LED problems

ok i have a question so i installed leds in my truck interior the map lights and the dome light but the stupid fucking lights only work when the ignition is in the on position or the motors running. The lights dont work with the ignition off or even in the acc mode. So my first troubleshooting option was to replace the factory bulbs so i did and with the factory bulbs they work normally as if nothing is wrong but once i put the leds in they wont work.. anyone have a suggestion to what i should do??

 

LEDs need a minimum amount of juice to run, and when the key is not in the ignition, they're isn't enough.

For example, remember the old school flashlights that weren't LED. The bulb still lit up and maintained a faint glow even when that batteries were pretty much dead. Try that with a modern LED flashlight, and you don't get any light whatsoever.

 

yes but i know leds use less power than a conventional bulb so this just doesn't make any sense lol it's not too much of a problem just kind of a PITA to always have my keys with me at night

 

They draw less power when running, but have an initial surge current required to light the bulbs reliably.

Its like with florescent bulbs. It only takes 15W for it to run, but takes 45w for its initial draw, or something of that sort.

 

Uhhh what? That's not normal at all I have LED's in my dome and map lights in both the Taco and my last car and they work without the keys in.

 

Hmmm..never heard of this issue before. Interesting to see what the fix is? I know they only have one polarity so they only work installed one way and not the other.

 

My buddy got some leds for his FJ that had this issue. They were from china.. He got some good quality ones and they turn on and off just fine with the truck off. When he un-arms his alarm the lights come on with no issues.

 

Weird, my map and dome light strip both work without ignition or even keys in the truck. Where did you buy them from?

 

That was what I was thinking to, just a cheaper brand of lights.

 

that makes sense

 

that could be i bought them from www.superbrightleds.com, they are bright as hell when the keys are in though

 

yeah but thats not the problem because they do work when the keys are in the ignition lol
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It is VERY common for the 01-04s. The problem is that the LED don't draw enough so the truck thinks the light is out and cuts the power. Cheap fix is to wire LED panels to the metal connectors and also put the original bulb back in with it. Or you could soder some resistors to it.

 

This is wrong.

 

so then what is right?

 

You have a different gen. It is normal for 01-04

 

Your thinking HID not LED.

 

i didnt think it was a secret that i have a 1st gen lol but thanks for the help guys. is there any way to fix this or no?? (obviously other than the ones suggested)

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/lighting/134602-04-tacoma-dome-light.html


This issue has come up before. The problem is that the door courtesy switch circuit (unlike the basic dome light / map light circuits) is controlled by the Body ECU.

Here (attached) is the 2004 interior light wiring diagram.

As you can see from the diagram, the dome light function uses a direct ground connection at the dome light fixture. If I'm not mistaken, this ground is basically through the housing to the sheet metal.

However ... When the dome light's switch is set to the 'door' position, it's cut off from the regular ground point. Instead, the circuit closes via a black / white wire leading back to the Body ECU.

Therefore, my theory has always been that the door courtesy light circuit grounds back through the Body ECU somehow.

The Body ECU is a 'black box' - i.e., we've never figured out what's going on inside it. It's never been clear whether:

(a) the black / white wire basically 'passes through' the Body ECU to ground
OR
(b) the Body ECU uses a voltage (or maybe resistance) reading off the black / white wire to somehow activate / control the door courtesy function.

If option (a) is true, it may be possible to make the door courtesy light function work by adding a ground connection for the door position on the dome light switch / fixture.

If option (b) is true, I'm not sure what it would take to make the courtesy function work. If the Body ECU is somehow 'reading' the door courtesy circuit you'd have to know exactly what the Body ECU is using (voltage versus resistance) as a 'signal' (and how it's using this signal) to figure out what sort of mod may be required.
from
http://www.customtacos.com/forum/showthread.php?t=150156

 

ok so far the only thing as far as i understand to do for it is to wire in a mini light to pull the required voltage to turn the light on...really dont wanna have to do that one but the biggest PITA is that the map lights wont turn on either unless its in the on position if anyone has a mod for that lemme know