Problem with LED signals with amber DRL's

[The Whedge]

I have a Canadian 2014 Ford Edge with the amber lights being used as DRL's. I have tried installing LED switchback turn signal bulbs with no success. The ones I tried are tower bulbs from Diode Dynamics. I have tried with and without resistors but the bulbs just behave strangely: White flickering, amber never comes on except with hazards. The resistors get extremely hot due to the bright DRL circuit being powered all the time unless headlights are on.

 

I thought the bulbs were defective at first but they have been replaced with the same results. I definitely had the resistors installed correctly. I took them out again because they were so hot to touch.

 

I have read in a few places that there is an issue with the voltage going to the front signals in the 2010+ Edge. VLEDS apparently has had to create an adapter to allow their V3 Tritons to work in this scenario. But they are $160.

 

I am curious if anyone else has had experience with this and which bulbs will work. SPECIFICALLY if the amber DRL is activated. I think I have read EVERY discussion on this forum regarding LED signals and resistors.

 

I really appreciate any help.

[specialk4523]

never... i got mine from daytimebrights n they are awesome...

[The Whedge]

never... i got mine from daytimebrights n they are awesome...

 

 

I also have Dan's vertical DRL/signal lights and they are great. I'm talking about 3157 switchback bulbs for the signal light housing in the stock headlight assembly.

 

I am seriously considering just going with the VLED Tritons. Seems like a great product. Seems expensive at first glance but considering the quality and longevity, it is likely quite a reasonable price in the long run.

Edited February 24, 2015 by The Whedge

[gmfranco88]

Hello The Wedge,

 

I am also having a bit of an issue with mine. I installed Switchbacks in my 14' Ford Edge and they are semi-working, but not how I would like them to work. I bought 2 3157 60SMD Switchbacks on eBay that came with the necessary resistors. I installed them without resistors and did not experience the hyper-flashing. However, when car is running and I use the turn signals, both the White & Amber LEDs come on, thus taking the brightness down by about 50%. When the car is off, they Amber works properly at 100% brightness (no white LEDs on) using the hazards or locking/unlocking the vehicle.

 

I also have DTBL DRLs installed. Just out of curiosity, I quickly disconnected the wire that goes from the turn signal to the DRLs and it worked as expected. The switchback went from White to Amber without any of the White LEDs staying on thus providing 100% Amber brightness. Once the DRLs were connected again, the problem came back.

 

Obviously, I do not want to disable the switchback functionality on DTBL DRLs, so I kept them connected. They only trade off is that my switchbacks installed as turn signals on are only 50% when activated since both the White & Amber LEDs remain on. I wired the resistors in different configurations, but this did not fix the issue at all. I am wondering if the DRLs are drawing too much energy to allow the switchbacks to operate normally?.. I am not an electrical engineer, so I wouldn't know.

 

Any assistance with this issue would be highly appreciated.

[The Whedge]

I installed the new VLEDS Triton V3 switchbacks yesterday. VLEDS has sorted out the issue with Ford Edge electronics. They are PERFECT; no hyper flash or flickering at all. They run as bright white DRL's with amber signal function (same as DTBL vertical lights). They are super bright, so I set them up to dim if the parking lights are on (either manual switch to parking light or when headlights are on). I'll post some pics and a video soon in a new thread.

[TheWizard]

Hello The Wedge,

 

I am also having a bit of an issue with mine. I installed Switchbacks in my 14' Ford Edge and they are semi-working, but not how I would like them to work. I bought 2 3157 60SMD Switchbacks on eBay that came with the necessary resistors. I installed them without resistors and did not experience the hyper-flashing. However, when car is running and I use the turn signals, both the White & Amber LEDs come on, thus taking the brightness down by about 50%. When the car is off, they Amber works properly at 100% brightness (no white LEDs on) using the hazards or locking/unlocking the vehicle.

 

I also have DTBL DRLs installed. Just out of curiosity, I quickly disconnected the wire that goes from the turn signal to the DRLs and it worked as expected. The switchback went from White to Amber without any of the White LEDs staying on thus providing 100% Amber brightness. Once the DRLs were connected again, the problem came back.

 

Obviously, I do not want to disable the switchback functionality on DTBL DRLs, so I kept them connected. They only trade off is that my switchbacks installed as turn signals on are only 50% when activated since both the White & Amber LEDs remain on. I wired the resistors in different configurations, but this did not fix the issue at all. I am wondering if the DRLs are drawing too much energy to allow the switchbacks to operate normally?.. I am not an electrical engineer, so I wouldn't know.

 

Any assistance with this issue would be highly appreciated.

 

Something is wired incorrectly... probably with the Edge 2 DRLs. The parking and turn signal lights run on two completely separate circuits that share nothing except a common ground. In a factory incandescent bulb those two circuits are connected to different filaments inside the bulb - a bright one for turn signals and a dim one for parking lights. With switchbacks, you still have two circuits but one illuminates the amber LEDs for turn signals and the other illuminates the white LEDs for parking lights. Since LEDs flow current in only one direction (they are diodes after all), it is impossible for them to illuminate due to current back feed through the ground side of the circuit. That means that your two power circuits (parking and turn signal) are cross connected somewhere allowing power to both sides at the same time when the parking lights or headlights are on. You mention that the problem goes away when you disconnect the Edge 2 DRLs so it's logical that the cross connection is related to that. My Edge had LED bulbs and Edge 2 DRLs without the symptoms you describe so I suggest re-checking the DRL connections.

[gmfranco88]

 

Something is wired incorrectly... probably with the Edge 2 DRLs. The parking and turn signal lights run on two completely separate circuits that share nothing except a common ground. In a factory incandescent bulb those two circuits are connected to different filaments inside the bulb - a bright one for turn signals and a dim one for parking lights. With switchbacks, you still have two circuits but one illuminates the amber LEDs for turn signals and the other illuminates the white LEDs for parking lights. Since LEDs flow current in only one direction (they are diodes after all), it is impossible for them to illuminate due to current back feed through the ground side of the circuit. That means that your two power circuits (parking and turn signal) are cross connected somewhere allowing power to both sides at the same time when the parking lights or headlights are on. You mention that the problem goes away when you disconnect the Edge 2 DRLs so it's logical that the cross connection is related to that. My Edge had LED bulbs and Edge 2 DRLs without the symptoms you describe so I suggest re-checking the DRL connections.

 

Hello TheWizard,

 

Yes, I do plan to re-check and troubleshoot to see if I can get this resolved. I do remember carefully following Dan's instructions included in the DRLs, but will definitely double check everything. Unfortunately, everything is on hold due to the brutal winter here in NY. Thanks for the response.