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LED upfit (one of, I'm sure, a million!)

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39
Location
Edmonton
#1
Just a little video. I regret not shooting this in lower light, to catch the License lamps. Overall, it wasn't that much work, and the headlamps alone were worth the trouble. Everything else is just candy on top. There are no more incandescent bulbs save high beams, but I won't be using those often enough to enact the labour just now.

[video]https://youtu.be/__R_siVpmm0[/video]
 


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Location
BR
#2
Where did you get the turn signal and brake lamps? Did you have to do anything special or was it just plug and play?
 


OP
opusmonday
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Location
Edmonton
Thread Starter #3
Where to begin:

Hyperflash/Plug and play for signal lamps.

Theory: LED bulbs don't play nice because they have a low draw, and the electrical system doesn't see that a bulb is in play, thinks the bulb is out, and double flashes as per FMVSS/CMVSS guidelines for automobile safety.

There are three ways to solve this issue.

The first. Untested, but probable if you can get it done: The Ford BCM, legend has it, can be told to not hyperflash via some very easy programming that turns off the double flash for low draw bulbs. It's a setting that I think carries over from vehicles sold for upfit or retrofit of emergency equipment. I can't outright confirm that the Fiesta BCM has this software switch because I got lazy and time crunched. If I had the time, I'd have found some tech with an IDS/VCM suite to log into my car and see.

The second. You can buy ebay LED signal bulbs that are internally resisted. 50/50 that they will work. They heat up a LOT and could damage your housings. Plug and play, but really questionable outcomes.

The third. In-line resistors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKvzwq___P4

Tutorial as above. Not a good tutorial, but you can google a few others to round out the knowledge.

Specific to the Fiesta, you'll need four load resistors to do this properly. One for each corner. Get a multimeter and probe the connectors with a good view of where the wires go. With hazard lamps on, you will get a 12v pulse in the active signal line. That is where one end of your load resistor will splice to. The other will go to a ground in the harness. On the Fiesta front lamp connectors, the ground you will need is the one that is all alone in it's row. No other wires will be beside it.

You will not need resistors for the wing mirrors. The four you install will balance the system out enough to cover the LED's you'l install there to complete the look.

Tutorial for that: http://fiestamk7.com/viewtopic.php?t=643

Final note, please weather wrap or heat shrink your splices if you intend to get your car wet ever again. Copper will corrode and your harness will rot if you don't.

For all lights, here is a place to order it all in one go, and is one of the better one-stop shops for LED markers. They will also sell the resistors you will need if you don't manage to get your BCM to play nice via programming.

http://www.diodedynamics.com/store/led-bulbs-1/listed-by-vehicle/ford/fiesta.html

Brakes are dual intensity. Don't mess that up or your Fiesta will end up a few feet shorter in traffic one day.

For ALL bulbs, I recommend ones that are 360* output. That is to say, they throw light wide. The ones you see that only fire out the front of the bulb are useless and don't output enough useable light in the day.

For the headlamps and fogs I went with an LED headlamp conversion, noting that to do the headlamps properly, you may have to modify the housings depending on the kit you get, and that could affect water tightness over time. I'm not worried about that as new housings are cheap, but if you don't want to risk it on an experiment, make sure you get LED headlamps that can fit in the housing with no cutting.

You can find such kits on EBAY or locally via a performance lighting shop, but be sure to get ones that, again, don't have that massive nasty heat-pod on the back. If there are ones with flexible heat ribbons, those will be the ones to go for.

Above all, make sure the lights you install are useful in all lighting conditions. A safe Fiesta is a happy one.

If you need any more specific information about wiring or the like, just let me know and I will do my best to reply when I can.

it's an easy upfit, by the way. Took several hours of my time but the results are just lovely.
 


OP
opusmonday
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156
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Location
Edmonton
Thread Starter #5
Nice! A local-ish option that I didn't know about. Looks like a well thought out site as well. Agreed on the Dynamics Fog upfits. That may be the next step, that or finding the OEM euro projectors and surrounds and getting those fit. I'd like those.

Re: writeup- I just wish I would have photographed the process or done a video while everything was apart. I had the interior completely out to resolve some deficient factory noise and wind issues and it was way easier to wire what needed doing with an open and bare interior.

edit: yeah, I would have REALLY preferred to lay my hands on these versus modifying my housings.

http://www.xenondepot.com/led-headlight-bulbs-s/240.htm
 


OP
opusmonday
Messages
156
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39
Location
Edmonton
Thread Starter #7
Sorry to bump an old thread, where did you get the switchback bulbs from?
I love old bumps, the info is still relevant so bump away.

I bought the switchies locally, as I have a real aversion to delayed gratification (Ebay, shipping from the moon et al) but there are a lot of good online vendors that sell them. Only advice is to go with the corn cob style for good light dispersion, and as bright as you can manage.
 


Messages
326
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50
Location
greensboro
#8
I love old bumps, the info is still relevant so bump away.

I bought the switchies locally, as I have a real aversion to delayed gratification (Ebay, shipping from the moon et al) but there are a lot of good online vendors that sell them. Only advice is to go with the corn cob style for good light dispersion, and as bright as you can manage.
Is there anything special you have to do to get them to work or is it just plug and play? I see Xenon Depo has a set for our cars.

Edit: Nevermind I see where DiodeDynamics sells the resistors, lol. Reading owns me.
 


CanadianGuy

4000 Post Club
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942
Location
Southern Ontario
#9
Is there anything special you have to do to get them to work or is it just plug and play? I see Xenon Depo has a set for our cars.

Edit: Nevermind I see where DiodeDynamics sells the resistors, lol. Reading owns me.
Cj pony parts has a complete led conversion kit for the fiesta st.
 


OP
opusmonday
Messages
156
Likes
39
Location
Edmonton
Thread Starter #10
Is there anything special you have to do to get them to work or is it just plug and play? I see Xenon Depo has a set for our cars.

Edit: Nevermind I see where DiodeDynamics sells the resistors, lol. Reading owns me.
Reading owns all. Eventually. If you take a look at the third post in this chain I had some intel about fixes for hyperflashing. I'm still waiting on confirmation of BCM programming as an option so you don't have to use resistors, but until then, it's all we have :/
 


Messages
326
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50
Location
greensboro
#11
Well the resistors diode dynamics sell look pretty easy. I was just curious if the switchbacks needed an extra wire to power the lights when the turnsignal isn't on. But I looked into it some and it seems like a simple upgrade.
 




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