Rear Tail Light Wiring Help!

Hello guys,

I'm a new member and already need your expertise in assisting me with wiring question.

I just recently upgraded all my exterior lights to LED. I also purchased and installed 50W 6ohm load resistors to the rear signal lights to prevent hyper flashing.

This worked fine until I noticed that the turn signal start to flash fast when I depress the brakes. So, I am assuming that I also need to install another load resistor to the brake light to prevent this problem.

The problem I have is, I do not know which wires to connect as there are 3 wires each for signal and brake bulb housing unlike only 2 wires in the front signal light.

There are numbers (1,2,3) stamped on the plastic connector. I just need to know which wire is ground and which one is the hot (signal & brake and not the running light wire). I am uploading some pictures.

Would appreciate any help you can provide for this correct installation.

Thanks!

 

Well the tail lamps are dual filament so that's why there are three wires. I would grab a test light or a multi-meter and figure them out.

 

Yes I know that one is hot, other has a steady current, and last one is the ground. I need to know which wires are hot and ground.

If I knew how to use a multi-meter, I would not have posted this thread.

Hoping some of you are well knowledgeable in electrical know-how for this 3gen so I could fix this flashing problem.

Thanks

 

I was under the impression that the reason for 3 wires was a ground, brake light activation, and parking light activation.

 

That is correct...

1. Turn/Stop (higher power)
2. Running light (low power)
3. Ground

I need to find wires to #1 &#3 for each of the two sockets.

 

I tapped the blue to wire my 3rd brake light on my camper shell if that helps with your process of elimination.

 

If you can't run a multimeter...

I would recommend that you not start dicking with your electrical system.

If the blue is your brake signal... Then you have a 50-50 shot of picking the right one to attach it to... So cut one of the others. If it's ground, neither signal nor running will illuminate. If it's the illuminate one, then signal will still work. Reconnect it and then hook your resistor between the others.

Also, you got a properly rated resistor, right, So that you aren't just going to light it on fire right away?

 

Yeah, I admit and apparently suck at anything to do with electrical. If it's just the signal, maybe it's a 50/50 shot if I could find the ground but I need to do the same for the brake. So, one resistor for each.

In Amazon and manufacturer's suggestion, all points to 50w 6ohms resistors to avoid fast flashing or to avoid error code. I know the wattage to my car's bulbs are lower than this. You think this will be an issue?

 

If it's running at 12v, then no, likely not a problem. Where are you intending to wire it in? In parallel to the blinker circuit, in series with the blinker hot, or in series with the ground only? Along these lines... Toyota often employs switched grounds, rather than switched hot (like the rest of the world). Any idea if this is the case for the this bulb?

It might be alright. Might not. The wattage to the bulbs is lower because they draw less current. The resistor will pull additional current, so it will take as many watts as it wants, in addition to what the bulbs want (this sentence is oversimplified and technically incomplete).

 

Thanks, I've watched some basic tutorial about multimeter. I will test each wire and narrow my findings.

 

Any update to this? I'm in the same boat and don't have a multi-meter.

 

Wait...if you installed resistors to the turn signal, how did you know which ones to use? Are you sure you did it right?

Mine wouldn't hyperflash unless my lights were on. But that was fixed with the resistor and I only have the resistor on the turn signals. I don't think you would need one on the brakes.

I put the info for that here:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/turn-signal-wiring-fixing-hyperflashing.501150/

However, that is turn signal, not brake light. But for the brake light, I would assume that the higher output wire would be larger like it is on the turn signal, but I didn't check the brake lights.

 

Thanks! I got it working!

 

So what was the fix? Might help anyone else that runs into the same issue.

 

I'll be posting it here this afternoon.

 

I agree for the reasons stated and because I just got my truck back from the dealer who told me that it was my rear LEDs with resistor that screwed with my brake override feature that prevents the truck from starting.

 

Driver side the light blue is positive for the brake and yellow is positive for the turn signals. Passenger side the blue is positive for the brake and light blue for the turn signal. Green is running lights positive both sides. Hope that helps.

 

Did the LED's have a built-in resistor? Or did you add your own?

 

Harbor freight you can get a free shitty meter that will work for 90% of what you need to do with a coupon, don't need a fluke to DIY.