Recon LED (white lightning) tailgate bar issue
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Joined: Dec 2010
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From: Cincinnati, OH
Recon LED (white lightning) tailgate bar issue
My brother and I installed a 60 inch Recon White Lightning tailgate bar on my 2010 screw.
Everything was working fine until the white lead was tapped into the 7 pin wiring harness. After connecting the lead, the running lamps would not work on the bar, and when the turn siginals were on, the entire bar flickered. Upon removing the reverse lead, the bar works fine, everything works as it should (of course no white reverse lights). We tested running a wire up to the actual reverse bulb socket in the tailight and it still did the same thing (acting abnormal when the reverse lead is connected).
We thought it might have been a bad tailgate bar, so we tried another (we were going to install one on my brother's 2005 as well), and it did the exact same thing.
Testing both bars on his 2005 produced the same erratic results when the reverse wire was connected.
Are there known issues with Recon bars? From what I read they are supposed to be really good and recommended.
Recon was closed last night, so I couldnt call them, but I am calling them today. Maybe they had a bad batch of units? I find it hard to believe 2 of the bars we had could both be bad..but who knows.
Anyone else experience the issue this issue?
Everything was working fine until the white lead was tapped into the 7 pin wiring harness. After connecting the lead, the running lamps would not work on the bar, and when the turn siginals were on, the entire bar flickered. Upon removing the reverse lead, the bar works fine, everything works as it should (of course no white reverse lights). We tested running a wire up to the actual reverse bulb socket in the tailight and it still did the same thing (acting abnormal when the reverse lead is connected).
We thought it might have been a bad tailgate bar, so we tried another (we were going to install one on my brother's 2005 as well), and it did the exact same thing.
Testing both bars on his 2005 produced the same erratic results when the reverse wire was connected.
Are there known issues with Recon bars? From what I read they are supposed to be really good and recommended.
Recon was closed last night, so I couldnt call them, but I am calling them today. Maybe they had a bad batch of units? I find it hard to believe 2 of the bars we had could both be bad..but who knows.
Anyone else experience the issue this issue?
Get a DMM and test all 7 wires and verify their functions. Then find a power source and map out all the wires on the bar and its functions. It sounds to me someone soldered the wrong wires into the control, so regardless of which color it is, find what it does and wire it into its corresponding lead from the 7pin
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Joined: Nov 2009
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Well, I figured out his issue. I found this thread:
https://www.f150online.com/forums/20...blinker-3.html
and read this:
Originally Posted by SlvrBrute View Post
Hey, I just clipped the ground wire where it goes into the connector under the tailgate. It is a black with green strip wire and it comes from the taillight/license plate harness into a connector that runs up to the front of the truck which is sitting under the tailgate or in the rear frame section. You should be able to distinguish it as it is clipped in and is the only connector that the taillights/license plate lights go into as you can just follow the wires from them to the connector. I then just clipped it and sealed the one end off from the connector and then just soldered a piece of wire to the other end that runs to the lights and put a ring terminal on the end and just hooked it up with the trailer wiring ground that is above the spare tire on the frame. It is a 10mm bolt that I just unscrewed and put the terminal on and then just tightened the bolt back and that should take care of it! I have since added Recon's Smoked LED Taillights and re-wired my White Lightning Tailgate Bar back in and everything works perfect!
I went ahead and re did the ground and the light bar works like it should. Thought I would post this up in case anyone else comes across this issue and gets stumped.
https://www.f150online.com/forums/20...blinker-3.html
and read this:
Originally Posted by SlvrBrute View Post
Hey, I just clipped the ground wire where it goes into the connector under the tailgate. It is a black with green strip wire and it comes from the taillight/license plate harness into a connector that runs up to the front of the truck which is sitting under the tailgate or in the rear frame section. You should be able to distinguish it as it is clipped in and is the only connector that the taillights/license plate lights go into as you can just follow the wires from them to the connector. I then just clipped it and sealed the one end off from the connector and then just soldered a piece of wire to the other end that runs to the lights and put a ring terminal on the end and just hooked it up with the trailer wiring ground that is above the spare tire on the frame. It is a 10mm bolt that I just unscrewed and put the terminal on and then just tightened the bolt back and that should take care of it! I have since added Recon's Smoked LED Taillights and re-wired my White Lightning Tailgate Bar back in and everything works perfect!
I went ahead and re did the ground and the light bar works like it should. Thought I would post this up in case anyone else comes across this issue and gets stumped.
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 31
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From: Ohio
I have a similar issue. was wondering if this worked and could possible work for my issue.
I have a recon line of fire bar plugged into my trailer harness. when the headlights are on and i turn on the blinkers they do not flash. however if i have the lights off they do flash but seem dim.
When the headlights are off the blinkers seem to work fine.
If i cut the ground and reground it in above the spare like said above would this fix all problems?
I have a recon line of fire bar plugged into my trailer harness. when the headlights are on and i turn on the blinkers they do not flash. however if i have the lights off they do flash but seem dim.
When the headlights are off the blinkers seem to work fine.
If i cut the ground and reground it in above the spare like said above would this fix all problems?
Technical Article Contributor
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 10,511
Likes: 10
From: Under the flightpath of old ORD 22R
If you need to add a ground, you might want to see if the ground on the trailer tow adapter is any good. Use a meter to read the voltage from the trailer tow adapter parking lamp to the ground in the trailer tow adapter. You should have the same as battery voltage. If not, might want to see if the ground pin in the flat four is corroded.
What you describe sounds like no ground to me, the bar is trying to derive ground from the parking lamp circuit.
You can temp in another ground to this wire with a scotch-loc and see if it cures the symptoms, and if it does, fit your trailer tow adapter.
What you describe sounds like no ground to me, the bar is trying to derive ground from the parking lamp circuit.
You can temp in another ground to this wire with a scotch-loc and see if it cures the symptoms, and if it does, fit your trailer tow adapter.
Technical Article Contributor
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 10,511
Likes: 10
From: Under the flightpath of old ORD 22R
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Technical Article Contributor
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 10,511
Likes: 10
From: Under the flightpath of old ORD 22R
Fixing it is finding out what is wrong with the ground plug in the flat 4.
Pontification is the pin is dirty / corroded.
The scotchloc is just another step in the test. Rather than trash the plug on the lightbar.
Pontification is the pin is dirty / corroded.
The scotchloc is just another step in the test. Rather than trash the plug on the lightbar.