91 firebird formula.

I took out my fog lights and parking/turn signal lights and mounted some led light bars. These light bars have white and amber ability’s. 3 wires- ground, positive for white light and positive for amber lights.

currently I have it so when I turn on my parking lights the white lights are on. When I turn the turn signal switch on the amber light turns on. But u can’t see the amber light with the white light on so I need to turn off my parking lights, then signal my turn.

that is not practical. I’m sure there is a way to have the power to the white light canceled automatically when I signal my turn and have power sent to the amber light, then switch back to white when turn is complete.

I found these diode dynamic switchback modules but I can not get them to work. Sometimes they work sometimes they don’t or make the white light half bright or hang on amber or white. I’ve come to the conclusion they are just cheap cheesy crap.

anyone have any ideas?

 

Firebirds are wired differently than Camaros in the lighting department.
I can't actually explain how the factory did it, but they somehow wired the circuit using the bulb's resistance and the lamp flasher to alternately flash the front signal light and the side marker. Removing those bulbs (and replacing with LEDs) removes the bulbs resistance and the circuit no longer functions correctly.
What you are attempting to do is very difficult on a Firebird. This is not a simple bulb change.
Your switchback modules are probably fine...……………… for a Camaro.

 

hmmmm that sorta makes since. I am getting about 6 volts on the turn signal positive wire when the parking lights are on and the turn signal is not on which confused the F outa me. So that may have been hampering my switchback module. Regardless even when I use power straight from the battery and not from the cars circuitry they still function erratically.

where in the world could the village be back feeding from (giving me the 6 volts)? I think that may be a mute point anyway.

i just need to have one circuit turn off when another turns on. Can’t a relay do that or something?

 

the fog light relay for the fire bird will do what you say you need to do

however the power to the turn signal lights is intermittent (as it flashes). if you're looking for your white lights to flash off when the turn signal powers the turn indicator on, this will work.

 

can you elaborate how the relays will do what I’m aiming for? are they normally closed relays?

I was thinking I could take some normally closed relays and have the positive wire for the white lights go through the closed contacts. Then have the positive wire for the amber connect to the small terminals on the relay. I’m assuming when power the turn signal it will open the contacts that the white positive is going through therefore shutting off the white light when current is going to the amber lights.

i have the stock flasher bypassed and have digital flashers that will go after the relay to prevent the lights from doing some sorta white amber flash and do amber flash only.

the rear turn signals are custom sequential that need full power (not flashed power)

 

the fog light relay will shut off power to the fog lights when it sees 12V to the high beams. this relay should be able to be re-wired to shut off power to your white lights when the turn signal switch sends 12V to the turn signals.

the fog light relay for the TA, IIRC, kills the ground to the fogs by switching it to 12V from the high beams. should be a wiring diagram somewhere but you shouldn't need it if you just chase the wires. try it and see.

here's a wiring diagram, although it says it's for a berli. this one kills power to the fogs, so maybe I'm wrong about killing the ground. either way, should work. can't speak to the longevity of the relay subject to constant, intermittent use.

https://92b4crs.tripod.com/86wiring/dia-pics/100-5.jpg

 

Ok. After much tinkering and frustration.

Ive found that with a 5 pin relay. You can switch power between two pins when the relay is activated. So this should work. BUT! for some reason I’m getting about 5 volts on the hot wire for my front turn signal positive wire (only when the parking lights are on. I have no idea why. I’m trying to use this a the trigger wire for the relay to automatically switch power from the white light to the amber light. With that 5 volts that won’t go away... it’s not working.

any thoughts on why there’s 5 volts when there shouldn’t be?

 

Alright so I solved the 5 volt problem. When I removed the little side marker lights the 5 volts went away. I cut those off the cars circuit and added them to my custom circuit. So I guess they won’t power on with the parking lights, only with the turn signal.

Now. Everything's working as should. But the front turn signals won’t work without the parking light on. When I try to power it around the relay the back feed of voltage seems to confuse the relay and it won’t work right.

So either I have to have my custom fog lights turn with key on (which I’m open to) or figure out how to keep power from traveling back through the relay.

Is there some sorta one way device for 12 volt dc? Is that what a diode is?

 

That is exactly what a diode does.

 

Yep, just install diodes in the lines and use an LED flasher also. Did this on all my lights years ago.

 

Wow, you're doing all this work for something you could have just bought and installed and been done with it. I too have switchbacks in my turn signals in my 92 Firebird and LED side marker lights and it all works like stock and it only took me minutes to install it all.
V6 Triton switchbacks in the turn/running light

If you're set on this you should put the wiring back and use a timed LED for this exact application
http://www.wolstentech.com/products/...delayrelay.php

 

Any SPDT (Single Pole Double Through) 5 terminal relay will allow one circuit to be turned off, when another is turned on...
Or the opposite can be done.

Wire/ power both circuits through the same SPDT relay (One relay with 5 terminals)...
One circuit receives power from terminal 87 and the other circuit receives power from terminal 87A.
Power goes into the relay at terminal 30.

Terminals 85 and 86 are used to switch between which circuit is On or Off.
Power and ground are needed... either terminal will work.
85 to Positive and 86 to ground for example.
Use a switch for either 85 or 86 and it is all done.

 

That won't really work for what he wants/ It will flash white and amber, he wants it to be a "switchback". I was going to suggest a 5 terminal relay at first too. He needs a timed relay that will shut off while it is getting the flash signal

 

Wait...
This Thread was regarding Signal lights???

I guess I should have read through the entire Thread, instead of skimming.

Two Solid-State SPST (single pole single throw) relays wired in a circuit together could do the job.
If the signal bulbs are LED and need to be "Flashed" then a Digital-Flasher will be needed... or a large resistor to create a "Load" without filament type light-bulbs.




50 Watt 6.0 OHM resistor wired in parallel to LED style bulb.

 

hmmm don’t know what is out there that is bolt-in ready and wires right up?

I’m also not sure of what a solid state relay is but it sounds expensive. I went to oriellys and asked for 5 pin relays and it was $57 for two. I said no thanks. Orders them off eBay for much less.

I got it all figured out. When I need turn signals they work, when I turn on parking lights the white leds come on, with them on when I turn on the turn signal the white shuts off automatically and the amber leds flash, when turn is complete it automatically goes back to the white leds.

Alls it took was 2 5pin relays and 2 led flashers.

parking lights/white leds are connected to the output on the relay that receives power but loses power when the coil inside the relay is powered. The turn signal is what triggers the coil causing the white leds to loose power. The amber turn signals are not connected to the other output on the relay.

That was the key. With the turn signals not connected to the output of the relay they will work regardless of the parking lights being engaged or not.

I will post a video of this in action as well as the mods I did to the rear lights when I get a chance

 

here’s the results. Works perfectly. Video split screen isn’t synced up perfectly but you get the idea. Thanks for the help

 

The rear is interesting

I got the same result from the front with a drop in product into my stock turn housings, and my turn signals are much brighter, just sayin... How much did you spend doing all that?
Glad you got it to work

 

Yes the turn signal brightness is pathetic. The main thing I wanted was a quality led day time running light strip on the front and this was the only spot for such a thing on these cars. Actually the 82-90 birds/trans ams have a spot on the headlights (when they’re down).

It’s not easy finding a bright led strip. Most out there, especially the ones at the box stores and eBay/Amazon are a joke. It’s even tougher finding ones that will switchback to amber.

The fronts were $75/piece and the rears were $25/piece. Prolly spent $10-20ish on some parts to make custom brackets and relay and wiring stuff.

I had the idea for the rears at a stop light behind an Audi obviously lol.

 

I got this on one of their sales for the ~$85 range and it went right into the stock bulb housing
https://www.vleds.com/shop-products/...triton-wa.html

 

Nice!