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How To: Install VLEDs Dual Color Turn Signals

70K views 271 replies 56 participants last post by  Rkirk 
#1 ·
Here is what I did and how I did it...You can obviously do it however you want as this is only how I did it and should be only used as a guide!


Parts Used:

VLEDs Dual Color Changing Turn Signal LEDs
VLEDS 3ohm Resistor and Splicing Clips
2 Sheet Metal Screws

Tools Used:

Wire Cutters
SlipJoint Pliers
NeedleNose Pliers
Screw Drivers (Flat and Phillips)
Drill with Metal Bit


Ok, Lets get started.

First, I removed the turn signal socket from the headlight housing by turning it 1/4 turn and pulling it out. I removed the OEM turn signal bulb. I then took the wire cutters and carefully removed about 4 to 5 inches of the tape/casing that is wrapped around the wires going into the socket itself. *I didnt take any pics of this step, But Im sure you can figure it out*

I have 3 wires going into the socket, a GREEN, a BLACK and a BLACK/PURPLE. We are ONLY going to be working with the GREEN and the BLACK wires...Leaving the BLACK/PURPLE alone.

I inserted the BLACK wire into the one side of the slicing clip and then inserted one of the resistor wires into the other. It doesnt matter what resistor wire you use. Once I had both in, I took the SlipJoint pliers and squeezed the metal splicer down. Before I closed the clip, I made sure that the metal splicer went into the wires. With that checked, I shut the splicing clip!



Now I repeated the above step for the GREEN wire.

I then moved to do the other side and I repeated all the same steps above. I found that this side was sooooooooo much easier to do.

I did a quick double check to make sure all the splicing clips are completely shut.



Ok, Once I finished both sides I plugged in the VLEDs LEDs. BEFORE I put them back into the headlight housing, I tested them out. If they arent working, pull out the bulb(s), turn them 180degrees and reinsert them.



I now put the LEDs back into the headlight housing being careful not to tangle/twist up the wires.



Now on to mounting the resistors. Obviously you can do whatever you want here, but Ill explain what I did anyway. For this I decided to attach them directly to the lip going around my engine compartment (not sure how to exactly describe it). I wanted the resistors to be on metal to help the heat dissipate since I heard they get VERY hot. For this reason I decided against double sided tape. So, I drilled a hole using a metal drill bit and attached the resistor directly to the lip using a sheet metal screw.





Then I did the same for the other side.

With all that done, I stood back and admired my work!









YOUTUBE VIDEO CAN BE FOUND HERE

I am sure I will be editing this just in case I missed something or whatever. If you have an questions/comments please feel free to ask.

Also, another thank you to Scott(saleen032) for all his help on the phone!!!!!!!!

*This is only to be used as a guide and I take no responsibility for your actions*
 
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#38 ·
Actually, How are you guys grounding them?! Not sure if it would make a diff, but Im curious!

Mines grounded with the splice tap on the black ground wire from the bulb harness. Splice taps on the outside wires, middle wire left alone. Its odd also that the rear stock bulbs work perfect and are not affected when the LED acts up. Still have my rear leds to install, going to use a 7 ohm 50 watt resistor i have. The guy on ebay didnt have 6 ohm, so i got some 3 ohm and 7 ohm figuring one would work to fix the blinking issue i had when i tried the first time.
 
#39 ·
its very spotty it worked for a little today and stopped.. hmm
 
#40 ·
Maybe recheck your splice taps for a good connection. VLEDS emails me, told me to try opening the covers of the splice taps, take a stock bulb and bend the contact wires out, then touch the wires to the metal of the splice taps and see what happens with the blinkers and parking LEDs. he thinks there is a voltage draw from somewhere, maybe staying in the resistor making the leds stay off for that minute.
 
#42 ·
Be aware gents that it DOES matter in the harness where you splice these wires. This is because the side marker (or corner) lights are tied into the turn signal circuit. That's why the corner lights turn off when the blinker goes bright and the corner lights turn on when the blinker is not "blinking". I found this out the hard way.

I'll take a look at my wiring on my jeep and tell you exactly where I spliced them. As I recall (and I may be wrong), it was as close as humanly possible to the "master" plug that is located under each headlight housing. This is a single disconnect point for every light in the headlight housing.
 
#44 ·
Be aware gents that it DOES matter in the harness where you splice these wires. This is because the side marker (or corner) lights are tied into the turn signal circuit. That's why the corner lights turn off when the blinker goes bright and the corner lights turn on when the blinker is not "blinking". I found this out the hard way.

I'll take a look at my wiring on my jeep and tell you exactly where I spliced them. As I recall (and I may be wrong), it was as close as humanly possible to the "master" plug that is located under each headlight housing. This is a single disconnect point for every light in the headlight housing.
This is an old subject but have you figured this out, yet? I talked to the electrical techs at my job and they told me that 3 or 6 Ohms won't really matter that much. I'm only mentioning this because V-LEDS sent me 6 Ohms instead of the 3 Ohm that I paid for. I just dont want to wait for shipping and processing and all that crap. I'm tempted to just go to a radio shack and pick some up there if I can even find a Radio Shack. Lol. White never came on as it was supposed to. Amber blinker worked all day but never went back to white. I'm just frustrated with it already. Where can I take these to get installed that has done it successfully? I'd really like to do it myself if I can. I know its not hard.
 
#47 ·
Has anyone had any luck getting them to work properly? I have been living with the white not coming back on after using the blinker for months now, but I want it fixed. I used to always drive with just my parking lights on, but now I cant because after I use the blinker that LED is out for a minute or so and its embarrassing. If i cant get them to work i'd rather take them out and go to stock bulbs.
 
#48 ·
Its seems as if the resistors get hot and than stop working right. The 6 Ohm resistors I had on first would not allow the white to come on AT ALL. When I got the 3 Ohm, the white came on and it blinked amber perfect for the first 5 minutes. Once they heated up, it started doing that funky thing where white would stay off and dim back up. What if there is too much resistance keeping the white out. Maybe cut the Ohms in half by either getting 1.5 Ohm resistors or two more 3 Ohm resistors and run them in parallel. Electricians will tell you that resistors in line will double the Ohms but in parallel will cut the rated Ohms in half.
 
#49 · (Edited)
I actually have some 1.2 ohm 50 watt resistors I got off ebay i can try. I will do it tomorrow or over the weekend and keep everyone posted.

I think running two 50 watt resistors wont be good for the cuircut, for some reason. Though im not sure, just guessing.

Hasnt anyone figured this issue out? I just googled it and couldnt find any info on this problem. dam it.
 
#55 ·
Are you 100% sure they work perfectly? Have you driven the car withthe lights on for awhile, then got out after using the blinker to see if the white comes on right away? Im really not understanding how some can get them to work and I cant with using the same exact parts. I got the dual leds and 3ohm resistors from vleds, and they dont work right. I spliced them in right near the bulbs themselves.
 
#58 · (Edited)
haha i hate those things i gave up on them lol - mario said he was going to try and figure them out awhile back.. i wonder if he ever got it done.. meh trolling i go- TimmyB I'm in the same boat you are.. They worked for the first few times then. nothing, sometimes it will maybe light up slowly, but pretty much off the majority of the time. I least i can signal though so whatever
 
#59 ·
I finally got mine working today, I used 1.2ohm 50 watt resistors and they work perfectly, SO FAR!!!. I have had my lights on for over an hour now and they still work perfectly so I really think thats the fix. I had 3 ohm in before that didnt work, then tried 7 ohm today and they didnt even come on, then tried 1.2ohm and bingo!!!!
 
#61 ·
I got them awhile ago from a guy on ebay selling used resistors. I grabbed a bunch of different ones. I think he is out of the 1.2 ohms though. But two 3 ohm 25 watt resistors wired in parallel will give you 1.5 ohm 50 watt. That should be close enough to have it work.
 
#63 ·
ok so i went out and tried this... i installed everything like you said and tried the bulb and it worked fine... i put the headlight back in and it starts blinking fast again... took it back out messed around with the wires... kinda work for a few sec but then went back to fast blinking... it works fine with emergency lights... any idea what i might have done wrong?
 
#66 ·
Sounds like a bad connection with the resistors. It worked when you tested and then didn't when you put the headlight back in. Sounds like a textbook poor connection. Try again. And lose those crappy plastic scotchloks! Uninsulated butt connectors and adhesive-lined heat shrink FTW!!!
 
#70 ·
i got my passanger side working then i some how blew a fuse and now my driverside signal lights dont light up . now its not signaling or emergency light are working and the driver rear turn signal it lite up the whole time. the hazzard fuse is blown out and i hope it the only one. I have have ever fuses except the one i need lol i see if i can one tomorrow and hopefully thats all it was
 
#71 · (Edited)
well i attemped this today on my 08 with OEM projectors and they worked for the first 10 mins just fine... Then only one would stay white, now only the amber is working?

I did get a lot of help from Jason (Lipschtizwrath) and man when these things are working they look great!! I ordered matching fog lights so i really want to get these working. Anyone have any insight to what my problem might be?

Thanks in adv.

Jake
 
#72 ·
I would triple check your connections. Use a voltmeter to make sure the resistor wires are hooked up to the correct (-)Ground and (+)Turn wires. Black should be constant ground and then check the other two wires using the meter for voltage when the blinker is on, those are the two wires you want to splice into. If those are correct then I would try testing different 50 watt resistors of different ohms, 1.2, 3, and 6 probably.

Tell me about it being frustrating not having them work properly, it took me months to finally figure mine out, but got them working trying different resistors. Trial and error, and alot of blown fuses too.
 
#77 ·
So the resistor hooks up to the black wire on each headlight? I'm a bit confused.
If I would have known there was so much confusion, I would have done a write-up when I did mine. Here's some basic instructions:

The resistors have two wires coming out of them. A resistor is a passive device, which allows you to hook it up either way. Let's emphasize that - you can not install it backwards, it doesn't matter which wire goes where, etc. However, one wire is "more important" than the other. Read on...

The more important of the two wires needs to be spliced into the turn signal wire. This is also referred to as the "high" or "major" element. How to find this wire? Well, the most fool proof way is to test for it. Take your trusty voltmeter and stick the negative probe on the negative battery terminal. Turn your jeep's ignition on and activate a turn signal. Then start probing the terminals at the bulb socket for the activated turn signal and find the one that is "blinking" +12 volts. This is the turn signal wire. One of the two wires (again, it does NOT matter which one) needs to splice into this wire. I'll tell you this once, scotchloks and t-taps are NOT recommended here (ask me how I know)!

On the WK Jeep, there should be 3 wires coming out of the bulb socket - one on each end and one in the middle. The turn signal wire is the one on the end that is NOT black. The middle one is your parking light wire, and the one on the other end (the black one) is your ground. I can't give colors because they seem to be different for different years.

Now the other wire coming out of the resistor needs to be grounded. Now, why did I say this is the "less critical" of the two wires? Because it just needs to be grounded - it doesn't matter where. Most people splice it into the wiring at the bulb socket because this is most convenient. Note, convenient does NOT mean required! You can ground it anywhere - your bumper, your fender, even the negative battery terminal if you want. It just needs to be grounded.

When done, your color changing turn signals should work properly. Here are some frequently asked questions:

Q: Does it matter where on the turn signal wire I splice?
A: NO! By definition, you can splice anywhere in the turn signal circuit. Electrically, this will have the same effect on the circuit no matter where you splice it.

Q: V-LED's recommends using 6-ohm resistors for 2-bulb systems and 3-ohm resistors for 4-bulb systems. Why does it require 3-ohm resistors to get the color-changing bulbs to work when it's only a 2-bulb system?
A: Upon deeper inspection, you'll discover that the wiring up front is actually a 4-bulb system. If you look closely, you'll notice that your side marker bulb also blinks. It is wired across the major (turn signal) and minor (parking light) wires going to your front turn signal. This is a neat little trick that makes the bulb interact as follows:
  • Parking lights OFF, turn signal OFF: The side marker bulb will be OFF
  • Parking lights OFF, turn signal ON: The side marker bulb will blink in unison with the turn signal bulb
  • Parking lights ON, turn signal OFF: The side marker bulb will be ON
  • Parking lights ON, turn signal ON: The side marker bulb will blink opposite of the turn signal bulb ("wig-wag" effect)
What this means is that the FCM is actually monitoring the current draw of the turn signal bulb AND the side marker bulb together for each side (which is a 4-bulb system). Thus, a 6-ohm resistor doesn't draw enough current, so the FCM thinks a bulb is out (which it signals to the driver by increasing the flash rate). This problem is exacerbated if you have replaced your side-marker bulbs with LED's as well (like me).

You could use multiple resistors in parallel if you wanted (two 6-ohm resistors in parallel = 3 ohms). This is because the FCM is just monitoring for a minimum current draw. As long as your current draw is above this threshold, you're good. Of course, there is a practical upper limit, which is when you'll start blowing fuses.


I hope this has been helpful to someone...
 
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