are or if I just got "lucky" like usual. I was afraid of stripping the hex heads and then really be in a pickle. So I called BD for help, they said if I shipped the pieces to them they'd make the change for me.
Shipping to CA is cheaper than hours of frustration with me trying to drill out stripped screws and then wait to special order a suitable replacements. The catch is having to drive around without any fog lights installed for a while.
Since I wasn't reinstalling the fog lights, it was time to reassemble. I cleaned up a few places of mud, hit some rust spots with rust converter, and set about putting it all back together. I couldn't believe just how much of these baffles is visible and deflecting air from the front grill opening. I hope it's the fix for my issues.
EDIT: The tire rub is gone! The wheel well liners seem to be holding well enough in place without the additional airflow even in their damaged condition. I can turn to full lock either side in reverse and have no rub.
It looks kind of funny without fog lights, but not horrible. At least I don't have to remove the entire bumper to reinstall them once they return. I'll update on how this progresses as I hope to have them reinstalled before going to the TN mountains later this month.
I also removed some of the decals from the rear windows, it was looking kinda cluttered. Cleaned all the windows inside and out too, and hit the outside with a coat of Rain-X before winter starts going.
I'm installing my SSO front bumper and your post has been very helpful, but I have one question. How did you install the LED light bar on the inside of the bumper?
I got the generic LEB bar with the cut out and I can't seem to figure out how it should be mounted in there.
Any hints would be great.
Thanks,
KENG
__________________
Central NJ
2016 TEP with KDSS in Silver
Just returned from my Tennessee Thanksgiving and thought I'd share some results. Comparable weather, tire inflation, vehicle load distribution, etcetera.
Average mpg 87 octane 10% ethanol
16.5 combined prior to trip
17.4 highway on trip, 310.8mi between gas stations, 17.8 gallons added
Average mpg 90 octane ethanol free
19.6 highway on trip, 350.6mi between stations, 17.8 gallons added
29 Nov 2017 68,340mi
I spent the last week down in the mountains of Tennessee with family. Sadly I didn't get to do any wheeling, although I did see a ton of other 4Runners. There were several trips to Boone, and I swear there are almost as many 4Runners are there are Subaru Outbacks! We did stop into the Toyota dealership there and turn some heads, but was just getting a replacement tire for my sister-in-law's Sienna.
[off-topic] BTW, WTF Toyota? The 50 mile range of the run-flat is worthless when it goes flat up in the mountains, after business hours on the weekend, in the dark, 15 miles from your destination which is 42 miles from the nearest shop with a suitable replacement. I'm very sure that 50 mile range is after the tire is considered deflated, not after reaching destination and having the weight of the vehicle crush the structure of the tire overnight before you can even call to find a replacement then trying to drive there. Not having even a piddly little donut spare is a bad idea in rural parts of the country. The included air pump was also laughable. [/rant]
My neighbor came by today and gave me the package with the Baja Designs fog lights returned from the factory. Looks like they were able to remove the original screws which were stuck and install the new lenses and 4Runner faceplates. Unfortunately they installed them incorrectly for the vehicle with the hood at the top of the light instead of the side closest to the center of the vehicle. Thankfully the replacement screws were not as tight and I was able to remove the them, install the lenses as desired (spot on bottom), and reinstall the faceplates properly. Just to be sure I could get them off again if required I lubed the screws before reinstalling them.
I wanted to install the fog lights in the truck without removing the entire front bumper. That means going in from underneath the factory plastic bumper or in through the wheel well. Giving one look of how difficult it would be to work from a creeper under the truck with limited vision, I elected the latter. The creeper option wasn't really one for the passenger side without removing some of the bolts holding the wheel well liner anyway. In the end I freed the corners of the bumper as well, but it was still quicker than removing the entire thing. Unfortunately my forearms now look like I've tried to drown a wild housecat or something like that.
Even with the newly designed faceplates there's still a gap. I saw the idea of using the original flat faceplate as a spacer beneath the newer one and just getting longer screws. While this might fill the gap, it would effectively prevent one from aiming the fog lights properly. I actually couldn't aim mine quite as low as I would have liked because of the new cutout on the faceplate. Where they ended up was good enough though, still aimed below the headlights. Honestly it does look a little better, but for the money and the work that's involved in changing the faceplate, I really could have left them with the brushed aluminum look. Let's just hope I actually like the driving/combo lens better so I don't have to tear it all apart to change the lens back!
Quote:
Originally Posted by KENGNJ
I'm installing my SSO front bumper and your post has been very helpful, but I have one question. How did you install the LED light bar on the inside of the bumper?
I got the generic LEB bar with the cut out and I can't seem to figure out how it should be mounted in there. Any hints would be great.
PM Sent/received. Glad you got it worked out. For others:
When I talked with SSO last year, they stated that most cutouts they weld the brackets in place inside the bumper. I don't know if this is still the case. If it is, all you should have to do is to slide the bar into the brackets already in the bumper.
If there are no brackets welded in, check the packaging for them. My brackets were not welded in place and I had to install them using holes in the top of the bumper. Mine was a custom cutout, though so could be different. Also feel free to call SSO for help. They were great supporting me through my questions (some technical issues, some RTFM idiot things). I would absolutely do business with them again! Still loving my bumper and get comments about it all the time!
I've run LED Christmas lights on the roof rack every year since I bought the truck. Just attached with a bunch of zip ties and clip them when the season is over. Last year I discovered that my method of running an extension cord through the rear liftgate seal was letting water into the truck to be collected by my cargo liner. Obviously not a good thing, water and electricity don't mix well, thankfully I didn't short out anything or electrocute myself. I wasn't going to put lights on this year, until I tried to figure how
@Antman
would do it and got an idea. Skip the whole extension cord through the hatch and use one with waterproof connectors run through the frame.
Since things are cheaper in packs, I ended up with 10 each male and female waterproof connectors as well as 10 replacement plugs. I guess I'll finally get around to fixing some extension cords as well. I was going to use lamp cord from a local store until I could only find 18ga. While no LED Christmas light set would require even that, I wasn't going to be satisfied with it. I bought a 16ga extension cord to destroy. Just before I started, I found a spool 16ga CL-2 heavy duty speaker wire laying around, double insulated. A little online research and found out the insulation is good for up to 150 volts, sounds a lot easier than destroying a perfectly good extension cord, speaker wire it is!
I removed the large rubber grommet from above the rear hatch being careful not to break the retaining clips. It has a clip on every side, but once you free the left, right, and front clips the one you can't reach will come as well. Then I removed the screw holding the rear camera in place, as well as the 2 plastic rivets holding up the headliner. A little tugging popped the passenger side upper trim panel free, and then freed access to the taillight assembly. Running the wire was easier than I thought, though still time consuming. I started at between the rubber grommet and the body, worked it above the headliner over to the passenger side upper trim panel. From there it went down behind the taillight. I don't have the JBL system, so I drilled a hole for the cable to come out behind the crossbar (red arrow in picture) and fed the cable out. Strip back some wire, and add a polarized plug, half of the extension cord is done.
I went back and cut a small hole in the rubber wrap well above the grommet to prevent any leaks, worked the wire through, and added the male side of waterproof connector. I promptly ripped the connector off the wire trying to ensure it was secure. Fussed with the tiny pins which were now stuck in the connector for 5 minutes before swearing and pulling another connector and pin set from the bag. Good thing I got extras.
Time for the lights. Clipped the standard 110v plug off the lights and wired on the waterproof connector. Pulled gently on this one and it stayed fine. Clipped the female 110v plug off the end, removed the unneeded wire from the later half of the string, and waterproofed the exposed ends with some silicone tape and heat shrink. Put the waterproof connectors together, plugged the truck side into a real extension cord (no sense in blowing a truck fuse if I have a GFI right there on the wall). No lights, disappointment, lump of coal feeling.
Went back over my connectors and wiring. The pins in the male waterproof connector weren't fully seated and not making contact with the female side. Also there were a couple nicks in the insulation where someone wasn't careful stripping off the outer layer inside the 110v plug I'd added. Clipped and re-wired the 110v plug. Tried to adjust the male waterproof connector and managed to rip the wires out of it again. Swearing ensued. Didn't even try to free those tiny pins and just grabbed a new connector, pins, and the soldering iron this time. I knew I should have started by soldering the pins onto the wires, but clamping them in place had felt pretty secure. Apparently that wasn't the case, but they're surely secure now! That done, ops checked good! Finally getting a good feeling, working Christmas lights are soothing and happy.
Arranged the lights on the roof, zip tied to the rails, and managed to pull the female connector off. Well at least they did work. Soldered replacement pins in place, installed new connector, readjusted weatherproof seal, and reconnected. They work again. Finish zip ties and cleanup.
I'm pretty happy with how the whole thing came out. The waterproof connector mounting almost looks factory. The 110v plug can stow easily in the cubby when not in use. And I have a dedicated set of lights for the truck, operated by a switch on the dashboard!
Like a kid at Christmas, I had to go play with my new toy. It really needed to be dark to properly aim the light bar.... yea, we'll go with that excuse! Now these are crappy cell phone pics, but to give you some idea of how much the aperture had to change look at how the scattered light is shown in the bottom left corner
In order top to bottom: Low, High, Low+Fog, Low+High+Med Bar, Low+High+High Bar, Strobe video.
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
This post with the hid low + BD squadron sport night shot was extremely helpful. Looks like the XD HID kit and the BD squadron sports complement each other very well, without one overpowering another. Im installing the squadron sports today and ordering the hid kit soon.
My neighbor came by today and gave me the package with the Baja Designs fog lights returned from the factory. Looks like they were able to remove the original screws which were stuck and install the new lenses and 4Runner faceplates. Unfortunately they installed them incorrectly for the vehicle with the hood at the top of the light instead of the side closest to the center of the vehicle. Thankfully the replacement screws were not as tight and I was able to remove the them, install the lenses as desired (spot on bottom), and reinstall the faceplates properly.
Don't take this the wrong way, but your lights may be the wrong way.
From the pictures that I've seen of the baja combo lights, the wide angle/corner lights are on the bottom and the spot beams are on the top. I don't know if that makes a difference in terms of the lighting, I just thought that first sentence was really catchy and wanted to use it.
__________________
2016 classic silver 4runner TE non-KDSS
Don't take this the wrong way, but your lights may be the wrong way.
From the pictures that I've seen of the baja combo lights, the wide angle/corner lights are on the bottom and the spot beams are on the top. I don't know if that makes a difference in terms of the lighting, I just thought that first sentence was really catchy and wanted to use it.
Actually I intentionally put them this way, the idea being that I'll still have the hard cutoff of the wide lenses so as not to blind other drivers with the benefit of the longer range of the spot closer to the road where it can project more. In theory seems sound. I'm still playing with aim on it to decide if I like it or if I'm going to put them closer to the way BD intended.
I drove up to 4RN4FUN's place and started helping with his Gobi Stealth install. After a taco party (real tacos, not Tacomas), and some fun in the snow for a photo op, we pulled my truck into his garage. Part of the crew helped finish his Gobi & ladder, while we started on the RagoFab crossbeams for my truck.
The install actually went pretty easily. I had watched the install video a couple times, so I had a good idea of what to do.
@RagoFabrication
, we actually found it simpler to install the Rago crossbars into the OEM side rails by installing the brackets to the crossbars, then sliding them into the OEM side rails. We tried a couple with the brackets already in the side rails and then getting the crossbars in became troublesome. I could see doing as in the video if you're doing all of one side and then the other, but it really was simpler to just slide the crossbars into the rails with the brackets attached and finger tight (just getting into the nylon). Actually the most difficult part was keeping the sockets on the nuts to tighten the brackets to the crossbars, they aren't very deep so there wasn't much for the socket to grip to. I managed a dent in the roof when a socket let go and went flying out of my hand, thankfully not smashing in my sunroof. The truck got another character mark and small story proving my screen name is still applicable.
I was a little worried about increased wind noise, but even with the radio and heater/fan off at 80mph I couldn't hear anything more than the road noise and engine. I'll check it with windows down once it is warmer and not dropping freezing rain! Very happy an impressed with the rails. There was very little flex even with my large frame kneeling on them, and weren't close enough to touch the roof. From ground level you can't tell there's a serious mounting system up there, but from above it's impressive and low profile. I didn't realize the Toyota crossbeams only had plastic ends, which explains their weight restriction. I would have no qualms putting some serious weight up on the Rago crossbars.
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