Brake lights on van flash every 1.5 to 2 seconds when connected to REDARC EBRH brake controller
Cadpete said
07:57 PM Jan 18, 2015
Hi Guys, me again :)
Have now picked up the van and got it home but had a minor problem. When connected to the Colorado (with Holden fitted brake controller) the brake/rear lights flash momenterrily about every 1.5 to 2 seconds. The caravan dealer tried connecting up their test box and the lights were fine with that, just a box with 12v and switches for each connection. I suspect something with the REDARC EBRH brake controller but have no idea what . The car is due it's 3000 free service soon so I will mention it to Holden then but any ideas / anyone else having the same problem would be great to hear.
Pete
Mike196 said
08:16 PM Jan 18, 2015
G'day Pete,
there's a particular way the cabling for the LED lights needs to be done on the Colorado. Most if not all new vehicles suffer the same fault when trailers with LED's are connected up. Your Dealer should be able to make it right.
Regards,
Cadpete said
08:42 PM Jan 18, 2015
Mike196 wrote:
G'day Pete,
there's a particular way the cabling for the LED lights needs to be done on the Colorado. Most if not all new vehicles suffer the same fault when trailers with LED's are connected up. Your Dealer should be able to make it right.
Regards,
To the best of my knowledge the lights are not LED. - I'll check tomorrow though.
justcruisin01 said
09:18 AM Jan 19, 2015
Just having a similar prob with indercaters flashing fast when combined with brake lights; ok by them selves.
Its a combination of bulb a led lights; the computer senses an additional load but not enought load to function properly.
Redarc do a system at $350 to correct this.better still you can buy a pair of resisters from any accessory supplies for $30 a fit one to each flasher a creats a dummy load to give the computer the correct reading. One fitted to you brake lights may be the go; but check combo of brake a flashers.will be fitting mine after tommorrow when I get home.
Plendo said
06:00 PM Jan 19, 2015
I do not know about other vehicles, but on the discovery the car computer pulses both indicators every second or two to find out if there is a trailer connected, it then disables the reversing alarms, and enables the anti sway logic in the Discovery.
While there are boxes you can buy to solve the problem for hundreds of dollars, I solved the problem with two resistor as Jim suggested. The resistors need to be connected in parallel with the LED lights (thus they simulate an old fashioned light bulb which has a lower resistance than the LED).
The resistors I used are metal cased 25W resistors, and from memory they were 18 ohms.
Good luck with solving the problem.
Cruising Cruze said
06:16 PM Jan 19, 2015
Hi David & Jim
Maybe an drawing comes in handy for people like me that are not that gifted in this field
Cheers John
-- Edited by Cruising Cruze on Monday 19th of January 2015 06:21:28 PM
Cadpete said
11:41 PM Jan 20, 2015
Ok folks, I went to check the rear lights this afternoon and could not workout how to take them apart or even off!
I have also taken a shot of both rear and brake light showing if that helps.
I have also looked from within the caravan and there is no access to the wiring from behind the pantry either! I am rather hoping someone knows how to remove the lights so that I can access the wiring to put the parallel resistor on if needed.
Do you think I am right in also thinking that the lights aren't easily opened would mean they are LED - although I thought that the photos showing the lights on looked more like a central incandescant globe (twin filament) ?
TIA
Pete
justcruisin01 said
07:51 AM Jan 21, 2015
I know what you mean by all sealed up .
These resisters I beleive could be fitted where ever you can acces the wireing, eg maybe up yhe front in the loom.
One wire will go to the indercater wire & the other to an earth on each of the left * right systems as the resister has to be mounted to a metal base to disperese the heat.
I will be fitting mine over the next few days & I am looking at fitting them to the tug & wired into the plug as I need to make a mounting plate for them.
I will find them as we unload in the next couple of days so will post a pic.
JC.
Plendo said
07:54 AM Jan 21, 2015
Pete,
when we first fitted the resisters we were worried they may get hot, so we fitted them inside a small die cast aluminium box from Jaycar that we then mounted on the chassis under the van, and we connected it to the indicator wiring there.
Actually I cheated, I made up the box, and I got the mechanic at the dealers to fit it under the van for me before we picked up the van.
PeterD said
11:34 AM Jan 21, 2015
Cadpete wrote: To the best of my knowledge the lights are not LED. - I'll check tomorrow though.
By the look of your photos they are not LED. In that case the resistors will not help. What model and age is your van?
KFT said
11:39 AM Jan 21, 2015
I think I would be asking Redarc about this issue before doing anything else.
I can remember a voyager brake controller on one of my vehicles used to turn the stop lights on every now and then with no trailer connected. Turns out it was a fault in the controller and was a known issue.
frank
Cadpete said
02:08 PM Jan 21, 2015
KFT wrote:
I think I would be asking Redarc about this issue before doing anything else.
I can remember a voyager brake controller on one of my vehicles used to turn the stop lights on every now and then with no trailer connected. Turns out it was a fault in the controller and was a known issue.
frank
Hi Frank,
I have already asked Redarc - they say it is the car CAN bus checking the lights.
PeterD wrote:
By the look of your photos they are not LED. In that case the resistors will not help. What model and age is your van?
Hi Peter, The van is a 2005 Trailcraft 540 Panorama. I have tried checking google and have not come up with anything for this van other than ads for sale.
PeterD said
02:31 PM Jan 21, 2015
Cadpete wrote:PeterD wrote:
By the look of your photos they are not LED. In that case the resistors will not help. What model and age is your van
Hi Peter, The van is a 2005 Trailcraft 540 Panorama. I have tried checking google and have not come up with anything for this van other than ads for sale.
LED lights generally have multiple light sources within the fitting. Your picture looks like one large globe. I reckon 2005 would have been a bit early for LED navigation lights. What do the rest of the members think.
Trailcraft vans were built by Trailcraft Boats. I can't find any reference to them either. They were WA based as I remember.
-- Edited by PeterD on Wednesday 21st of January 2015 02:32:50 PM
The vehicle brake lights input to the controller appears to be a high impedance signal input. This can be easily verified with a resistance test.
KFT said
04:10 PM Jan 21, 2015
Cadpete wrote:
KFT wrote:
I think I would be asking Redarc about this issue before doing anything else.
I can remember a voyager brake controller on one of my vehicles used to turn the stop lights on every now and then with no trailer connected. Turns out it was a fault in the controller and was a known issue.
frank
Hi Frank,
I have already asked Redarc - they say it is the car CAN bus checking the lights.
Thanks Cadpete, in that case then there is the possibility the holden people have connected the controller brake input to a canbus wire instead of a brake light wire. It is very likely that the brake light switch is merely a computer input connection.
frank
Cadpete said
10:55 PM Jan 21, 2015
I am booked in for the 3000Km service for Friday so will be asking them then. (and taking Redarcs answer with me!)
Pete
Cadpete said
08:10 PM Jan 23, 2015
Interesting chat to the service manager this morning - evidently this is not an isolated case and probably derives from the fact that the rear lights are probably incandescent while the side of van lights are probably LED. When the CAN is interogating the circuit it can't decide what is connected. They have switched off this check on my car so should be OK now, although there are a lot of 'probablies' in that statement. Haven't had time to check as I fly out to Brisbane tomorrow and need to get other stuff done first.
Thanks again all for your input.
Pete
dorian said
06:16 AM Jan 26, 2015
Cadpete wrote:
Interesting chat to the service manager this morning - evidently this is not an isolated case and probably derives from the fact that the rear lights are probably incandescent while the side of van lights are probably LED. When the CAN is interogating the circuit it can't decide what is connected.
That sounds like technobabble to me. I would think that the side and rear lights would be connected in parallel, so a combination of incandescent and LED lamps would look like a single incandescent.
I would start by measuring the resistance looking into the trailer plug.
mr glassies said
05:59 PM Jan 26, 2015
i had to put resisters on everything i put less on the back of and plendo they do get hot never herd of them on a brake light .
dibs
Tim thetruckie said
08:18 PM Jan 26, 2015
I fitted a load resister to my brake circuit on my 2010 Ranger because the cruise control checked the brake circuit before turning on . I fitted LED tail lights to the ute and also LED blinker park lights in the front bar , I also fitted load resisters to both blinker circuts . www.narva.com.au/products/browse/led-load-resistor-3
Cadpete said
11:23 AM Jan 27, 2015
Interesting comments. I am currently in QLD for my mother's birthday but hope to check at the end of the week.
Hi Guys, me again :)
Have now picked up the van and got it home but had a minor problem. When connected to the Colorado (with Holden fitted brake controller) the brake/rear lights flash momenterrily about every 1.5 to 2 seconds. The caravan dealer tried connecting up their test box and the lights were fine with that, just a box with 12v and switches for each connection. I suspect something with the REDARC EBRH brake controller but have no idea what
. The car is due it's 3000 free service soon so I will mention it to Holden then but any ideas / anyone else having the same problem would be great to hear.
Pete
G'day Pete,
there's a particular way the cabling for the LED lights needs to be done on the Colorado. Most if not all new vehicles suffer the same fault when trailers with LED's are connected up. Your Dealer should be able to make it right.
Regards,
To the best of my knowledge the lights are not LED. - I'll check tomorrow though.
Just having a similar prob with indercaters flashing fast when combined with brake lights; ok by them selves.
Its a combination of bulb a led lights; the computer senses an additional load but not enought load to function properly.
Redarc do a system at $350 to correct this.better still you can buy a pair of resisters from any accessory supplies for $30 a fit one to each flasher a creats a dummy load to give the computer the correct reading. One fitted to you brake lights may be the go; but check combo of brake a flashers.will be fitting mine after tommorrow when I get home.
I do not know about other vehicles, but on the discovery the car computer pulses both indicators every second or two to find out if there is a trailer connected, it then disables the reversing alarms, and enables the anti sway logic in the Discovery.
While there are boxes you can buy to solve the problem for hundreds of dollars, I solved the problem with two resistor as Jim suggested. The resistors need to be connected in parallel with the LED lights (thus they simulate an old fashioned light bulb which has a lower resistance than the LED).
The resistors I used are metal cased 25W resistors, and from memory they were 18 ohms.
Good luck with solving the problem.
Hi David & Jim
Maybe an drawing comes in handy for people like me that are not that gifted in this field
Cheers John
-- Edited by Cruising Cruze on Monday 19th of January 2015 06:21:28 PM
Ok folks, I went to check the rear lights this afternoon and could not workout how to take them apart or even off!
I have also taken a shot of both rear and brake light showing if that helps.
I have also looked from within the caravan and there is no access to the wiring from behind the pantry either! I am rather hoping someone knows how to remove the lights so that I can access the wiring to put the parallel resistor on if needed.
Do you think I am right in also thinking that the lights aren't easily opened would mean they are LED - although I thought that the photos showing the lights on looked more like a central incandescant globe (twin filament) ?
TIA
Pete
I know what you mean by all sealed up .
These resisters I beleive could be fitted where ever you can acces the wireing, eg maybe up yhe front in the loom.
One wire will go to the indercater wire & the other to an earth on each of the left * right systems as the resister has to be mounted to a metal base to disperese the heat.
I will be fitting mine over the next few days & I am looking at fitting them to the tug & wired into the plug as I need to make a mounting plate for them.
I will find them as we unload in the next couple of days so will post a pic.
JC.
Pete,
when we first fitted the resisters we were worried they may get hot, so we fitted them inside a small die cast aluminium box from Jaycar that we then mounted on the chassis under the van, and we connected it to the indicator wiring there.
Actually I cheated, I made up the box, and I got the mechanic at the dealers to fit it under the van for me before we picked up the van.
By the look of your photos they are not LED. In that case the resistors will not help. What model and age is your van?
I can remember a voyager brake controller on one of my vehicles used to turn the stop lights on every now and then with no trailer connected. Turns out it was a fault in the controller and was a known issue.
frank
Hi Frank,
I have already asked Redarc - they say it is the car CAN bus checking the lights.
PeterD wrote:
By the look of your photos they are not LED. In that case the resistors will not help. What model and age is your van?
Hi Peter, The van is a 2005 Trailcraft 540 Panorama. I have tried checking google and have not come up with anything for this van other than ads for sale.
LED lights generally have multiple light sources within the fitting. Your picture looks like one large globe. I reckon 2005 would have been a bit early for LED navigation lights. What do the rest of the members think.
Trailcraft vans were built by Trailcraft Boats. I can't find any reference to them either. They were WA based as I remember.
-- Edited by PeterD on Wednesday 21st of January 2015 02:32:50 PM
The vehicle brake lights input to the controller appears to be a high impedance signal input. This can be easily verified with a resistance test.
I am booked in for the 3000Km service for Friday so will be asking them then. (and taking Redarcs answer with me!)
Pete
Interesting chat to the service manager this morning - evidently this is not an isolated case and probably derives from the fact that the rear lights are probably incandescent while the side of van lights are probably LED. When the CAN is interogating the circuit it can't decide what is connected. They have switched off this check on my car so should be OK now, although there are a lot of 'probablies' in that statement. Haven't had time to check as I fly out to Brisbane tomorrow and need to get other stuff done first.
Thanks again all for your input.
Pete
That sounds like technobabble to me. I would think that the side and rear lights would be connected in parallel, so a combination of incandescent and LED lamps would look like a single incandescent.
I would start by measuring the resistance looking into the trailer plug.
dibs
Interesting comments. I am currently in QLD for my mother's birthday but hope to check at the end of the week.