LED taillights affecting trailer lights hookup
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Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: Kingston, Ontario (Canada)
LED taillights affecting trailer lights hookup
A year ago, I had a trailer brake controller and 7-way round connector installed on my truck.
A few weeks ago, I bought LED taillights and a third-brake light on eBay.
Here are the taillights:
http://racingguys.onlinera.com/HW-07-021-R.jpg
Here's the third-brake light:
http://racingguys.onlinera.com/HW-07-025-S.jpg
I really like the taillights because they were cheaper than most and still have the original curve at the bottom, unlike most others that use flat reflectors facing the back and the side and have that ugly bulge at the bottom corner of the lens. They use staggered smaller reflectors facing the back and have LEDs at the bottom instead of the whole bottom half being reflectors.
Here's the problem though. Yesterday, I rented a U-Haul car trailer to move my 1954 F-100 into storage. When the guy connected the light harness, my third brake light came on and the brake lights on the trailer didn't work. The guy told me that when installing LED taillights, the 7-way connector needs to be rewired to make up for the difference in power consumption of the LEDs as opposed to regular bulbs. I had to swap back to my factory taillights to hook the trailer up, then swapped back to my LEDs after the move.
Is it true that I have to have my 7-way connector rewired? Anyone have that kind of situation and made that modification? Your personal experience and cost estimates of the modification will be helpful.
A few weeks ago, I bought LED taillights and a third-brake light on eBay.
Here are the taillights:
http://racingguys.onlinera.com/HW-07-021-R.jpg
Here's the third-brake light:
http://racingguys.onlinera.com/HW-07-025-S.jpg
I really like the taillights because they were cheaper than most and still have the original curve at the bottom, unlike most others that use flat reflectors facing the back and the side and have that ugly bulge at the bottom corner of the lens. They use staggered smaller reflectors facing the back and have LEDs at the bottom instead of the whole bottom half being reflectors.
Here's the problem though. Yesterday, I rented a U-Haul car trailer to move my 1954 F-100 into storage. When the guy connected the light harness, my third brake light came on and the brake lights on the trailer didn't work. The guy told me that when installing LED taillights, the 7-way connector needs to be rewired to make up for the difference in power consumption of the LEDs as opposed to regular bulbs. I had to swap back to my factory taillights to hook the trailer up, then swapped back to my LEDs after the move.
Is it true that I have to have my 7-way connector rewired? Anyone have that kind of situation and made that modification? Your personal experience and cost estimates of the modification will be helpful.
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 231
Likes: 0
From: VERSAILLES, KY
I have a very similar setup as you, with the exception my truck came equipped with the trailer package, and i haven't had any issues. I would suspect the plug wasn't wired correctly to begin with? The load difference of LED vs incandescent bulbs shouldn't affect the trailer light circuits.
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,869
Likes: 0
From: N.E. Ohio
I have the LED Hella taillights w/the ugly bulge as you referred to them as(j/k 
). When I installed the tails I had to step down to a 7.5a per installation instructions. The first time I went to hook up the 7 pin plug the fuse blew. So I unplugged and went in increments on stepping up the fuse sizes. I ended up running a 20a fuse from Cincinnati to Orlando and back dragging a 20' box trailer w/no problems. Once home I pulled the 20a and replaced w/7.5 as recommended. That was August of 07' and the tails still work fine. I pull a 14' Big Tex open trailer on a regular basis and never have any problems w/the tails. The Big Tex is wired w/the 4 pin flat plug.
). When I installed the tails I had to step down to a 7.5a per installation instructions. The first time I went to hook up the 7 pin plug the fuse blew. So I unplugged and went in increments on stepping up the fuse sizes. I ended up running a 20a fuse from Cincinnati to Orlando and back dragging a 20' box trailer w/no problems. Once home I pulled the 20a and replaced w/7.5 as recommended. That was August of 07' and the tails still work fine. I pull a 14' Big Tex open trailer on a regular basis and never have any problems w/the tails. The Big Tex is wired w/the 4 pin flat plug.
