LED's for Your Hummer
February 3, 2014
Since this article was written the sources and prices of lights have changed. Your best bet is to do an internet search on the products you are looking for.
If you are using LED turn signal and brake lights on your truck you need to install a load resistor under the dash and connect the brake lights to ground or your cruise control and/or high idle switch won't work. There is one switch with 2 connectors on the brake pedal. One is used to remove power to the cruise control (2 wires). The other two wires control the brake lights. One wire on the brake switch goes to power (orange). The other wire goes to the brake lights (red). You attach the wire that goes to the red wire on the brake lights to a 215 ohm resistor to ground. There is an actual AMG 'kit' that comes with a ring lug that is suppose to go under one of the ground lugs on the body pillar. Without the resistor the computer thinks the brakes are on and the cruise or high idle switches will not work.
Read the Trucklite Military LED Flyer
Depending on the bulb model number this site has some info. I have purchased lots of LED's from them but never any of their bulb replacements. If you replace your turn signal bulbs you need to simulate the load of a normal bulb or your blinkers will not work, I think they have all the info on this kind of thing using stock blinker relays.
http://www.superbrightleds.com/
I just thought I would send you a quick email to maybe help you out in the future or others that are dressing up their Hummers or similar off road vehicles.
Grote has both Military ( HMMWV Compatible) and Civilian (HUMMER H1) LED Brake and Turn Lamps available that require no additional electrical work. (for example adding a different flasher or resistors.)
Many folks are not aware of these as they have just recently been released.
Here is a link to both of the lamps to which I am referring.
Please let me know if I can be of assistance and pass the word!
Civilian Hummer H1 Brake Lights - http://grote.com/product.php?product_number=G5082-5
You can swap out your flasher to a variable load flasher and use LED's in
either the front or the rear. You also can wire a resistor in series
with the lamp (front or rear - must do both sides!) and add resistance for
the flasher to work.
If you do this, your cruise control will become inoperative - not enough
resistance to tell the computer whether the brakes are on or not.
From Truck-Lite's web page:
Rear Military Lamp, No Bucket, OmniVolt (10-30v) - 07240
Front Military Lamp, No Bucket, OmniVolt (10-30v) - 07241
Marker Lamp, Model 15, Red - 15250R
Marker Lamp, Model 15, Amber - 15250Y
P/N's as follows..
Marker/Clearance : MODEL 15 15250R/Y (FOR 3 DIODE RED OR YELLOW )
OPTION FOR DIFFERENT VENDOR for clearance/marker only
MAXXIMA: M20320 R/Y (8 DIODE RED OR YELLOW. this is what I use as marker and clearance)
Truck-lite LED MILITARY COMPOSITE TURN SIGNALS
REAR LAMP WITH MOUNTING BUCKET: 07411
FRONT LAMP WITH HOUSING FOR MOUNT: 07412
Go to the trucklite website
See pages 44 to 46 It'll show you the military applications.
I am switching my side front amber marker light to the newer style that is on the 02-05's shown on the right..
The new LED's are found on 2002 and up trucks.
You will want a dremel tool with a carbide bit for chewing through
fiberglass or metal to enlarge the hole through which the power wire goes
through. The new LED markers have a much bigger "bulb" base that needs to
fit inside the hole on the hood. I had to widen the factory holes by at
least 1/2" of diameter to get the LED's to sit flush.
Also the LED's will come with GM Weather Pak connectors. The factory harness
on my 2000 had the military connector for the side marker positive lead,
The ground is a ring terminal (I recall).
Bring the LED lights to NAPA and get them to set you up with two matching connectors for the hood harness side. Then cut the military connector and ring-terminal off and install the GM connector.
Also you should get stainless hardware for securing the LED's and mounts through the hood. 1" 10-24 stainless with nylocks works great.
Adding a load so the stock flashers work.
A 12 ohm, 10 watt resistor should work just fine, and fit anywhere as long
as there is some air circulation to cool it. Some people say 5 watt is OK,
but IMHO, it will be dissipating about 12 watts. Also, this resistor must
be mounted on the front leads, not the rear! That way it only comes in to
the circuit when the turn signals are on, and won't draw current with the
brake lights.
More Comments:
Not sure if you guys are aware of it but you are dealing with 2 different products. The lights in the link above given in this thread are the ones made and wholesaled by R & E Sales. They are sold to the Army and were standard equipment on the A3 Humvee series. They work on 10-32 volts now.
When they first came out they had various troubles but were improved as
time went on. They will fit in certain but not all mil composite lamp
housings, or you can use a special aluminum bracket that they sell to
install. You do have to have the mil tail lamp buckets on the truck to use
them. They sell for the approx price mentioned through R & E Sales, as well
well as distributors such as the one listed in the link.
The Truck-lite LED composites are currently also mil issue on the larger
trucks such as the M915 tractor. They list for a higher cost around 175.00
but can be had for less with a jobber discount. They also work on 10-32
volts using internal VR circuits and work well. They do not fit on to stock mil lamp buckets although there are
brackets out there to use from Truck-lite as well as housings for the fronts.
The 2 types have different setups for the LED's. The R&E lamps use less LED's
but they are mounted in small lenses designed into the main plastic lens
to magnify the light and use the same LED's for tail and brake at different
intensities. The Truck lite lamps use many more LED's and some of
them are just for the low intensity while others come on at high intensity
when the brake circuit is hot. The Blackout marker red and Blackout Stop
lamp yellow/white lights are similar in both.
I have had both types on a couple of trucks and am now back to bulb type
lamps. The R&E lamps tail lamp was too bright. When
you hit the brake the increase in brightness was not enough. It was not
safe in my opinion to use them when the headlights and tall lights were
on, especially in a daytime situation. The only time I felt OK with them
as brake lights was if the tail lights were not being used. Also, one of them died due to some internal circuit problem. The 2 sets
that I had were the original versions the came out from R&E in the
beginning. I hear that they have improved them over time, but I have not
tried another set recently from them. The Truck lite lamps were just too
expensive at almost 200 bucks each. But they did work on the 24 volt truck
I am waiting to see how Peter does with the setup
he is trying. Maybe that will be the best all around. Also the guy
selling the Truck-lite lights on Ebay !
for a good price doesn't know anything about them. I contacted him and he
stated that they were 24 volt but the only Truck-lite composites that I
have seen in their product line are really 10-23 volt versions.
My LED's came in today and I have all 4 installed and they work great. I ordered the 1156-w19-24v White LED bulb. I installed those on the blinker bulb (the bottom and large bulb) works and blinks fine w/o anything else to add. Brake lights work also and very well. Now on the web page www.superbrightleds.com they say to get the LED for the color of your lens but I couldn't find what I wanted in red.
Well just as I figured I found the red ones for the tail lights. 1156-R19 Red LED bulb Super Red 19-LED 12VDC replacement bulb 15mm Single Contact Bayonet Base Available with Narrow or Wide Viewing Angle LEDS $ 6.99
I've just replaced my front and rear lamps with the Mil. LED lights from Truck-lite and I put in two solid state electronic flashers (the ones with the extra ground wire) - but I can't seem to get them to flash. When I hit the turn signal they light up bright, but they don't flash. Any ideas? I could put a resistor in there but thought the electronic flashers would negate the need for that.
The correct number for the flashers is Truck-lite 97231 Ultra Flash 2. I had to reverse the polarity of them but they have a wiring harness that is made to do that. Mine took two, one for the signals and the other for the hazards.
