I'm looking to upgrade the flashers on my 2005 Stratus SXT sedan with the 2.7L flex-fuel V-6.

I bought a pair of LED 3157 bulbs for the rear running lights/brake lights, and they work great... nice and bright, and they come on much faster than the old incandescent ones. (I replaced the high-mount, too).

The flasher/brake lights use the exact same bulb front and rear, but because the LEDs draw so little power the flasher relay thinks there is a bulb burnt out and blinks them really fast. I tried it!

I have the option of either wiring in a power resistor into each bulb, which would cost $5 each, generate heat, and not save me any power, or replacing the flasher relay for $30 with an LED-friendly version.

I'd rather just buy the LED-friendly relay and replace the factory unit, but before I make the decision I'd like to know exactly where the relay is... and how hard it is to change.

If it's not too difficult, I'll just buy the new relay. But if I have to rip half the dashboard apart, I'll just buy the resistors.

All help is appreciated!

 

it should be on the steering column,remove top half of steering column trim,its on back side of switch

 

Thanks... do I have to remove the steering wheel or anything like that? Or does it just pry apart?

 

no steering wheel doesn't have to come off,should be just 2 screws on bottom trim cover(right behind steering wheel ) take those out and pull top cover off(thats how my SE sedan is should be about the same on sxt's)

 

You're right... it came right off and the blinker relay was right there under the hazard light switch! :-) Thanks!

I tried to pry it out but didn't have much luck. I was able to pull the relay towards me by prying at it with a screwdriver, and I felt the pins slide out, but I didn't see to be able to get it to lift up and out.

There are two Torx screws on top that seem to be holding the stalks and related switches in place on the column. I'll loosen those and see if I can get it up. Hopefully I can order the relay tonight. :-)

 

Okay, I found the relay and removed it successfully. I removed the two phillips-head screws underneath the steering column, removed the top cover of the steering column, removed the two Torx screws holding the switch unit down, tilted it back, and was able to pull out the relay.

It was green.

I ordered the replacement, LED-friendly relay, put the old relay back, and re-assembled the entire thing.

No problem! :-)

 

Okay the new relay arrived and I put it in with no problems. A long Phillips screwdriver removed the steering column cover, and a #15 Torx on a socket wrench took out the screws.

The replacement relay was about an inch shorter than the OEM part. It fit right in, but naturally the retaining clip wouldn't hold the shorter relay. Time will tell if it vibrates loose or not.

The replacement relay works great. Initially there was a bit of a buzz each times it energized, but that went away after a couple of dozen clicks.

So I replaced the front blinker/parking lights, the rear blinker/parking lights, and the rear brake/parking lights, as well as the high-mount stop-light, the license plate light, the back-up lights, and the trunk light with LEDs.

I used the model 3157-R45-T (color red) from SuperBrightLEDs.com for the rear lights (at $24.99 each, total of 4 pieces) and 3157-A45-T (color amber) for the front (same price, 2 pieces).

The other LEDs were about $5 or $6 each, and plugged right in and worked flawlessly. I had to work it a little to get the license plate one in... it's a bit longer than the glass incandescent, but I didn't have any problems.

I feel a bit safer now... traffic on I-95 in Connecticut is very crowded, and I feel that having bulbs that light up a quarter or a third of a second faster is a good thing. At 70 MPH, that's a 25 to 30 foot difference for the guy behind me!

Assuming he doesn't have a cell phone glued to his ear. :-)