Need help, resistors for switchbacks
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 461
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From: East Northport New York
Need help, resistors for switchbacks
I put in my LED switcback DRL's and a love them. However the hyper flash has to go. I purchased a resistor kit but it didnt come with any directions whatsoever. So which wires do I hook to? There are three, black brown and blue. Thanks, Kirk
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 102
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From: Clermont Florida
I just put these bulbs in also. I bought these resistors, RL-650 Tail Light Load Resistor kit, from superbrightleds.com for $4.95 per side. They come with instructions, but it's really easy anyway. connect one end of the resistor to each of the outside wires in the harness. Good luck, they look great when they're in.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2002
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From: Houston TX
St. Jude Donor '11
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 461
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From: East Northport New York
AHHHHhhhh, ok I am going crazy over here, got my resistors all set, hook them up per every ones recomendations, fast blink is gone! YES wait a minute something doesnt look right. Turns out the bulbs arent "switching back" The white portion of the bulb stays on constant, never turns off, amber blinks on and off but gets washed out by the white color, kind of defeats the purpose. What am I doing wrong? Tweaker any ideas, you say yours work fine. Car is an 07 Z06 hooked the resistor to the two outside wires on the bulb harness. HELP I want these to work so bad
Tech Contributor
Joined: Sep 2008
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From: Greensboro NC
2015 C6 of the Year Finalist
AHHHHhhhh, ok I am going crazy over here, got my resistors all set, hook them up per every ones recomendations, fast blink is gone! YES wait a minute something doesnt look right. Turns out the bulbs arent "switching back" The white portion of the bulb stays on constant, never turns off, amber blinks on and off but gets washed out by the white color, kind of defeats the purpose. What am I doing wrong? Tweaker any ideas, you say yours work fine. Car is an 07 Z06 hooked the resistor to the two outside wires on the bulb harness. HELP I want these to work so bad
Either the amber or white is always lit up when your turn signal is on.
As a matter of fact, I would say that the only time that the switchback lights are totally off is when the car is turned off.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 461
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From: East Northport New York
No thats the problem, the white stays on even when the blinkers are flashing when the resistors are in, hence no "switchback" No resistors everything is fine, switches from white to amber when the blinkers are on. Weird
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
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From: The Arid Sunny Desert
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From: Oklahoma City
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17,'19,'22
I just had them professionally installed by The Vette Doctors and can tell you that unfortunately that is how they are designed. I was under the false impression that they glow amber when the DRL's are on (like stock) and switchback to white when the headlamps are turned on but that's not the case. I didn't like them and had my stock DRL bulbs put right back in.........
Once the lights are turned on they turn white. When you use your turn signals they switch back and forth.
If they do not function that way something triggered the white circuit to stay on. Usually they are tested in a garage or shop with the ebrake in use. They won't work properly this way.
In order for them to work as advertised they must be used as the car would be driven. That means you must test them out on the road while the car is running.
I have heard of a couple of C6s where they just wouldn't work correct. I couldn't figure out the problem since I wasn't there for troubleshooting. I just had to go by what the owner told me they tried. After receiving the bulbs back they tested fine in my car so I just came to the conclusion that some c5s/c6s don't like the bulbs. That's really rare though.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
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From: The Arid Sunny Desert
Our switchbacks are amber without the fogs or headlights on.
Once the lights are turned on they turn white. When you use your turn signals they switch back and forth.
If they do not function that way something triggered the white circuit to stay on. Usually they are tested in a garage or shop with the ebrake in use. They won't work properly this way.
In order for them to work as advertised they must be used as the car would be driven. That means you must test them out on the road while the car is running.
I have heard of a couple of C6s where they just wouldn't work correct. I couldn't figure out the problem since I wasn't there for troubleshooting. I just had to go by what the owner told me they tried. After receiving the bulbs back they tested fine in my car so I just came to the conclusion that some c5s/c6s don't like the bulbs. That's really rare though.
Once the lights are turned on they turn white. When you use your turn signals they switch back and forth.
If they do not function that way something triggered the white circuit to stay on. Usually they are tested in a garage or shop with the ebrake in use. They won't work properly this way.
In order for them to work as advertised they must be used as the car would be driven. That means you must test them out on the road while the car is running.
I have heard of a couple of C6s where they just wouldn't work correct. I couldn't figure out the problem since I wasn't there for troubleshooting. I just had to go by what the owner told me they tried. After receiving the bulbs back they tested fine in my car so I just came to the conclusion that some c5s/c6s don't like the bulbs. That's really rare though.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: Edgewood Washington
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Are the LED Lamps 'keyed' or can they be plugged in two different ways like other LED upgrades (side markers for example).
Try reversing the plug.
Try reversing the plug.
Team Owner
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From: I live my life by 2 rules. 1) Never share everything you know. 2)
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13, '16-'17-'18
LEDs are polarity devices. If the assembly was plugged in backwards, it wouldn't light at all (unless the manufacturer included a diode bridge, that is)
Team Owner
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From: I live my life by 2 rules. 1) Never share everything you know. 2)
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13, '16-'17-'18
I happen to have a set that I haven't installed yet and it appears that the negative (anode) side of the LEDs are connected to both the inner and outer connection on one side of the plug. The other side of the plug is amber = outer and white = inner
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: Edgewood Washington
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13-'14-'15
My Switchbacks, yet to be installed, are 'wired' the same way as yours Ken.
It's kind of odd that the lamps, either LED or Incandescent (OEM) have 4 pins and the connector has 3.
Yes I know the grounds are shared, but if you looked at the plug's pic in the Service Manual, you'd think there's no way it's going to make good contact with all 4 pins.
But obviously the connector works, and there is only one way to plug in the LED 'bulb' to get anything to work at all.
I still have no idea why the OP's adding of load resistors would cause the switchback function to quit working. I wonder how they are switching the white LED's off when the amber ones come on, either flashing as turn signals or constantly on as DRL's.
This last condition is the reason I haven't installed mine. They were an impulse buy but further investigation with the manufacturer revealed that they claim running them as DRL's will cause premature failure.
I assumed it was because the switching circuit would fail.
And to confirm the color code on the OEM connector, Black's ground, Brown's parking/running lamp voltage and Blue/White is turn signal/DRL voltage.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 272
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From: Medical Center, Houston Texas
anybody ever figure this out? my C6 does this too...
with load resistors: no hyperflash but white stays on always
without resistors: hyperflash but ACTUAL switchback (amber then white then amber then white...)
got em from JW Motoring. anybody..?
with load resistors: no hyperflash but white stays on always
without resistors: hyperflash but ACTUAL switchback (amber then white then amber then white...)
got em from JW Motoring. anybody..?
