What is a good LED compatible signal relay that drops in in our cars (I'm pretty sure they're the same through all the years but just in case I'm looking for an '87)? If not what are you guys doing to run LED bulbs?

I stuck some LED bulbs in my front signals and they mostly look like they work OK (they seem to blink for a split second before the normal flash, but it's so fast that it might be my imagination), but the signal indicators on the dash are both lit as if I have a bulb out.

 

You need to add resistors to your turn signal lights, because LEDs use less power your car thinks your signal bulb is out. My friend had the exact problem when he converted his '90 F-150 to LEDs, adding resistors fixed it instantly.

Here's a link that explains in better detail and gives you more details on your options:

https://www.superbrightleds.com/blog...rflashing/275/

 

I just realized that my original question was wrong... Well actually I went to the parts store, found an electronic flasher and found that it did EXACTLY THE SAME thing. I actually already have 552 electronic flashers in the car that use a timer circuit

I thought about it for a second and realized that I'm not having a problem with LED incompatible flashers- when you stick LED bulbs in a circuit driven by a flasher that is not LED compatible it sees less load from the LED and thinks a bulb is out and flashes faster.

I’m having a totally different problem. WRT to the outside bulbs everything is working fine, they light up and flash when they should, and everything works fine without the running lights on. THE PROBLEM is that with the running lights on the LED bulbs in the front signals are causing the signal indicators ON THE DASH to light up, and when you turn the signals on they turn off when the lights flash.

Since the front signals and the dash indicators are on the same circuit, I’m guessing that some something like the current from the running lights is being fed back into the indicator circuit through the bulbs (?) lighting up the indicators on the dash, and then when you turn the flashers on they lose their ground when the bulb flashes on?


Anyone know what is going on here? I can’t be the only one that’s seen this kind of thing/replaced the front signals with LED’s…

 

IIRC the front oe bulbs allow the unused filament to ground and without it the power wanders up to the signal indicator. There was a thread a short while ago about a guy making his own relays.

 

Tibo beat me to it. And IIRC, this only happens with Firebirds since the lights are different than Camaros.

I think this is the post: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/elec...em-1986-a.html

 

I put all LED bulbs in my car and electronic flasher and I don't have any problems with the stock wiring.