SmudgeServices
Active Member
i was originally having the traditional problem of my all my lights dimming at idle, ammeter on discharge. when i drove or accelerated the RPM's, all lights would get brighter through the car inside and out. to help solve this problem i have made several changes...
1. swapped all lights inside and out to LEDs (to increase brightness and reduce power requirement)
2. swapped the hazard and turn signal flashers to true, no-load LED friendly flashers
3. upgrade the alternator to a brand new, 2 wire high output 130 amp (bypassed the ammeter and ran direct 2 gauge power from the starter relay)
all the lights in the car work, and are much brighter than they originally were. the hazards and turn signals work just fine with the car on at idle. my current issue...
1. although steady and bright at idle, all dash and exterior lights do still brighten up when revving up the RPM's. it's certainly better, much less than it was originally but it still happens and is noticeable. (this is less of an issue and more of a symptom)
2. the real issue is that, running or not, when i turn on the running lights the front flasher lights get a little dimmer and the flashing is barely noticeable; definitely not safe for use. when i flip the headlights on all the way the turn signal flashing isn't visible at all. it's like the load/draw from the headlights are preventing the flashers from working properly. the back/taillight flashing works just fine with no noticeable difference when the headlights are on. the problem is only with the front valance turn signal lights.
after reading through so many forums, i'm wondering the best solution...
-- do i need to install a headlight relay kit? they're kinda expensive
-- do i just need to install load resistors on the front turn signals? they do seem to be the only lights dramatically effected, although all dash and exterior lights do still get slightly brighter when the RPM's rev up. the fact that they all do still get slightly brighter with higher RPMs still trips me up considering the new alternator
any ideas or more confident understanding of what to try is greatly appreciated. i'd like to avoid spending money on a fix that doesn't work and just unnecessarily messes up the stock wiring.
thanks!!!
1. swapped all lights inside and out to LEDs (to increase brightness and reduce power requirement)
2. swapped the hazard and turn signal flashers to true, no-load LED friendly flashers
3. upgrade the alternator to a brand new, 2 wire high output 130 amp (bypassed the ammeter and ran direct 2 gauge power from the starter relay)
all the lights in the car work, and are much brighter than they originally were. the hazards and turn signals work just fine with the car on at idle. my current issue...
1. although steady and bright at idle, all dash and exterior lights do still brighten up when revving up the RPM's. it's certainly better, much less than it was originally but it still happens and is noticeable. (this is less of an issue and more of a symptom)
2. the real issue is that, running or not, when i turn on the running lights the front flasher lights get a little dimmer and the flashing is barely noticeable; definitely not safe for use. when i flip the headlights on all the way the turn signal flashing isn't visible at all. it's like the load/draw from the headlights are preventing the flashers from working properly. the back/taillight flashing works just fine with no noticeable difference when the headlights are on. the problem is only with the front valance turn signal lights.
after reading through so many forums, i'm wondering the best solution...
-- do i need to install a headlight relay kit? they're kinda expensive
-- do i just need to install load resistors on the front turn signals? they do seem to be the only lights dramatically effected, although all dash and exterior lights do still get slightly brighter when the RPM's rev up. the fact that they all do still get slightly brighter with higher RPMs still trips me up considering the new alternator
any ideas or more confident understanding of what to try is greatly appreciated. i'd like to avoid spending money on a fix that doesn't work and just unnecessarily messes up the stock wiring.
thanks!!!