LED Tail Light Flasher Frustrations

Summertime Boss · May 15, 2014

Installed a set of JCR Offroad HD tail light housings with the LED lighting kit from their website onto my 2000 XJ. The write up for the LED lighting kit notes that you need to install an EP27 flasher to get rid of the fast blink rate associated with the reduced load from the LEDs. Got them all wired up and installed and the blink rate slowed with the EP27, but it also caused another issue. The tail lights now blink along with the turn signals. Also, the third brake lights are flashing with the turn signals.

I tried putting the OEM flasher back in, but it just buzzes and the lights don't flash at all. The lights are wired correctly. Also, I removed the towing lights altogether, so that isn't an issue.

Do I need a different flasher? Do I need to add resistors to the flashers? I found a few other mentions of this problem on various forums, but none of the postings were more recent than 2006 and none seemed to have a solution. Help please.

lazyxj · May 15, 2014

Summertime Boss said:
Installed a set of JCR Offroad HD tail light housings with the LED lighting kit from their website onto my 2000 XJ. The write up for the LED lighting kit notes that you need to install an EP27 flasher to get rid of the fast blink rate associated with the reduced load from the LEDs. Got them all wired up and installed and the blink rate slowed with the EP27, but it also caused another issue. The tail lights now blink along with the turn signals. Also, the third brake lights are flashing with the turn signals.

I tried putting the OEM flasher back in, but it just buzzes and the lights don't flash at all. The lights are wired correctly. Also, I removed the towing lights altogether, so that isn't an issue.

Do I need a different flasher? Do I need to add resistors to the flashers? I found a few other mentions of this problem on various forums, but none of the postings were more recent than 2006 and none seemed to have a solution. Help please.

Could be a wiring issue if the tail lights and third brake light blink along with the turn signals. I would look for a bad ground.

When wired right LED taillights work fine with an electronic flasher.
Old school method is to add resistors to each LED to duplicate the original resistance, so the mechanical flasher works correctly.

chasdb · May 16, 2014

Which leds did you order? Oval red for tail light and brake, round yellow for turn signal and round red for side marker and a seperate back up light? If so they should be a direct swap and flash corectly with the new flasher. If you are using the red oval for tail light, brake light and turn signal you will need a trailer tail light converter also.

jeeperjohn · May 18, 2014

It is likely a small amount of stray voltage in your wiring. I have just one led in the center of each of my lights light up whenever voltage is applied anywhere in my system. I could probably find a fix for it but it doesn't bug me much.

CartsXJ · Jul 14, 2014

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx/Taillight-Converter-Utility-Trailer/_/R-BK_7551086_0361066130

Napa BK 7551086

Does anybody know if this converter works with the OVAL STOP/TURN/SIGNAL LED Tail light setup? Already have it in the jeep from the previous owner. Or will I need to pickup the Tow Ready Style.

Teephphah · Jul 16, 2014

Maybe a dumb question, but while I have switched out my tail/brake lights with LED's, haven't tackled the turn signals yet (precisely because I didn't want to deal with this issue) so I'm not familiar with that aspect of the wiring . . . but dumb question or not . . . is the electricity for the tail somehow wired through the flasher unit? I wouldn't imagine that it would be, but you never know. Anyway, it would seem like an easy explanation as to why everything apparently blinks when he hits the turn signal. Everything else seems odd. Though, ground issues can do some strange stuff I guess.

lazyxj · Jul 16, 2014

Teephphah said:
Anyway, it would seem like an easy explanation as to why everything apparently blinks when he hits the turn signal. Everything else seems odd. Though, ground issues can do some strange stuff I guess.

That's a classical example of a ground problem, check the grounds at the tail lights. Only the turn signals go through the flasher, not the brakes or running lights.

LED Tail Light Flasher Frustrations

Summertime Boss

NAXJA Forum User

lazyxj

NAXJA Member #1310

chasdb

NAXJA Member 3643

jeeperjohn

NAXJA Forum User

CartsXJ

NAXJA Forum User

Teephphah

NAXJA Forum User

lazyxj

NAXJA Member #1310

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