Re: LED Tail Lights

Posted by Tim Cole On 2017/5/8 15:23:23

Note that old bulbs lose up to 50% of candlepower with age so I would try some brand new bulbs. I would keep a good set of spares around as well given that bulbs are disappearing from the scene. The GE incandescent plant (the old Ohio Packard site) has ceased operations.

As well, compare the voltage at the back of the car to battery terminal voltage (using a cheap voltmeter). If the battery shows 6.25 volts and the available voltage at the lights is only 5.75 then that requires some attention.

You can also fashion reflectors out of shiny foil which is better than silver paint. The foil can be glued into place.

If everything tests okay then the system needs to be load tested. That requires some experience in fabricating devices to mate with the light sockets. The light switch is a plain old contact switch and load bearing so moving to relays would go a long way toward restoring as new performance.

I never had buyers for this kind of stuff because the expense is high, but for a do it yourself case it will provide results.

The most common sale I made was substituting the 6 volt Volkswagen headlight relay as the driver for the starter solenoid to relieve the starter button from carrying a load. Those buttons wear out and become unreliable.