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| Switching to LED bulbs? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 5 2012, 09:54 PM (6,891 Views) | |
| JellyBeanDriver | Jun 5 2012, 10:17 PM Post #46 |
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Definitely going to give it a try. I don't like the faster flash rate of the EP34 and it's too damn quiet to hear on the freeway. Today when signalling on the freeway, without the clear audible feedback, I felt like my blinkers were not working. |
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| nerys | Jun 6 2012, 11:59 AM Post #47 |
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Grr
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How about we make our own? how hard can it be to make a timer base audible relay blinker unit? I can't imagine it would use all that many components and maybe we can get a bunch fabbed up or something. We HAVE to have a few members will the skill set to design and rep a prototype. |
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| Jimmyjamx22 | Jun 9 2012, 12:52 AM Post #48 |
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wish there was a schematic and what parts are in it hahaha. |
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| Bjetmech | Aug 30 2012, 03:21 PM Post #49 |
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Sorry for bumping such an old thread, just that this one has some good info in it. I just ordered a instrument cluster with a tach for my 91 and was thinking of putting LED's in the cluster before I put it in the car. The question I have is for those that have done this is there a limited height for some of the LED's? I see there are a few that are tall (with a bunch of LED's on them which I dont think you want that much light behind the cluster anyways) and others that have 1 or 5 and are pretty short. The other question is I haven't opened up my cluster and was hoping that someone could give me a number of how many LED's I will need to order to replace all the bulbs. Thanks Edited by Bjetmech, Aug 30 2012, 03:22 PM.
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| razr769 | Aug 30 2012, 03:38 PM Post #50 |
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Got boost?
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Yes there is a limited height. I think Nerys has said before that the 9 bulb LEDs are too tall. The 5 LED wedge type will fit. You will need 3 t10 LEDs for the tach cluster backlights. T3ragtop recommends an inverted type LED for more even lighting. Check this thread http://geometroforum.com/topic/4833474/1/?x=30#new |
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| Bjetmech | Aug 30 2012, 04:05 PM Post #51 |
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Sweet, thanks. I remember that thread. Guess I didn't look back far enough. |
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| t3ragtop | Aug 30 2012, 06:42 PM Post #52 |
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Turbo3 and Twincam Tweaker
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be sure that when you have the leds installed in the cluster that you plug in the connectors and turn on the dash lights to make sure that they all illuminate before you get to far along screwing bolts back in. leds are polarity sensitive, unlike incandescent bulbs, and you have even odds of installing them backwards. i use a heavy cloth draped over the dash and steering wheel to block out daylight which made it easier to identify the dark leds. i had a few and i just pulled the cluster back out so i could remove the leds, rotate them 180 degrees, and re-insert them. make sure that all the leds illuminate before you put the dash back together. another thing, i wouldn't replace the 2 turn signal indicators or the high beam indicator with leds. those have heavy filters for green and blue and the incandescent bulbs work best there. one thing i have noticed on my red vert is that there is significant "leakage" in the wiring so that even with the ignition switch in the off position, if i press the brake pedal there is enough emf (probably due to a ground loop) to power the cluster leds and they light up in a dimmed mode. just add that to the list of idiosyncrasies of the metro's wiring.
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| bikeAmusPrime | Nov 15 2013, 02:05 PM Post #53 |
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Im cusious what our high mount brake light bulb is. Mine is not a 1156 bulb. Its a wedge type. |
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| Vkhelldog | Nov 15 2013, 03:24 PM Post #54 |
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194... I think for my high mount. I switched all my lights to led. It took 3 months of order cheap bulb of amazon wait for it to come see if it's bright enough and not bad from factory, BTW anyone who says led will be brighter no matter what is on something... I had two sets of lights that where no where near bright enough... I ended up with a lot of lights that bairly fit into the housing.. But I finally got them all (other than instrument cluster I failed and gave up on that) all my external lights are led and I'm happy with them. All cheap bulbs.. Several original bulbs were bad but they sent me replacements free. I was going to do a write up but since it stretched out over so much time and different lights I ended up not doing a write up as it was too confusing. |
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| snowfish | Nov 15 2013, 04:05 PM Post #55 |
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Basic GearHead
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Not really sure if a write up is necessary. I over thought it for a while too. One finds the right LED, plug it in with the right polarity, and that's it. Turn signals will need ballast resistors or a LED flasher. Pretty straight forward. The only light that is not a LED yet , in my Ice Blue project, is the dome light. But this too shall change.
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| bikeAmusPrime | Nov 15 2013, 04:24 PM Post #56 |
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It is much larger then a 194 bulb. I think it is a 7440 bulb. |
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| RobM702 | Aug 10 2014, 08:08 AM Post #57 |
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Fresh Fish
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I've replaced all the exterior bulbs in by 1997 Geo with LEDs and ran into a couple of problems. It took me a lot of head scratching and experimentation to get the brake/tail lights to work. Brake lights were fine, but no tail lights. Here was the problem: The brake switch is a "single pole - double throw" switch. When the brake is depressed, the brake wire is switched to 12v. But when it's released, it's connected to ground. Since the brake and tail LEDs are connected together inside the bulb, the brake wire was grounding the tail lights. So you have to put a diode in the brake wire. I used a 3 amp diode, which is much larger than necessary. A much smaller one would have worked, but I didn't want it to burn out if somebody put in an old fashioned light bulb some time in the future. The problem with the stock flashers with LEDs has been discussed in this thread, so I bought the most popular CF13 LED flasher off eBay for $4. Unfortunately, the stock flasher is 3mm smaller than this one. It won't fit down into the square hole on the top of the fuse block with the flasher socket. The prongs will go into the socket, but barely. I didn't trust it to not fall out when I hit a bump so I made an extension cord out of a some wire and spade clips. The male spade clips fit into the flasher socket and the female spade clips on the flasher. It was a pain, working upside down and blind under the dash, but I eventually got all three wires into their correct place in the flasher socket. Then I Velcroed the flasher to the side of the fuse block. Now everything works great. The new lights are much brighter and use a fraction of the power of the old bulbs. Next step is to tackle the dashboard lights. |
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| t3ragtop | Aug 10 2014, 10:32 AM Post #58 |
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Turbo3 and Twincam Tweaker
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i run led lamps everywhere in my red vert except the headlight and fog light positions. for headlights i use solenoid type hi/lo 6000k hid lamps, daylight white, under glass e code lenses. in the fog lights where i don't mind the yellow cast of halogen lamps, i run basic 55 watt h1 lamps. i added a row of 3 watt cree eagle eyes on the rear bumper to serve as backup lights and modified the original backup light cells with 2 20 led arrays that are electronically strobed. people behind me get a light show when i reverse. ![]() i also added 1157 dual circuit sockets and modified the wiring to add running lights to the brake light position when i converted to led lamps. on the front of the car, i added sockets and amber leds to the corner lights. they have white running lights and amber turn signals under the same clear lenses. my latest led mod was to remove the sun visors that i never use and mount 3 watt cree eagle eyes in the pivot position holes. they make great map lights.
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Welcome to the all new Geo Metro Forum. We hope you enjoy your visit.







I over thought it for a while too.
, in my Ice Blue project, is the dome light.
But this too shall change.


![]](http://z3.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)


7:27 PM Jul 10