Using LED trailer lights, wiring question

[skyl4rk]

I have some truck trailer LED lights, which have a ground wire, a running light wire (normal light), and a right/left turn wire (bright light).

I tapped off of the wires in the back of my car. My car has a separate bulb for brake lights, the turn signals have their own separate bulb. At first I was going to connect both the brake light wire to both right/left turn wires, and the right and left turn wires to the appropriate sides.

My concern is that the brake wire connection to both of the turn signal wires will mean that both lights light up when one turn signal is lit.

Is there any way around this other than putting in additional lights for the brakes?

Did I tap the wires incorrectly?

[OneOfFew]

Use a diode coming out of the car wiring so it does not feed back into the unintended light bulb. Then you can join them together at the common bulb that will do the blinker and Brake lamp. The problem you will run into thought is the brake light will override the blinker causing it not to blink on the trailer when the brakes are applied.

Edit: You could run the power to the lights through a relay and when the blinker power is applied it would cause the relay to energize disconnecting the bright causing it to blink even with the brakes applied. You would need 1 more diode and a jumper to make it work.

Edit2: The above edit idea is giving me troubles, need to work on it more.

Edit3: There is a kit that they sell for $25 that lets you put them together into the same wire. This would be much easier then running a bunch of relays. I could not get it to work properly on homemade wiring with less then adding 4 relays and 6 diodes.

http://www.etrailer.com/Tow-Bars/Tow-Ready/118158.html

[skyl4rk]

It sounds like two diodes, one on each leg of the brake wire to the lights, will allow one turn signal to light without lighting the other one. But the brakes will override the turn signals.

The converter in the link goes from a three wire system on an RV to a four wire system for towing a car, and it doesn't work in reverse.

Thanks for the good information on how to get this fixed.

[skyl4rk]

Oops, there would also need to be diodes on the brake wires to prevent feedback back into the vehicle.

This may be what I am looking for:

Flat 4-Prong Tail Light Converter #V5410

http://www.hitchsource.com/to-wire-p...p-p-27168.html

Supposedly these are available at most auto part stores.

[skyl4rk]

I bought a "Taillight Converter - LED Compatible", NAPA part number 755-2161

Cost was about $30.

This did the job and was easy, just tap into the tail, left, right and brake wires, attach a ground, and you have an output trailer connector with ground - tail - bright left - bright right wires.

The part that I got was packaged with a NAPA label, but it appears to be the same as this part:

Taillight Converter Universal Kit (independent bulb turn signals) :: Hopkins Towing Solutions

[chvycmmnslvr]

Originally Posted by skyl4rk

I have some truck trailer LED lights, which have a ground wire, a running light wire (normal light), and a right/left turn wire (bright light).

I tapped off of the wires in the back of my car. My car has a separate bulb for brake lights, the turn signals have their own separate bulb. At first I was going to connect both the brake light wire to both right/left turn wires, and the right and left turn wires to the appropriate sides.

My concern is that the brake wire connection to both of the turn signal wires will mean that both lights light up when one turn signal is lit.

Is there any way around this other than putting in additional lights for the brakes?

Did I tap the wires incorrectly?

You can't wire them in like that ... you can however for around thirty dollars ... get a converter that will enable you to wire in your trailer lights .... Walmart, Autozone, O'rielys or just about any auto parts store will have the taillight converter you need ... Most small P/U trucks since around '88 have had the same problem and have to have the converter installed as well