Question about LED converter for tail lights- Update LED lights are all sorted THANKS

[toadster]

The purple wire is needed. It sends the signal to the tail lights to go on bright when the brakes are applied. There are two but its just a spit from the same wire so there is a wire at each tail.

What the converter does is apply intelligence to the brake and turn signal light feeds so it only comes out on one wire. Before the converter you have a signal for turn and brake. After it they are combined and it can handle displaying the flashing turn signal when both are receiving a signal. It used to be so you could combine the dual rounds to be able to do both bc they came as one was brake on bright and one was turn on bright. Since its a dual filament bulb. Then its just the running lights on the low bulb filament.

A third brake light is challenging with this if its a single signal light. You could take either of the left or right brake/turn combined output form the converter. Brakes would work fine bit it would only blink with whatever side you took from the converter. What you want to do is take a signal from the brake (purple wire) BEFORE the converter. Then it would be a single uncombined brake light.

Unless your 3rd brake light has a left and right side. I installed the 3rd brake light in my roll bars so I essentially have 2 and could take it from the converter. Here you can see my car in both scenarios: Brakes on and then eft turn on (no running lights).

Thanks Michael - that helps a bit... remember these rectangular lights are LED, not separate incandescents like the dual rounds...

so we should just tie into the purple... not cut it (like we did) ugh
IMG_4504.jpg ffr-tails.png

what's throwing me off is in Fman's post he's direct to the tails from the converter, not the harness
and Brad's diagram below doesn't show a purple line at the lights either...

brad-tails.png

so given the LED tails and purple lines are needed... it would wire as follows (with converter)


GROUND black (harness) to white (on both lights)
TAIL tan (harness) to black (on both lights)
BRAKE purple (harness) to red (on both lights)
RT TURN white (harness) to red (on right light)
LF TURN yellow (harness) to red (on left light)

3rd brake light
Option #1 single light
tie into purple (pre converter box) so it only turns on (no blink)

Option #2 two lights (left/right)
tie into purple (post converter box) so they can blink with turn signals

[Hacksaw84]

Yeah I am tracking they are LED but that's not what matters. Its that they are a single 3 wire light and not two 3 wire lights. That is why they come with the converter now. My comment was this same concept was also used when it wasn't "needed" so dual round tail light cars could have them both behave the same. Hopefully that makes sense.

Both Brad and Fman are correct in what they are showing. Wire it exactly as they have it shown. The purple needs to go into the converter. All harness wires have a path through the converter. No wires go to the tail lights directly. The only exception is if you have a 3rd single bulb brake light, you will need to spice in before. One caveat is that you want to double check the colors of the converter are consistent to the function you are connecting it to, independent of the color. A bunch of companies make these converters and I think they are all the same but I would check their wiring diagram to confirm. If you are connecting a left turn signal wire from the cars harness then it needs to go to whatever color that company calls the left turn signal in the input side of the converter.

For the 3rd brake like options:
The first is correct.
The second is each wire from the output of the converter that goes to the brake light as a (brake/turn) wire will also go to the 3rd brake light. In the diagram above it will be one yellow and one green.

Lights.png

[BradCraig]

Yeah I am tracking they are LED but that's not what matters. Its that they are a single 3 wire light and not two 3 wire lights. That is why they come with the converter now. My comment was this same concept was also used when it wasn't "needed" so dual round tail light cars could have them both behave the same. Hopefully that makes sense.

Both Brad and Fman are correct in what they are showing. Wire it exactly as they have it shown. The purple needs to go into the converter. All harness wires have a path through the converter. No wires go to the tail lights directly. The only exception is if you have a 3rd single bulb brake light, you will need to spice in before. One caveat is that you want to double check the colors of the converter are consistent to the function you are connecting it to, independent of the color. A bunch of companies make these converters and I think they are all the same but I would check their wiring diagram to confirm. If you are connecting a left turn signal wire from the cars harness then it needs to go to whatever color that company calls the left turn signal in the input side of the converter.

For the 3rd brake like options:
The first is correct.
The second is each wire from the output of the converter that goes to the brake light as a (brake/turn) wire will also go to the 3rd brake light. In the diagram above it will be one yellow and one green.

Lights.png

I need to probably tag the wire colors on the diagram! Good point also on the different converter manufacturers may have different colors, but functionally should map out.

[toadster]

I need to probably tag the wire colors on the diagram! Good point also on the different converter manufacturers may have different colors, but functionally should map out.

so where is the purple wire from the harness connecting to the lights?

[Hacksaw84]

so where is the purple wire from the harness connecting to the lights?

In his diagram is shows the purple wire from the harness connecting to the converter. It does not connect to the tail lights directly. Only through the converter. After the converter it comes out as a dual signal (now with brake and turn).

The purple wire in the harness is for the brake signal. It needs to connect to the converter via whatever wire the converter labels as the brake wire input. In his diagram it is red.

[toadster]

In his diagram is shows the purple wire from the harness connecting to the converter. It does not connect to the tail lights directly. Only through the converter.
After the converter it comes out as a dual signal (now with brake and turn).
The purple wire in the harness is for the brake signal.
It needs to connect to the converter via whatever wire the converter labels as the brake wire input.
In his diagram it is red.

given your statement in BOLD above, the left and right rear harness has 4 wires...

tail-wires.jpg

so my question stands - is the purple wire used at the rear of the car?
since FFR directions say to put this converter in the dash, I'm doing it at the harness split above the gas tank
harness-converter.png

the wire harness needs to carry the signal back
Fman's photo shows the lights are directly connected to the converter, not the harness...

I'm looking for harness wiring... after the converter, with 4 wires at each side going into 3 wires at the lights




if I combine the two sections of the manual, I get this
a 5-wire to 4-wire converter, then those 4wires need to connect to 3-wires on the lights

harness-converter-with-lights.png

my question is why is there a purple line in the rear harness? is it not needed when you have the LED 5-4 converter?

[BradCraig]

5 - 4 = 1 (purple). :-) Not needed.

[toadster]

5 - 4 = 1 (purple). :-) Not needed.

ok sorry, was losing my mind seeing the extra 4th line at the lights...

I'm sure I'll probably run into plenty of dead-end wires in the harness...

[nucjd19]

Hey Toad. Just saw my thread get revived. Glad it is sorted. It was confusing to me as well when I was wiring up the the converter. I had folks saying saying to wire it by the gas tank and then I had Dave at FFR adamant I wire it in near the dash I guess to isolate it from vibrations and water. Then I had to figure out the wiring pattern. I am so thankful to everyone on this site that posted up diagrams and pictures. We are truly lucky to have such amazing folks that help.

[toadster]

Hey Toad. Just saw my thread get revived. Glad it is sorted. It was confusing to me as well when I was wiring up the the converter. I had folks saying saying to wire it by the gas tank and then I had Dave at FFR adamant I wire it in near the dash I guess to isolate it from vibrations and water. Then I had to figure out the wiring pattern. I am so thankful to everyone on this site that posted up diagrams and pictures. We are truly lucky to have such amazing folks that help.

totally agree!

I wish the FFR manual stated, that when you use the converter, the purple wire is no longer needed at the tail lights!

[Hacksaw84]

Yeah I wasn't tracking the recommendation of it being installed behind the dash. Mine is at the rear split right above the gas tank. I thought you were asking if its needed at all and not just at the very rear of the car when you spiced it in at the dash. After the converter is introduced it will be an extra wire. It is a "4 to 3 wire converter" so one less is needed. I was trying to help with the understanding of what you are doing with the wiring instead of just what colors go where. To me that helps overall in the plan. To reiterate that, you are taking a dedicated brake 12v positive signal and a dedicated 12v positive for each turn signals. Then the converter combines them bc it has the ability to blink while the brake is on. The output is a wire for both tails that has both blinker/hazzard and brake light function in one wire.

You could keep the purple wire connected before the converter and it could be used at the rear of the car for your 3rd brake light.

[toadster]

Yeah I wasn't tracking the recommendation of it being installed behind the dash. Mine is at the rear split right above the gas tank. I thought you were asking if its needed at all and not just at the very rear of the car when you spiced it in at the dash. After the converter is introduced it will be an extra wire. It is a "4 to 3 wire converter" so one less is needed. I was trying to help with the understanding of what you are doing with the wiring instead of just what colors go where. To me that helps overall in the plan. To reiterate that, you are taking a dedicated brake 12v positive signal and a dedicated 12v positive for each turn signals. Then the converter combines them bc it has the ability to blink while the brake is on. The output is a wire for both tails that has both blinker/hazzard and brake light function in one wire.

You could keep the purple wire connected before the converter and it could be used at the rear of the car for your 3rd brake light.

yes that's exactly what I'm doing with the 3rd brake light

[Fordfan96]

Any chance of a pic? I’m thinking of putting mine there as well. Aluminum is already on but I can reach the harness. Which of the tan and purple wires did you splice and do the extras matter? I’ve looked at the dash wiring and see that the tan tail light wire starts single and splits to three along the way, purple (brakes) starts as dual, goes to single at the plug, and the splits to two toward the back. That’s the confusing part. Thinking of using weatgerpak connectors so I can easily unplug and replace converter if it goes bad.