Tail Lights LED Flashing

Which 3157 Leds Should I get?

For best results, match the led color to the lens color (ie: use red leds in red lenses, amber leds in amber lenses and white leds in clear lenses.

Led brightness and performance will vary depending on the housing and lens design. Leds are not always brighter than stock glass bulbs. For best performance in most housings, use the tower style leds. The more expensive ones are brighter.

Leds are preferred ,mainly for the vivid colors, low current draw (power consumption 90% less than glass bulbs) and instant on capability. The instant on and off capability can be quite dramatic at highway speeds for brake and turn signal detection at higher speeds.

Check here for the stopping distance comparisons for led bulbs compared to incandescent bulbs:

http://www2.wwnorton.com/college/chemistry/chemconnections/BlueLight/pages/hp/an1155-3.pdf

Which Type of 3157 Sockets do you Have?

Most vehicles will require a conventionally wired 3157 led bulb. If you are not sure, you may have to use an ohmmeter meter to check which two terminals in your socket are connected to the - Ground.

As you can see in the image to the right, a conventionally wired socket will have two - ground contacts positioned on either side of the wedge base. If your socket is wired this way, use the conventionally wired 3157 led bulbs.

There are some vehicles which are wired in a non-conventional manner. These are wired in a "CK" manner. As you can see in the image to the right, the CK sockets have the two - ground contacts side by side on the same side of the wedge base. If your socket is wired this way, you will need to use the specially wired 3157 CK bulbs.

3157 Led Conventional Wiring

3157 Filament Bulb Wiring

3157 Led CK Wiring

Note: Use Special 3157-SRCK (Red) or SACK (Amber) bulbs to replace the center tail lamp bulbs on these and other vehicles:

88-95-01 Cavalier and Sunfire tail lamp bulbs
92-98 Grand Am tail lamp bulbs

and Toyota Tundra front turn signals

Use the regular 3157 bulbs for the top tail lamp bulb.

88-99 (Old Body Style) Chevy and GMC full size trucks & SUVs.
95-01 Cavalier and Sunfire tail lamp bulbs
92-98 Grand Am tail lamp bulbs

How to determine if the bulb is faulty or the vehicle circuitry is just not functioning with the led bulbs in place.

Installing led bulbs is not always a "plug and play" operation. Although we have devised our patented circuitry with as much logic as possible to allow it to plug and play in many vehicles, it is not possible to design the 3157 led bulbs to plug and play in 100% of all vehicles.

In order to properly diagnose and fix problems, it is essential to isolate bulb related problems from circuit related problems. It is never a good idea to plug and led bulb into a vehicles circuit to test the led bulb. This is testing both the led bulb and the circuit at the same time. This method of testing will make it impossible to isolate problems with the bulb from problems with the circuit.

It is always recommended that if the bulb is not working in the circuit, test the led bulb using two wires connected direct to battery or any other known 12 volt DC power source. This is the only way an led bulb can be isolated from the circuit related problems and properly tested.

How to fix circuit related problems.

OK you plugged your new led bulbs in and they "don't work". The bulb must be defective, right? WRONG!

First... Did you test the bulbs as described above? If not, you need to test the bulbs only. Use the diagrams shown above to test the bulbs. It is best to use two wires that are connected direct to battery to test the bulbs. If you did not test the bulb as prescribed, you will never figure out if the problem is with the bulb or the circuit or the installation. Never assume the bulb must be bad. 99.8% of the time, the led bulbs are working as they should, but the circuitry is just not set up to operate properly with an led bulb. The odds that you received a non-functional LED bulb is very unlikely....less that 1 in 500.

99% of the time, the circuit related issues can be overcome, but it may take some extra effort and/or some minor wiring changes to get the 3157 led bulbs to work in some vehicles.

Here is a list of some common symptoms and fixes for automotive circuitry:

Symptom	Fix
The 3157 led bulb causes a fuse to pop whenever I switch on the lights or when I switch on the turn signal or when I apply the brake pedal. As soon as I remove the led bulbs, the fuses do not pop.	You are using the conventionally wired 3157 led bulbs in a CK socket. You can either swap the wires to the socket or use the specially wires CK led bulbs. *Don't forget to replace the fuse!*
The glass filament style bulbs light fine, but the 3157 led bulb will not light when I switch on the headlights.	A. The led bulb may be inserted backwards. Remove the bulb, rotate 180 degrees and reinsert. B. The led bulb contacts may not be making solid electric contact with metal contacts in the socket. Check the contacts on the bulbs and socket. Realign or adjust as needed. Reseat the bulb. C. Are you sure the filament bulb still works? Often in the process of installing, you can pop a fuse or lose a wire/connection to the socket. Always use the glass bulb or a voltage meter to verify there is at least +12 volts to the socket. D. In some vehicles some automotive circuits will not fully energize the circuit, or pulse current to the bulbs to check to see if the bulb is burned out. Since the leds draw 90% less power than the glass bulbs, these circuits do not switch on full voltage , or will not stay on when the led bulb is inserted. This can be corrected by installing one 6 ohm load equalizer across the circuit at each led bulb. This will add more load to the circuit and make the full 12 volt power switch on. In this instance, the glass bulb will make the power switch on, but the led bulb by itself will not make the full 12 volts switch on. This creates the illusion that the led bulb is at fault when in fact there is not 12 volts at the connection when the led bulb is inserted.
The glass filament style bulbs work fine, but the 3157 led bulb will not light when I switch on the turn signals.	A. The led bulb may be inserted backwards. Remove the bulb, rotate 180 degrees and reinsert. B. The led bulb contacts may not be making solid electric contact with metal contacts in the socket. Check the contacts on the bulbs and socket. Realign or adjust as needed. Reseat the bulb. C. Are you sure the filament bulb still works? Often in the process of installing, you can pop a fuse or lose a wire/connection to the socket. Always use the glass bulb or a voltage meter to verify there is at least +12 volts to the socket. D. In some vehicles some automotive circuits will not fully energize the circuit, or pulse current to the bulbs to check to see if the bulb is burned out. Since the leds draw 90% less power than the glass bulbs, these circuits do not switch on full voltage , or will not stay on when the led bulb is inserted. This can be corrected by installing one 6 ohm load equalizer across the circuit at each led bulb. This will add more load to the circuit and make the full 12 volt power switch on. In this instance, the glass bulb will make the power switch on, but the led bulb by itself will not make the full 12 volts switch on. This creates the illusion that the led bulb is at fault when in fact there is not 12 volts at the connection when the led bulb is inserted.
The glass filament style bulbs work fine, but the led bulb will not blink or blinks rapidly when I switch on the turn signals.	With many flashers, led bulbs will cause the turns signals to flash rapidly, or not flash at all. If using led bulbs for turn signal applications, or in vehicles with bulb-out warning systems, like Mercedes, BMW and others, you may need to add load equalizers. For led turn signals, you can change the flasher out using one of our new patented combination led/oem bulb flashers. Most electronic flashers are not the same as an led flasher. Many electronic flashers do not necessarily work with led bulbs, unless they are led flashers. If we do not have an led flasher that matches your flasher, use two 6 ohm equalizers for two front, or two rear led turn signal bulbs. Place one load equalizer at each led turn signal bulb location. For turn signal led bulbs, the equalizer must be spliced across the - ground wire and the + turn signal wire feeding each led bulb. More details on load equalizers and led flashers can be found at: http://superbrightbulbs.com/equalizers.htm
I get a bulb-out warning on my dashboard when I install the led bulb.	If your vehicle is equipped with an electronic bulb-out warning system, then any led bulb used in a bulb position that is monitored by the electronic bulb-out warning system will likely trigger an electronic bulb-out warning. Not all bulbs are monitored by the electronic bulb-out warning systems. To test to see if a bulb is monitored by an electronic bulb-out system, you can remove the bulb to see if you get a warning, To stop the electronic bulb-out warnings, install a load equalizer across the + and - wires that feed each led bulb that is causing an electronic bulb-out warning. Use one 6 ohm at each led bulb that is 3/4" diameter and larger. More details on load equalizers can be found at: http://superbrightbulbs.com/equalizers.htm
I get a ABS warning light and/or my cruise control is not working after I installed the led bulb in my brake lights.	In some vehicles, any led bulb used in the brake light positions may trigger an ABS warning light and disable the ABS braking system and or the cruise control. To correct this, install a load equalizer across the + brake light wire and - ground wire that feed each led brake lights bulb. Use one 6 ohm at each led bulb that is 3/4" diameter and larger. More details on load equalizers can be found at: http://superbrightbulbs.com/equalizers.htm

Automotive Replacement Bulbs:	Other Products:	Reference:
1156 1157 1142 2357 7507 7225 Bayonet Tail-Brake Turn Signal Back Up	LED Light Fixtures & Strobes	Specs
3157 3156 3457 4157 3057 Wedge Tail-Brake-Turn Signal & Back-Up Bulbs	Lights For the Home, Yard & Garden	Cross Reference
7443 7440 Wedge Tail-Brake-Turn Signal & Back-Up Bulbs	Electrical Contacts, Sockets, Connectors & Fuses	Technical Data
194 168 2825 W5W Wedge Side Marker License Plate & Interior Bulbs	Light Bright NEON Glow Wire	Bulb Dimensions
37 74 Gauge & Instrument Panel & Neo-Wedge Bulbs	High Powered Leds	General Bulb Information
3022 3122 561 578 6418 6411 Festoon Dome Bulbs	LED & Neon Light Tubes	Application Charts
Ba9s, E10, Ba7s, Small Ba15s and Bay15d Bayonet Bulbs	MR11, MR16 GU10 Bulbs	Bases & Filaments
906 921 Wedge Stop & Interior Bulbs	LED Flashlights Work Lights & Bulbs	Shipping
Headlights & Fog Lights	LED Screw Mount Indicator& Accent Lights	Mail Orders
HID Systems	Track Lights	International Shipping
LED Flashers, Protectors, Load Equalizers Turn Signal Fix	LED Light Fixtures for the Home & RV	FAQ'S
6 Volt Antique - Vintage Bulbs & 24 volt	Windshield Washer LEDS
Marine Bulbs	Electrical Wire & Shrink Tubing
Dura Chrome Titanium Platinum Silver Vision Bulbs	LED Bike, Go Ped, Motorcycle, ATV, Boat and RV Light Fixtures
Xenon Plasma Super Hyper White Bulbs	Miniature Train Bulbs & Parts
G4 T10 2 Pin Bi- Pin	High Powered Leds
Semi, Truck & Truck Trailer Leds	Universal Programmable Remote Controllers & Switches for Garage Openers.
Overhead Lighting - Trucks RV's and Under -Cabinets	Power Inverters - Power Supplies - Power Adapters
	LVD Electromagnetic Induction Bulbs

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