Which wire do i cut? Led turn signals and resistor

04gtdrop

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Jun 10, 2005

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Sac, CA

Aug 30, 2006

#1

• Aug 30, 2006

• #1

ok, some of you posted in my last thread. And i need some more help...

I bought some LED's for my turn signals and i found out that the do not work with my sequential tail lights.

So i had to buy a resistor to make it work. So i bought these...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...m=250020080934&ih=015&sspagename=STRK:MEWN:IT

Ok, so if you go to the ebay link it says that it does not come with directions ...thats true. and it says to use the ground wire and the turn wire.


but when i looked at my turn signal wire and socket. it has THREE wires.


Drivers side has a white wire with a blue stripe, a solid black and a solid brown wire.

Passengers side has green with a white stripe, solid brown and a solid black.



So which wires are which ????


and the even bigger question, which wires are the ones that i "cut" into to install these resistors?????

I only get one shot at this, so if someone can please check this for me and confirm for sure please!




Edit: Not sure if you ned to know this but, The car is a 2004 GT convertible


Thanks SN

 

N

n0v8or

10 Year Member

Aug 23, 2003

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Rhode Island

Aug 30, 2006

#2

• Aug 30, 2006

• #2

Driver's side:
One end of the resitor connects to the light green wire with orange stripe. The other end of the resistor connects to the black wire (ground). On both sides, the brown wire is for the tail lights.

On the passenger side, the wire colors are orange with a blue stripe, and black.
My '01 and '03 wiring diagrams show these same colors. I don't have an '04 manual, but expect they would be the same.

If you use 3M insulation displacement splice connectors, you will not have to actually cut any wires.

The resistors will get quite hot when the brake lights are on, so don't mount them in contact with carpeting or plastic.

 

04gtdrop

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Sep 1, 2006

#3

• Sep 1, 2006

• #3

hmm thats weird. I wonder why the colors are differnt.

Does anyone have the info for my year/model?

I really dont want to do this till i know that i have the correct wires...

Nov8or...thanks.

 

N

n0v8or

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Aug 23, 2003

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Sep 1, 2006

#4

• Sep 1, 2006

• #4

Are you looking at wire colors in the tail light assembly, with it removed from the car? The shop manuals don't provide these colors, only those leading to the connector in the trunk. That could explain the difference.

In any case, you know the correct wires now by an elimination process. Black is always ground in late model Ford cars, and brown is the tail lamps. So the remaining color has to be the turn/brake lamps.
You should also notice that the black and brown wires are the only ones that go to all three sockets along the top.

 

04gtdrop

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Sep 2, 2006

#5

• Sep 2, 2006

• #5

hmm...

the wires i am looking at is in the front.

They are the wires that connect to the turn signals/corner lights.


So black is ground and what is brown in the turn signal?

 

N

n0v8or

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Aug 23, 2003

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Sep 2, 2006

#6

• Sep 2, 2006

• #6

Sorry, I completely missed that you are planning to connect the resistors at the front turn signals, rather than the rear. That plan will work OK.
Left front turn lamp: green / white stripe
Right front turn lamp: white / blue stripe

The other end of each resistor can be connected to any chassis ground point, avoiding the need to cut the black wire (which is also ground). Brown is the parking lamps.

 

04gtdrop

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Sep 2, 2006

#7

• Sep 2, 2006

• #7

Ohhh ok, cool! thats great news.

So one side of the resistor goes into the green/white strip drivers side and then just ground it?

Then the other resistor goes into the white/blue stripe then just ground that one and im done?

Awesome!

 

N

n0v8or

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Aug 23, 2003

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Sep 2, 2006

#8

• Sep 2, 2006

• #8

Yup.
I recommend installing one resistor and testing the result before doing the other, just to be sure you have a good grounding point.

 

04gtdrop

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Sep 3, 2006

#9

• Sep 3, 2006

• #9

ohh ok, good tip! And I can ground it to the frame right?

Thanks 04gtdrop

 

04gtdrop

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Sep 3, 2006

#10

• Sep 3, 2006

• #10

ohh ok, good tip! And I can ground it to the frame right?

Thanks 04gtdrop

 

N

n0v8or

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Sep 3, 2006

#11

• Sep 3, 2006

• #11

I went out and checked for convenient grounding points on my '03. Lift the hood and look along the upper rail just behind the headlight housings. There is a green grounding screw on the right, and 2 on the left. You can buy the wire lugs at Radio Shack, Wal-Mart, Autozone, or Pep Boys.

 

joshheat25

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Dec 8, 2006

#12

• Dec 8, 2006

• #12

Hey Make sure you don't screw up the circuit if you don't have any resistance you'll blow the led's