I installed LED bulbs in my 2004 ram 1500 and Ièm having a few problems

problem 1: turn signals flash like strobe lights (I havnt put on any LOAD RESISTORS yet, I`m not sure if that will fix the problem)

problem 2: my brake lights (exept 3rd brake light) all flash like strobe lights just like the turn signals.

I bought them off ebay and I`m not getting much help from the seller,
anybody have the same problems?

 

LEDs NEED a load resistor. Without one they will just blow out the minute you hook them to power.

Since they are flashing, something else is wrong. I can't go any further unless you give a lot more info on the lights themselves.

 

As I understand it, the LED's have such low power requirements that the flasher thinks the bulb is out, and flashes the lights faster so you will know to look for a bad bulb. The resistors put enough load in the line so that the flasher will behave normally.

 

dreman, you got it right.

 

yep, dreman is right. LEDs take very little current and you need to put in those load resistors to simulate a regular bulb.

 

they actually require such little power, that my LED's inside the cab, in the dome light are on 24/7. doesnt drain the battery at all, but at night, theyre barely on, however still faintly lit.

 

A bare LED without a load or ballast resistor will burn out immediately if you put it to 12v and ground.

Many come with internal resistors to handle that, but bulk leds don't.

Now the load resistor that you guys are talking about is an additional load on the circuit to trick the circuit so that it thinks there is a real bulb in there.

My bud and I create circuits for stuff and buy leds in bulk. They do not have resistors so we have to add them.

The ones you buy at an auto place probably already has the resistor built in.

Sorry for the confusion.

 

yeah these are bulit to just plug right in, I just hope that when I put the load resistors in the flashing brake light gets fixed.

 

Even though the LEDS have a resistor in them to match them up to 12 volts the resistance isn't the same as the stock lights. You need to add the resistors to get close enough to the stock resistance so the system in the truck doesn't see any difference.