Wiring Questions

[vikinghogue]

I just ordered these big rig running lights from recon for my truck off amazon for 89 bucks with free shipping and I just couldnt pass up that price and they should get here between friday and monday and my question is the instrutions say to wire it to the parking lights and all of yall know how much pita it is just to change the headlights and im wondering if it will be alright to wire them into the tailights or should I attempt to wire them into the parking lights? http://www.gorecon.com/product.php?pk=54&a...hts&p_cat=5

 

Thanks,

Andrew

[citydriver]

I just ordered these big rig running lights from recon for my truck off amazon for 89 bucks with free shipping and I just couldnt pass up that price and they should get here between friday and monday and my question is the instrutions say to wire it to the parking lights and all of yall know how much pita it is just to change the headlights and im wondering if it will be alright to wire them into the tailights or should I attempt to wire them into the parking lights? http://www.gorecon.com/product.php?pk=54&a...hts&p_cat=5

 

Thanks,

Andrew

 

 

I'm not that familiar with the NBS trucks. Do the tailights have seperate brake and turn signals or do they use the same bulb ? Will they go BRIGHT when the brake lights are on? In any case, I suggest getting a look at the wire diagram for your truck, if you can, then just find the right colored wires in the harness under the hood. Just a thought....

[georgecdisc]

Either tail lights or parking lights will work, which ever you feel will be easier to get access to and route the wires. The bulbs in the tail lights are dual filament, meaning one is for tail lamp and the other is for braking/signal. As long as you wire to the tail lamp you will be all set. As these are LEDs and pull little current, adding an additional relay will not be necessary (if it came with one then you might want to use it... or just keep it for another application).

[jrrod2004]

I would tap into them in the rear of the truck (near the junction block for ease). Just make sure that you use taps that are waterproof. Dont forget to show day and night pics of them once they are installed.

[vikinghogue]

oh alright I see what your talking about. It should come in today and I'll take some pictures

[vikinghogue]

I installed big rig running lights from recon today. I wired them into the yellow wire thats the driver side blinker and the other bar into the dark green wire on the passenger side which it is the blinker and the brown wire for running lights or so i thought. any ideas on whats wrong and which wire is right?

Thanks

drew

[georgecdisc]

I installed big rig running lights from recon today. I wired them into the yellow wire thats the driver side blinker and the other bar into the dark green wire on the passenger side which it is the blinker and the brown wire for running lights or so i thought. any ideas on whats wrong and which wire is right?

Thanks

drew

Are you trying to install it so that they are on all the time, then blink with a blinker? I don't think you can wire it that way as you will end up shorting the blinker to parking lamp, which in effect would make your blinkers not blink at night. Brown wire appears to be park lamp wire. I would tap into that for power... if you wanted it to blink with a blinker than it would only work when tapped into the blinker wires. Yellow is LH Turn, Dark Green is RH Turn.

[mfennema]

If you are hooking these lights up to your tail lights, it looks like you should hook the Red wire from the recons to the brown wire in the tail light. Then hook the white wire from the recons to the green wire in the tail lights, and hook the black wire from the recons to the black wire in the tail lights. That is the way it looks to me when comparing the wiring from the truck to the wiring they give you in their instructions.

 

It seems that the recons must have some type of switch in them that when they sense power from the turn signal, they cut power from the tail light so that they will blink. Either that, or the extra power from the turn signal adds to the power from the tail light, and they just blink brighter. Either way, that should work.

[georgecdisc]

If you are hooking these lights up to your tail lights, it looks like you should hook the Red wire from the recons to the brown wire in the tail light. Then hook the white wire from the recons to the green wire in the tail lights, and hook the black wire from the recons to the black wire in the tail lights. That is the way it looks to me when comparing the wiring from the truck to the wiring they give you in their instructions.

 

It seems that the recons must have some type of switch in them that when they sense power from the turn signal, they cut power from the tail light so that they will blink. Either that, or the extra power from the turn signal adds to the power from the tail light, and they just blink brighter. Either way, that should work.

I didn't realize there were more leads on the Recon lights. Anyways, power wouldn't be "added" since 12V is 12V, regardless of where it comes from. There might be additional LEDs that will illuminate and blink when the turn signal is used (similar to how the tail light bulbs have 2 filaments). 2 circuits, 2 sets of LEDs.

[vikinghogue]

there are 3 wires. one ground one for blinker and another for running lights. I hooked the running lights up to the brown wire and the blinker wires to the yellow and dark green and grounded underneath the truck. and for some reason they are lighting up with the brake lights too

[georgecdisc]

there are 3 wires. one ground one for blinker and another for running lights. I hooked the running lights up to the brown wire and the blinker wires to the yellow and dark green and grounded underneath the truck. and for some reason they are lighting up with the brake lights too

Try diagnosing it by having it grounded, then touching each wire to 12V to see what illuminates and what doesn't. If you wired it like you said you did, and all the LEDs are always on, then your brake lights should be lighting up to. THIS IS ONLY if when diagnosing that both leads illuminate ALL the lights. If this is the case then the Recons are bridging the tail lamps and brake lamps, hence your parking/tail lights will now illuminate the brake lights.

[mfennema]

If you are hooking these lights up to your tail lights, it looks like you should hook the Red wire from the recons to the brown wire in the tail light. Then hook the white wire from the recons to the green wire in the tail lights, and hook the black wire from the recons to the black wire in the tail lights. That is the way it looks to me when comparing the wiring from the truck to the wiring they give you in their instructions.

 

It seems that the recons must have some type of switch in them that when they sense power from the turn signal, they cut power from the tail light so that they will blink. Either that, or the extra power from the turn signal adds to the power from the tail light, and they just blink brighter. Either way, that should work.

I didn't realize there were more leads on the Recon lights. Anyways, power wouldn't be "added" since 12V is 12V, regardless of where it comes from. There might be additional LEDs that will illuminate and blink when the turn signal is used (similar to how the tail light bulbs have 2 filaments). 2 circuits, 2 sets of LEDs.

 

 

You are correct about voltage being voltage(12V and 12V = 12V), but power (watts) and current (amps) are additive and thus would make the lights brighter (I1+I2=Itotal).

 

 

How many wires are there that go to your plug? 4, 5, or 6? If its just 4, then the stop lamps and the turn signals are on the same wire. If its 5 or 6, then they are separate with the turn signal being yellow/black on the left and dk green/white on the right.

 

As suggested, make sure that you have a good ground and find the wire that gives power to the running lights and to the turn signal using a test light or ohm meter. They should be the wires I have mentioned.

[georgecdisc]

You are correct about voltage being voltage(12V and 12V = 12V), but power (watts) and current (amps) are additive and thus would make the lights brighter (I1+I2=Itotal).

Current doesn't increase. V = I*R, where R is resistance. The resistance of the LEDs is static, they do not change. Therefore I remains the same. Power = VI, both V and I are static, therefore power does not change. Only way to increase brightness is to increase voltage. Amperage is only additive when considering resistors in parallel.

 

Another way to look at it, you have 12 V going through one wire, to resistor, to ground. Now you have two wires going from 12 V to resistor to ground. All you did was add more (copper) material between 12V and resistor. This is the same as just making the wire thicker.

[vikinghogue]

I said screw it on the back because I couldnt figure out why it was lighting up with the brakes so I just went ahead and wired them into the parking lamps and now there is only running and turn signals.

[mfennema]

You are exactly right. Current is additive when its in parallel. And when you have two wires that come from the same source and go to the same termination, they are indeed parallel such as the case here especially since they have gone through oth. If I have one wire with 12V and 10A and I have another wire with 12V and 2A, and they come together, I am going to have 12V and 12A. That is exactly how these are wired but not to such extremes of course.