LED Blinkers

[JBradford84]

I’m trying to put LED blinkers in my 12v ‘63. I replaced all the bulbs and I have no blinker function. If I have 1 LED and 1 incandescent per side I have blinkers again.

Reading around online (should have just come here first) a LED blinker relay was suggested. So I got the suggested one, not only didn’t it work but I’m popping fuses when I try my blinker. Needles to say I put the original blinker relay back in.

What the trick?

Link to the relay I was suggested. https://a.co/d/awSy96r

Thanks in advance.

[zerotofifty]

[panicman]

I did an LED conversion on my 6v 1960.

I followed all instructions but had really weird behavior from the lights and blinkers.

Here are 2 key things that worked for me:

- test for voltage drop, and clean every cleanable part of each circuit and ground thoroughly, even the switches if needed.

-get a plastic bulb holder for the signal lamp in the speedometer. That bulb is seated in a socket that gets positive voltage. You need to isolate it, probably. That's the last thing I had to do in my conversion to finally get all of it to work. It's cheap and easy, too.

Link: https://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=113957397

[Bub]

It's not the flasher, though you might want to try one from a motorcycle- they seem to work LED or not, and many are adjstable flash speed.

BUt yes, it works with one bukb of each kind because re curcuit needs a 'load' or some resistsance to operate the flasher, and LEDs don't use enough current to create a load to run the flasher.
So, easy way is to do what you did, and run one incandecent and one LED bulb.
Of get a flasher rom like a scooter or motorcycle.
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[JBradford84]

Thanks for the input. I have a few things I can try now.

[liflx_s75]

I converted my 63 to use LED's for the signals. What made it work for me was using an electronic signal relay, replacing the stock one. Also with all the bulbs LED it blinked faster than leaving one standard bulb in the line, in my case it was the dash light. That I haven't gotten to work yet, but everything else works great. And on a stock 6 volt system the lights are much brighter and I notice cars around me see me now! As for my dash light, I got the later piece to isolate it, and a resistor wire to help make it light. But it hasn't yet. And I have other projects more pressing at the moment. But I am happy with the brighter signals right now.

So get the right electronic flasher relay, you shouldn't have to change your wiring.
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2025 50 years with my 1963 Beetle!

[ashman40]

Here's what you need to know...

That HD flasher relay in your link sounds like it was meant to power MANY 25W turn signal lamps on each side of the car (25A wow, that's a large number of 25W bulbs or a HUGE number of 2.5W LED bulbs!)
If you want a new LED compatible flasher relay that is known to work with the VW wiring... go to your FLAPS and look for an EP-35 flasher relay. These have the OE terminal numbers (31, 49(+), 49a) and will work with just the stock 8A fuse. The EP-35 will work with 2.5W LED bulbs or 25W incandescent bulbs. But will not work by itself if you have 2.5W LED bulbs in each corner. This is an incompatibility with the VW turn signal circuit, not an incompatibility with the corner LED bulbs.


You have a few options:

Option1 (Easiest): Using the EP-35 LED compatible flasher relay, replace either the front turn signals OR the rear turn signals, but not both. Leave 25W incandescent bulbs at the opposite end of the car (front or rear). This leaves 25W + 2.5W load on each side. The LED compatible EP-35 flasher relay will work to power these corner lamps. The 2W speedometer lamp sees more than 10x load from the corners so works normally. But you don't get LEDs in all four corners.

Option2 (Works with stock flasher relay & LEDs in all corners): The simplest way to run LED turn signal lamps in each corner is to add a single 50W LED resistor to each side turn signal circuit. This is wired like a 3rd turn signal bulb on each side. This fakes the 12v flasher relay into thinking there are 25W turn signal lamps in each corner even though the LED turn signals only draw 2.5W each even though they are brighter than the OE incandescent 25W bulbs. With one 50W resistor on each side you can run LEDs in each corner light assembly AND the 2W incandescent turn indicator lamp in the speedometer will function normally as it depends on the load from the corner lamps being 10x the speedometer load.

Option3 (Most difficult): With the EP-35 LED compatible flasher relay and ONLY 2.5W LED bulbs in each corner you can get your turn signals working... you just need to remove the turn indicator lamp from the speedometer. Without this 2W speedometer bulb the corner turn signals become a very simple circuit. It will work because the LED compatible flasher relay will work with 4 LED corner bulbs.
But if you want to add the speedometer indicator bulb back into the circuit... it becomes a big deal. The 2W speedometer lamp functions because the corner lamps are 10x, 20x or 40x larger loads than the little 2W bulb in the speedometer. When running LEDs in the corners the corner load becomes only 2.5x the load of the 2W bulb. This prevents the speedometer lamp from working properly. The lamp requires there to be a significant difference in the bulb wattage of the indicator and the corner lamps. To make it work... you need to reverse the current flow thru the 2W speedometer indicator lamp. This means replacing the 1-prong bulb holder with a 2-prong bulb holder and wiring the speedometer as a 3rd corner lamp for both L and R side circuits. Additionally, you need to add a pair of diodes, one on each path to prevent the L side from powering the R side, and visa-versa. These can be found on Amazon as a "motorcycle turn signal diode wire kit". Using this kit allows a single bulb be used as the turn indicator lamp.
This mod turns your turn signal circuit into a completely LED compatible system without the need for the 50W LED resistors. You can even replace the turn indicator lamp in the speedometer with an LED bulb if you can fit it into the opening in the speedometer.
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AshMan40
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'67 Beetle #1 {project car that never made it to the road }
'75 Beetle 1200LS (RHD Japan model) {junked due to frame rot}
'67 Beetle #2 {2019 project car - Wish me luck!}