Heavy Duty Flasher upgrade (1 Viewer)

[DRTDuck]

yes that is a replacement. It's also an electronic one so it's not supposed to flash at different speeds. I haven't gotten back into mine yet. Most electronic timing circuits use a capacitor/resistor setup where the resistor drains the cap down at a predictable rate giving you a constant timing. However if the supply voltage is low then the charge on the capacitor is lower which means it drains faster giving a quicker time cycle. At least that is how I understand it. I thought my issue was with the turn signal stalk, just plain scared to ask the price of that thing.

So maybe a wiring issue with all my added turn signals, ARB front, Slee side marker adaptation, JDM fender side marker, and Kaymar. Oh yeah, and the 3 turns that have 1155 bulbs are using 50w bulbs.

Yes! People know when I am turning. I realize that is a great deal of juice being drawn, but I have used large enough wire (i thought) as I have gone along, and as I said the left side works fine.

 

[ParadiseCruiser]

So maybe a wiring issue with all my added turn signals, ARB front, Slee side marker adaptation, JDM fender side marker, and Kaymar. Oh yeah, and the 3 turns that have 1155 bulbs are using 50w bulbs.

B -

The EP36 is rated for 3 lamps per side - as Rick points out - and used routinely with 4 per side (and occasionally pushed to 5 lamps per side) in my case.

If I read your post correctly, you run 6 lamps per side and, with the higher wattage bulbs, the electrical equivalent of perhaps 7-8 lamps per side. IMHO, I'd say you have surpassed the load capacity of the flasher and need yet another upgrade.

R -

 

[DRTDuck]

"B -

The EP36 is rated for 3 lamps per side - as Rick points out - and used routinely with 4 per side (and occasionally pushed to 5 lamps per side) in my case.

If I read your post correctly, you run 6 lamps per side and, with the higher wattage bulbs, the electrical equivalent of perhaps 7-8 lamps per side. IMHO, I'd say you have surpassed the load capacity of the flasher and need yet another upgrade.

R -

You calculation is right. However, eveything has been functioning well with the stock flasher for over a year, except when I plug in the trailer harness. That is why I was looking to upgrade because I need to pull a trailer in a couple of weeks.

 

[landtank]

this is getting as bad as those "I need more power" engine mod threads.

 

[Brentbba]

Bringing this thread back to life.

I now have the ARB up front, Kaymar in the rear and the trailer. Just finished rewiring the trailer electrical connector on the truck. Destroyed the original one at Truckhaven, so I've got the new one tucked up behind the bumper where it won't get hit.

I'm now in the same position as Rick. I've got (on each side) two bulbs up front, one on the dash, two bulbs in the rear and one on the trailer for a total of 6 bulbs on each side, 12 total. I'm using a Hoppy converter and have the ARB spliced into the turn signal up front and the Kaymar into the wiring harness in the rear. With 10 bulbs, five each side, the factory flasher unit works just fine with no trailer hooked up.

I'd blown the 30 amp fuse to the brake controller on my aux fuse panel while rewiring the trailer connector. Quick trip to Pep Boys replaced the 30 amp fuse and controller is back in action and I now have the necessary spare fuses!!!

Quick trip to the church to plug in the trailer to make sure I'd rewired the truck correctly. Plugged in the trailer.....left turn signal, check, right turn signal, BOOM blown 7.5 amp signal fuse on the dash fuse panel. DAMN! Plugged in spare. BOOM blown fuse! DAMN! No more 7.5amp spares. Plugged in a 10 amp to the signal receptacle. Everything worked w/o issue on the truck and the trailer. I know it's not good to put a 10 amp fuse where 7.5 is what's called for.

Looks like I've met my max. I did use spade terminals when I spliced the ARB in up front. May just have to unplug the ARB turn signals when towing.

Question - what potential hazards to I risk using a 10 amp fuse instead of the 7.5 the circuit is rated for? Fry wires, the flasher unit, the converter box, fire, anything else?

Haven't tried the set-up with the ARB unplugged yet, but unless the draw from the trailer is more than the ARB, I should be ok. Currently have 10 bulbs, five each side, with the ARB plugged in and I've been ok since the ARB install at Xmas. Substitute the trailer bulb for the ARB and, theoretically I should be OK?

Rick, or anyone else, ever come up with another solution??

I don't need to tow until our March trip, so I've got a little time to figure something out.

 

[landtank]

Brent I pretty much dropped this when I ran into a problem that needed much more troubleshooting. That was the fast flash rate on the upgraded flasher. I still don't understand how an electronic timing circuit would change, but it did. My last idea was a 12v supply issue but I never got around to checking that out.

 

[Brentbba]

Rick - thanks. I'll let you know if just unplugging the ARB lights drops enough current to not pop a fuse when the trailer is connected.

Funny thing is that when it happened, my first thought was hoping that I could find this thread via search. What a wonderful feature search is.

 

[landtank]

Let me know as I just finally hooked up my ARB blinkers last month and haven't towed yet or until the spring.

 

[Rich]

...Question - what potential hazards to I risk using a 10 amp fuse instead of the 7.5 the circuit is rated for?...

Primary risk would be overheated supply wire starting a fire. The purpose of the fuse is to open up prior to the wire getting hot enough to melt the insulation and pose risk of shorting out and starting a fire.

 

[Beowulf]

Does anyone have a link to a good wire size chart for 12v DC?

-B-

 

[gbell210]

Curious.. wouldn't it make more sense to unplug the kaymar lights? Espically since the trailer would be obstructing the view of these? Also, since the kaymar has actually connectors that tapped into my stock harness, it would be easier to disconnect them.

Thats just my thinking behind it. I haven't towed anything yet, but I may be towing a uhaul trailer in the next few months to move.

 

[IdahoDoug]

Watching this with interest now that an ARB's on the horizon and of course I'm a towing machine all summer.....

DougM

 

[landtank]

My gut feeling on this is that we will need to do something along the lines of what Slee did with his head light upgrade. That is, using the 12v line currently operating the signals to operate a relay that then will supply the higher current needed to operate all those lights in conjunction with a relay like the one I used above. I'm mainly thinking this because I beleive that 12v goes through the light stalk and you won't want to send too much through there and burn that puppy out.

Since my last LC project has come to an end this looks like a good next project for me to get started on. Should have brought my EWD with me on this trip.

 

[Brentbba]

Curious.. wouldn't it make more sense to unplug the kaymar lights? Espically since the trailer would be obstructing the view of these? Also, since the kaymar has actually connectors that tapped into my stock harness, it would be easier to disconnect them.

Thats just my thinking behind it. I haven't towed anything yet, but I may be towing a uhaul trailer in the next few months to move.

Hmmmm.....hadn't thought about that, but you make a good point. It's been awhile since I hooked up the Kaymar. It just plugs right into the harness. What I don't remember, and I'm thinking it may be true in my case, is that I've got the converter that goes to the trailer on the same harness as the Kaymar taillights. Kaymar leaves open wires to hook up to a converter for this exact purpose. Thus, unplug the overall harness to the Kaymar bumper lights and you unplug the trailer connection as well.

I'll have to take a peek under the truck this weekend and verify this.

Rick and DougM - I'll let you know what I find out for sure. I'll explore both the Kaymar hookup and unpluging the ARB.

 

[gbell210]

Hmmmm.....hadn't thought about that, but you make a good point. It's been awhile since I hooked up the Kaymar. It just plugs right into the harness. What I don't remember, and I'm thinking it may be true in my case, is that I've got the converter that goes to the trailer on the same harness as the Kaymar taillights. Kaymar leaves open wires to hook up to a converter for this exact purpose. Thus, unplug the overall harness to the Kaymar bumper lights and you unplug the trailer connection as well.

Ah Yes.. I know the kaymar has extra wires for what I assume to be a trailer connection. So if you used those for the trailer harness, then disregard my idea, unless you want to re-wire it all
The PO on mine, connected the trailer converter behind the taillights inside the USPS under the sub-woofer area.

 

[Brentbba]

The PO on mine, connected the trailer converter behind the taillights inside the USPS under the sub-woofer area.

Those damn PO's.......

 

[gbell210]

lol yea.. espically when the kaymar was not even connected when I first got it. I had to untangle their mess and connect the wiring.
See... https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=53923&highlight=kaymar+wiring

 

[Brentbba]

Excuse my french, but what a freaking mess!!!

Maybe an older Kaymar??? I've only had mine a year or so and it was a simple plug and play to an open connector under the truck. The Kaymar harness also had a five wire harness open that then connected to a trailer converter.

I'll try to take some photos to show you.

 

[MoCoNative]

Caution old thread revival.

Did any of you guys find more out about this subject. I bring it up because I looked through this thread to figure out how to get the trailer lights to blink at a human rate on my trailer. The difference is I'm dealing with a 96 T100, not an 80. On the T100 the stock unit was a EP35 from what I could tell, so I went and got an EP36. Plugged right in, nothing seemed funny about the wiring. So I turned the key on, checked it, all worked fine. Backed up to my trailer, checked it, seemed to make the lights flash a little slower and brighter, but not overly impressive.

Drove to work the next day and did something I had not tried the night before, and that was turn on the blinkers and hit the brakes at the same time. I get a supersonic blink rate, both directions when applying the brakes. When I release the brake pedal the blink rate goes back to normal.

I'm not sure what this issue is. T100 is pretty similar to an 80 from what I can tell. Typical Toyota in the back, seperate turn signals from brake lights. The brake light curcuit should be seperate from the turn signals. But here is the catch, it has electric trailer brake controller on it, but it looks to be hooked up properly. Also has older converter spliced in in the back.

I got a Hoppy T connect harness deal, just haven't got it in yet. I'm wondering if the old convertor is doing some kind of bleed through or something, that is the only place that the brake and turn curcuits can merge.

Also just thought of something while writing this thread, electric brake controller has a ground wire, may be spliced to same ground as flasher unit, if it grounds, would that be an issue?????

But, stock flasher was fine prior to this. Stock flasher said it was rated for 2 bulbs turn, 4 flash. Stock unit says Toyota, and then Tridon right underneath. My new flasher is the Tridon EP36, seems it should work. It is rated for 3 turn, 6 flash, and works fine until the brake is applied, just strange, any thoughts????

 

[Brentbba]

You could try a separate ground point, but I don't think that will make a difference. I solved my problem by converting all the lights (rear and running) to LED. Lower draw of the LED's solved my blown fuse issues.