bumper lights

[Skut]

hey all i just made my bumper and its lookin good but i do not know how to set up the lights. :shocked!: its the kind of light with a positive, negetive, and ground. i was told to use a trailer hook up and im still way too confused.
anything is appreciated.
thanks
~Anthony

[muskyslayr]

hey all i just made my bumper and its lookin good but i do not know how to set up the lights. :shocked!: its the kind of light with a positive, negetive, and ground. i was told to use a trailer hook up and im still way too confused.
anything is appreciated.
thanks
~Anthony


Hey Skut, you're in the wrong area but I'll give it a shot here...Are you sure it's a positive, negative and ground? On a 12v system ground is negative. I'm wondering if you don't have a lead for signal, a lead for marker and a ground lead. What's it say on the back of the light? And what color are the leads?
:dance:

[Mikey]

maybe he has a dual filament light
2 power leads and one ground

[Sally]

ok, i'm assuming that you are just installing two lights in the rear - stop/turn/tail, and backup - on each side.

if so, then you definitely need a trailer type wiring converter to run from the samurai three light to your new two light.

but here are the wires anyways:

green w/ yellow tracer = right turn
green w/ red tracer = left turn
green w/ white tracer = stop (brake)
red w/ blue tracer = tail
red w/ green tracer = tail
red w/ yellow tracer = tail
solid red = reverse

on your stop/turn/tail:
black = stop/turn
red = tail
white = ground

on your backup light:
red = reverse
brown = ? not used
white = ground

[Skut]

here is a pic...
http://myspace-333.vo.llnwd.net/00726/33/36/726516333_l.jpg

[muskyslayr]

if I'm not mistaken the red is the signal, black is the marker and white is ground. But if this is for a rear you'll either need to relay it or add an additional light for either brake or turn.

[Skut]

so i cant use this as a running light brake light and blinker?

[muskyslayr]

Nope, you need an additional light. Sorry man...:happy

[Skut]

an additional light for what, the blinker?

[muskyslayr]

yep, either the brake or the signal... On most American made cars the blinkers and brakes share a bulb. One side will blink while the other stays solid for brakes. Notice the stock lights on the zuk have both red and amber? Two seperate bulbs... I know there's a relay or something you can use to eliminate the need for the second bulb but I don't know how to do it. If you try to use the one bulb for both blinkers and brakes when you apply your brakes all the light, all the way around the truck will light up...and by the same token if you turn on a turn signal all the lights will flash because you're backfeeding a signal... Just add a second light...they're not that expensive...:dance:

[Skut]

i see what you're sayin but my uncle and a buddy of mine have only 2 lights and 1 reverse

[DesertZuki]

I'm not the brightest guy when it comes to wires, but there's a device you can buy if you're truck is wired Japanese and you're trailer is wired American. It makes it so you can run the different light set ups on the vehicle and the trailer. You may be able to work that device into the the circuit and make it right. Again, I don't know for sure but, hey -- you could be the Guinea Pig :mrgreen:

You can buy those devices at Auto Zones and such.

[Billjohn]

i see what you're sayin but my uncle and a buddy of mine have only 2 lights and 1 reverse

Have them show you what they did and then share it with the crowd...

[hotwired]

Go back to what Sally said, you need to buy a converter that will take the turn signal and run it into the brake light. It takes you from three lights per side down to two (stop/turn and running). There's a way to make one with diodes, but it's not that expensive to buy the converter. I think they run about $20. Back up ;ights are easy, just add as many as you want as long as you don't draw enough current to burn out the switch. If you are going to run some big fog/ driving lights for backup you'll want to run power back to a relay and use the back up wire to turn the relay on and off.

Dave

[holeshot]

You can wire your lights to use just two lights. Like already said, just get a taillight converter and wire it per the instructions with the converter.
Heres some info on converters.

http://www.ontheball.com/taillight_convert.htm

[DesertZuki]

Did you ever get this set up the way you wanted?

[ack]

Skut:

There is an informative article at Ack's FAQ that describes how to wire US-style tail lights (like the one that you have purchased) to the Japanese-style tail light system (like the on your Samurai has). It also happens to be an article on wiring your truck for LED taillights - but that's just a bonus in this discussion... :D

Go to Acks FAQ (http://www.acksfaq.com) and do a search for tail light or turn signal for this article.

Hope this helps!

[DesertZuki]

...Hope this helps!
It helped me! :mrgreen: