So, I was in the process up updating ALL bulbs to LED. Naturally I installed electronic “heavy duty” flashers from Eaton/Bussman on the hazard and turn signal flasher locationPart 232. This worked great for all the external bulbs . I was even able to find bulbs that were “dual polarity” for the turn signals and able to get the LED to flash with the parking lights on or off... I was a happy man, got the combo right.

well...

My motivation led me to do the interior. All was well in the center stack, found low brightness dual polarity LEDs for the indicators, so low fuel and no seatbelts won’t leave me blind. Natural white illumination LEDs made a soft blue glow, I loved it. Even got the down firing LED situated.

NOW we have a problem....

when installing LEDs in the made speedometer/tachometer cluster, it broke everything! Hazards and blinkers no longer work. I went back to incandescent for the turn and high beam indicator and everything was working again.

under close inspection the incandescent are verrry dimly lit when the lights on, this tells me that these are the source of ground.

what has everyone else done when converting to LEDs? with the front and rear blinkers converted as well as the indicator? Even changing the side marker from a dual filament LED to incandescent has no difference ... what am I missing with the circuitry ???

 

More info ... incandescent front indicator/turn bulb fixed everything, with and without a corner bulb ... I have to brainstorm, but I suspect this is a grounding issue or something caused by sticking diode is the circuit ...

 

Would love to hear more about what bulbs you used? Do you have links, and a list of what went where? ( Lumens / color temps for the various interior parts) Are any of them dimable? Tell us more!


I want to do my 79, so all this would apply the same for mine.

 

A link to the bulbs used would be great. Thanks! 🍻🍺

 

Check the printed circuit for the cluster. Very good chance that one or more of the "fingers" at the connector have come loose.

 

My main motive in replacing interior lights with LEDs was to reduce the current flow through the dimmer reostat that's a part of the headlight switch. Just installed LEDs in the center gauge cluster and the shift console.

When installing LEDs, keep in mind that there are no true white light LEDs. Under a microscope, you'll see triplet clusters of red, blue, green LEDs....the combination of the three monochrome light spectras appears white to your eyes. Soooo, if you use a white LED behind the door ajar, seat belt warning red plastic lens, the red lens will filter out the green and blue LED component of the white LEDs, resulting in reduced light output. Use a red LED behind a red plastic lens for full LED light output.

 

I also want to do all leds interior. It’s torn apart now would be the time. Did you ever get any info on bulbs and/or spec. Wireing??? My 79 really needs it.

Dash just put in last night. Not happy with Corvettecentral carpet. Want leds on all gauges/wiper/everything

 

Willcox carpet is great, no issues with my installation.

 

No, nothing, the OP seems to have vanished after posting????

 

OOPS! I misread the post before making my suggestion to check the printed circuit for loose "fingers".

Will go back to my belief that excepting the backup lights, rear marker lights and spare tire lights the exterior lighting circuitry in our cars is incompatible with LEDs. If you bring up headlights I remind you that there is no legal LED equivalent because they are obnoxious if not downright dangerous to oncoming traffic.

 

FWIW. There have been posts in the past where C3 Corvette owners have repaced their "bright" headlights with aircraft landing lights!!!!

 

At least the aircraft landing lights were in the high beams

 

well I started a list with superbirtes web. But didn’t cover the wiper switch and not sure if I’m going to need new sockets etc a module thingy. I’m just going to call them Monday and order though the phone. Hopefully it works out. Thanks for the response

 

Sorry - that is JUST not true-

LED and Incandescent are BOTH 12V DC.

Just because LEDs pull 1/5 the current- they will actually work better than the higher amp incandescent bulbs with the old wiring.

THEY have to be installed correctly - use electronic flashers than the old style mechanical flashers that worked by heating metal up till it expands and breaks contact.. No way is that better than an solid state switching device.

The LED- is one way electrically- hence the name Light Emitting Diode- the diode is a one way valve - It just has to be in the right direction- INSTALLED CORRECTLY!!

LED headlights? Well thanks to the ricer crowd running the higher frequency 'blue" lighting - not adjusted correctly- then you'll get blinded.

HOWEVER- there are MILLIONS of cars running LED headlights- even a Toyota Corolla uses LED headlights-

Yep- there are one's that are not DOT approved- but most say- "DOT Approved Street Legal"

Richard

 

I recently changed my dash lights to LED.

At first I used single LED globes however they were way too dim so I went to a multi LED globe and much better.



Too dim almost unseeable.

Perfect.

 

The blinding of oncoming traffic isn't due to the bulb technology; it's the HOUSING.
The Dapper Lighting 575s have a physical metal cut-off in the "dim" housings. You can put incandescents, LEDs, HIDs, candles, or lightening bugs in them and they won't blind oncoming traffic.

Adam
P.S. I'm obviously agreeing with you on this one.

 

I'm a cheap-***; I went with reversible polarity amazon.com LEDs with the light output and color temperature that I wanted, but then left a single traditional incandescent bulb in one driver's side and one passenger's side parking lamp so that each circuit pulls enough current to trip the stock flashers. -Then when they stop blinking, I know which bulb is burnt out, too.

(At least two ways to skin that particular cat.)


Adam

 

I tried LEDs in the front turn signals with two electronic flashers. I had already changed all the gauge bulbs to non polarized LEDs.
Everything worked great until I turned on the headlights. Both turn signal green LEDs came on immediately. Never could figure it out so put the incandescent bulbs back in the parking lights, go figure.

 

You have a bad- or not so good ground-electricity is lazy- as it'll take path of least resistance...

Those Dapper lights are the cat's meow....

 

I had basically the EXACT same thing happening when I installed my Dapper LED halos -led ring blinked with the turnsignals. My engine was out at the time so obviously some major ground issues, but I cleaned up all the grounds in the front-end and added some redundant ground straps between the vacuum "ram bar" and the radiator frame, I added a bunch of redundant ground straps in the rear of the car -battery post to the rear ground strap by the radio antenna that goes to the frame, then from the frame to the gas tank sending unit ground. (I have an in tank EFI pump and I knew it would need a good ground.)

Fixed all the grounds and the issue went away. I have no idea which ground strap fixed it, but for me that's kinda the point. Hopefully I won't have to worry about troubleshooting ground issues.
My heads' have accessory holes in the front and rear (so either head could be drivers or passenger's side) and I'm running a ground strap between the two heads using the rear otherwise unused accessory holes, too. This was actually a tip in the Holley EFI instructions for my coil-on-plug wiring harness. Given that your spark is only as good as the heads' ground, seemed like a great idea to me.


Adam