Need Help - LED conversion and Fuse's!

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Sep 6, 2012 | 12:57 AM

Karim

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6th Gear

Joined: Sep 2012

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Need Help - LED conversion and Fuse's!

Hi All,

Been working on customizing my 76 Ray for the past two months, after striping the car, dying the interior, building a custom enclosure, I started replacing my dash bulbs with blue LED's. When I tested the bulbs before I put them in, I kept switching 1 bulb at a time to check if they worked before I installed them.

After the pain of putting the speedometer and tach back in, I started up the car and heard a pop and found I had no interior lights!

I realized I blew my tiny 5A fuse for lumination, however now I am wondering is the LED's will need a fuse that will allow more amp's to flow.

Anyone have any experience with LED and fuse issues?

Thanks in Advance!

Karim

Sep 6, 2012 | 07:22 AM

worship79

Drifting

Joined: Jul 2005

Posts: 1,623

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From: The Netherlands

What LED's are we talking about? I can image 9 LED SMD's draw more than the 3 to 5 watt stockers.

Sep 6, 2012 | 09:04 AM

pws69

Melting Slicks

Joined: Nov 2001

Posts: 2,668

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From: Eastern US XX

LED typically draw much LESS current - I suspect you created a short!

Sep 6, 2012 | 10:21 AM

74modified

Burning Brakes

Joined: Oct 2008

Posts: 1,037

Likes: 14

From: Mobile Alabama

Quote:

Originally Posted by pws69

LED typically draw much LESS current - I suspect you created a short!

All of the LED's probably draw less current that 1 or 2 of your original bulbs.

Sep 6, 2012 | 08:49 PM

Karim

Thread Starter

6th Gear

Joined: Sep 2012

Posts: 6

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Quote:

Originally Posted by pws69

LED typically draw much LESS current - I suspect you created a short!

Well, maybe it did not help that I had every other wire hanging disconnected...

Going to finish installing the stereo and than try again!

Thanks everyone! I hope this all works..

Kk

Sep 8, 2012 | 12:16 AM

Karim

Thread Starter

6th Gear

Joined: Sep 2012

Posts: 6

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Quote:

Originally Posted by worship79

What LED's are we talking about? I can image 9 LED SMD's draw more than the 3 to 5 watt stockers.

Okay guys & gals, really stuck here, and this is killing me! I have a new deck ready to install, all my interior ready to install... but I cant move forward until i figure this one out.

I found a blown fuse, very small 5A. Changed it... Checked all the wiring, no fractures, everything taped up and looks good.

When I turn the head lamp switch on, only the centre console, rear lights and head lights turn on (Head lights are not popping up??)

No fuse is broken, and it seems the switch is working perfectly well. Of course I cannot dim the LED's but otherwise its working well.

Sorry, new to this stuff...

Question #1
Is there a second fuse box for a 76 vette?

Question #2 (stupid question)
My gauges are out and so is my centre console, Do I need to connect something??

Question #3
What the hell happened the my headlights?!

Question#4
Does anyone have a dash harness diagram that will show what gets connected where?!

Thank you in Advance!!!

*PS. They are normal single LED's bought on Ebay. Nothing special - "BA9S" straight replacements

Sep 8, 2012 | 01:38 AM

Karim

Thread Starter

6th Gear

Joined: Sep 2012

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FIXED IT!!!

That think metal that connects the speedo and tach was not connected properly!

Now for the gauges! Still cant get light... What is the ground source for the gauges?

Thanks!

Karim

Sep 8, 2012 | 09:14 AM

'75

Le Mans Master

Joined: Dec 2007

Posts: 6,422

Likes: 591

From: McHenry Illinois

There should be a ground wire connected to the small gauge metal housing, if memory serves, one of the gauges has the ground that also jumps to the housing.
14 ga black wire grounds the temp gauge and the rest of the housing also.

Last edited by '75; Sep 8, 2012 at 09:29 AM.