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  1. #1
    FEP Power Member fgross2006's Avatar
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    Default How to cool LED resisters

    I put LED resisters in the rear trunk area for my LED brake/Tail lights. I needed 2 for each side, 4 in total and they do get real hot.

    Before I put in my trunk liner kit I want to try to mount them on heat sinks or something like that. I just cant find heat sinks made for them or ones that will fit. I tried microcenter but no go.

    These things get hat enough to burn the wires around them.

  2. #2

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    try to sold an additional led inline/ take a led with higher voltage rating- this will reduce the voltage on the resistor. Anyway you Need to match the components, or it will whether burn or not lighting properly.
    80MustangCobra_302swap_Project_reasamble
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  3. #3

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    What are these resistors for? If they're wired in parallel with the LED bulbs, to make the turn signals flash
    properly, ditch them and use proper electronic turn signal and hazard flashers that are designed for LED
    retrofits.

    If they are current limiters in series with the LED bulbs, and they're generating that much heat, then these
    are very poorly designed LED retrofit bulbs. I would not be looking for heat sinks, I'd be looking for different
    bulbs instead.

    Properly designed LED retrofit bulbs should each contain a constant-current power regulator to deliver what
    the LEDs need, without generating a bunch of waste heat. And they should not require any external current
    limiting resistor.
    Cheers,
    Jeff Cook

    '85 GT Hatch, 5-speed T-Top, Eibachs, Konis, & ARE 5-Spokes ... '85 GT Vert, CFI/AOD, all factory...
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    2012 F150 S-Crew 4x4 5.0 "Blue Coyote"... 65 coupe, 289 auto, Pony interior ... '67 coupe 6-cyl 4-speed ...
    '68 Vert, Mexican block 307 4-speed... '71 Datsun 510 ...
    And a 1-of-328 Deep Blue Pearl 2003 Marauder 4.6 DOHC, J-Mod, 4.10s and Lidio tune

  4. #4
    FEP Power Member fgross2006's Avatar
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by JACook View Post
    What are these resistors for? If they're wired in parallel with the LED bulbs, to make the turn signals flash
    properly, ditch them and use proper electronic turn signal and hazard flashers that are designed for LED
    retrofits.

    If they are current limiters in series with the LED bulbs, and they're generating that much heat, then these
    are very poorly designed LED retrofit bulbs. I would not be looking for heat sinks, I'd be looking for different
    bulbs instead.

    Properly designed LED retrofit bulbs should each contain a constant-current power regulator to deliver what
    the LEDs need, without generating a bunch of waste heat. And they should not require any external current
    limiting resistor.
    I got all my LEDs from superbriteleds.com.

    I am using LED compatible flashers for my turn signal and 4-ways.

    The Taillight/Brakelight was causing the console to warn of bulb outage which is not the case.

    I added resisters that are for this issue to get the console to not show bulb out status.

    They are hot to the touch. About as hot as a light bulb gets. Since I got a trunk liner set from a later model Fox I want to reduce the heat these resisters make so I can put the trunk liner set in.

    I did get these from an ebay seller and Im gonna use them.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/262604946986...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

  5. #5

    Default Why use resistors at all?

    Quote Originally Posted by fgross2006 View Post
    I got all my LEDs from superbriteleds.com.

    I am using LED compatible flashers for my turn signal and 4-ways.

    The Taillight/Brakelight was causing the console to warn of bulb outage which is not the case.

    I added resisters that are for this issue to get the console to not show bulb out status.

    They are hot to the touch. About as hot as a light bulb gets. Since I got a trunk liner set from a later model Fox I want to reduce the heat these resisters make so I can put the trunk liner set in.

    I did get these from an ebay seller and Im gonna use them.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/262604946986...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
    I've converted all my lights to LED. Yes, the message centre lights up when I turn those specific lights on.

    You are going through all this work so the message centre does not light up. But, when a light blows, the message centre will not light up due to the load of the resistors. So, in essence, the resistors stop the function anyway.

    Just pull the lights out of the message centre.

  6. #6

    Default

    Or put the stock bulbs back in and never wonder again if one goes out. I put Leds in when i first learned ri drive and had a million problems. Now i just run stock. Not worth the $80 ticket if a bulb goes out.
    2 1986 cougars (both 4 eyed and 5.0)
    1 1987 cougar

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