Over the past few weeks I've changed out all of my exterior bulbs for LEDs with the exception of the turn signals. These of course require some resistors to keep things operating as usual. I haven't had a chance to work on the front yet, but this is how I installed the rear set:
I chose lights and resistors from www.autolumination.com, I've had a full set installed in my '03 Wrangler for years with no problems. The S/T/T lights I picked for the rear are 3157 SMT Towers with 120 LEDs total (pic 1). These lights fit through a stock 3157 housing but are unusually long. There are no clearance issues in the lens so I figured the more the better. Because I haven't seen any write-ups on this yet, I wanted to test everything out before I started cutting the factory wiring. The Curt 56009 trailer harness (pic 2) provided all the connectors needed.
The harness comes with two sets of connectors, one pair for each side. It is intended to be installed between the factory wiring harness and light socket on each side. I cut off the 4-pin trailer connector and excess wire and used the turn signal wires to connect my resistors. The resistors I used are 6 ohm/50 watt and came with the leads soldered on. I soldered connectors on each end and also to the turn signal wires from the harness as well (pic 3). The green and yellow wires are for the turn signals; brown (tail lights) and white (ground) aren't needed for this project. The white wire isn't connected to anything so it comes completely off. the brown wire is connected to one of the molded connectors so it needs to be cut and safed off. I used liquid electical tape to cover all the connections.
Removal of the lens housing is easily done by pulling out the two fastners in back and pulling the housing straight back. The light sockets come out as usual with a quarter turn. I drilled and tapped an 8-32 hole in the body behind the housing to be used for the ground connection (other side of the resistor). I mounted the resistor on double-stick tape and then screwed it in with self-tapping screws. The double stick tape is just to provide a barrier between the resistor and the paint in case it gets really hot, but I doubt it is necessary. Everything then just plugs in and the completed wiring is shown in pics 4 and 5 (passenger side) and pic 6 (driver's side). Everything fits (snuggly) and the housing can be reinstalled as usual. A finished close up of the illuminated light is shown in pic 7.
I chose to use a 6 ohm resistor for each light as opposed to a 3 ohm resistor to cover both front and rear on each side. When you pull the bulb, the EVIC tells you specifically which bulb is out so I don't think one resistor per side will work, however I haven't tested it.
The whole install took about an hour and has been working nicely for a few days now. I'm planning on pulling off the housing again in a few days to make sure the heat of the resistor isn't doing any damage. I'll post a follow up if there is anything worth mentioning.
I chose lights and resistors from www.autolumination.com, I've had a full set installed in my '03 Wrangler for years with no problems. The S/T/T lights I picked for the rear are 3157 SMT Towers with 120 LEDs total (pic 1). These lights fit through a stock 3157 housing but are unusually long. There are no clearance issues in the lens so I figured the more the better. Because I haven't seen any write-ups on this yet, I wanted to test everything out before I started cutting the factory wiring. The Curt 56009 trailer harness (pic 2) provided all the connectors needed.
The harness comes with two sets of connectors, one pair for each side. It is intended to be installed between the factory wiring harness and light socket on each side. I cut off the 4-pin trailer connector and excess wire and used the turn signal wires to connect my resistors. The resistors I used are 6 ohm/50 watt and came with the leads soldered on. I soldered connectors on each end and also to the turn signal wires from the harness as well (pic 3). The green and yellow wires are for the turn signals; brown (tail lights) and white (ground) aren't needed for this project. The white wire isn't connected to anything so it comes completely off. the brown wire is connected to one of the molded connectors so it needs to be cut and safed off. I used liquid electical tape to cover all the connections.
Removal of the lens housing is easily done by pulling out the two fastners in back and pulling the housing straight back. The light sockets come out as usual with a quarter turn. I drilled and tapped an 8-32 hole in the body behind the housing to be used for the ground connection (other side of the resistor). I mounted the resistor on double-stick tape and then screwed it in with self-tapping screws. The double stick tape is just to provide a barrier between the resistor and the paint in case it gets really hot, but I doubt it is necessary. Everything then just plugs in and the completed wiring is shown in pics 4 and 5 (passenger side) and pic 6 (driver's side). Everything fits (snuggly) and the housing can be reinstalled as usual. A finished close up of the illuminated light is shown in pic 7.
I chose to use a 6 ohm resistor for each light as opposed to a 3 ohm resistor to cover both front and rear on each side. When you pull the bulb, the EVIC tells you specifically which bulb is out so I don't think one resistor per side will work, however I haven't tested it.
The whole install took about an hour and has been working nicely for a few days now. I'm planning on pulling off the housing again in a few days to make sure the heat of the resistor isn't doing any damage. I'll post a follow up if there is anything worth mentioning.