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The mkiv Supra Owners Club

Boot level LED brake light


redline Rooster

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Hi, I've noticed that the nice little "tail light out" warning light has been on - on my UK TT since i've had it!! now i know the boot level LED unit does not work so that must be causing the warning. I did test all the other rear lights and they all work!

 

So i took it apart tonight only to find with amazment that although the unit is fitted to the car, there are NO LEDS in there and its obviously not wired up!!!

 

I mean whats the point in that!!! if the units in there why not put the LEDS in too - was this a factory option costing and extra Limb on the UK specs or what!?!? :mad:

 

Anyway, just behind the mounting for the LED light there is an unconnected loom, which must be for the brake light, so i put a voltmeter on it and tried the brakes but its dead! - and no switch will turn it on *even with ignition on* the wires going in to it are WHITE and WHITE/GREEN.

 

Does anyone know if this is the brake light feed, and how i would go about reconnecting it!?!? i have a horrible feeling i'm gonna have to remove interior panel!! YUK!! :(

 

I really want to get this wire working because i want to put my customised LED driver in there to make the light just that little bit special!! plus it looks stupid having one that doesn't work!!! :rolleyes:

 

If any one has any info it would be much appreciated!! - see the piccy for the connection i mean if it helps!!!!

 

cheers

 

Redline rooster *with no leds as standard :D *

 

:devil:

supraled.jpg

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If its the same as the US spec then the LED brake light (even if you had one) isn't connected to the light fail sensor.

 

Again, if its the same as US spec, the tail lights "proper" are fed from the bulb fail unit by red wires with a white stripe, and the LED is fed by a green wire with a white stripe. All the earths are white with a black stripe.

 

The connector you desrcibe certainly sounds like the LED feed, but there should be 12V between the pins when you press the pedal because its a permanent feed and there are no other switches / relays in the way.

 

As for your warning lamp being on, has one of your stop lights been converted to a rear foglamp? This will probably confuse the bulb fail box and cause it to light up the warning on the dash.

 

Edit: The number plate lights also seem to be connected to the bulb fail box. Did you check those too?

 

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Guest Martin F
Originally posted by Darren Blake

As for your warning lamp being on, has one of your stop lights been converted to a rear foglamp? This will probably confuse the bulb fail box and cause it to light up the warning on the dash.

 

 

Dazza, it's a UK spec ordered with the optional extra rear foglights.

 

:D

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hmmmmm , well i've checked all my rear lights, and they all work fine, even the number plate illumination lamps!! :mad:

 

I've measured the voltage across that LED connector but its totally dead!! even checking the voltage between each wire and the car body shell incase there was a broken earth cable but nothing!!!

 

oh well its very annoying!! but i'll sort something out

 

Mark cheers for the Link to the Toyada specialist i'll deffinatly give them a try and see what they have to say

 

If when i do get it working i'll post a real medai clip of my LED driver working!! its quite cool! i've put it on all my other cars so far with LEDs lights!!

 

cheers

 

rooster!

 

:devil:

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Originally posted by Martin F

 

Dazza, it's a UK spec ordered with the optional extra rear foglights.

 

:D

 

DOH!!!

 

Must read posts more carefully in future.

Must read posts more carefully in future.

Must read posts more carefully in future.

Must read posts more carefully in future.

Must read posts more carefully in future.

Must read posts more carefully in future.

Must read posts more carefully in future.

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Rooster, the early UK Soups (like mine :eek: ) had a "false" third brake light!!! The loom connector you pointed out goes from in the boot to the panel just behind the passenger seatbelt. It will clip onto a brake light if you buy one from toyota (about 90quid). Here is where I connected a cable to it and attached it to the brake light circuit in the boot. You can get a piece of wiring loom to match this all up but it was v. expensive (compared to a bit cable and some solder and shrink tube). But at least if you use this it takes away the hassle of runing cable up the hatch.

 

Hope this helps.

 

God only knows why they didnt just put the 'real' one in

:baa: :baa: :baa:

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Originally posted by Martin F

 

Dazza, it's a UK spec ordered with the optional extra rear foglights.

 

:D

 

There were no "optional extras" on UK specs. The only choice you had was 6spd/auto & TT/NA. Anything else was due to changes in specs for each year. Around mid 95 was when toyota introduced a fully operational high level brake light on to the UK spec.

 

Cheers

Neil.

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Guest Martin F
Originally posted by Neil Sandham

 

There were no "optional extras" on UK specs. The only choice you had was 6spd/auto & TT/NA. Anything else was due to changes in specs for each year. Around mid 95 was when toyota introduced a fully operational high level brake light on to the UK spec.

 

Cheers

Neil.

 

Can you spell s-a-r-c-a-s-m ?

 

:D

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Originally posted by Martin Lynagh

Rooster, the early UK Soups (like mine :eek: ) had a "false" third brake light!!! The loom connector you pointed out goes from in the boot to the panel just behind the passenger seatbelt. It will clip onto a brake light if you buy one from toyota (about 90quid). Here is where I connected a cable to it and attached it to the brake light circuit in the boot. You can get a piece of wiring loom to match this all up but it was v. expensive (compared to a bit cable and some solder and shrink tube). But at least if you use this it takes away the hassle of runing cable up the hatch.

 

Hope this helps.

 

God only knows why they didnt just put the 'real' one in

:baa: :baa: :baa:

 

Cheers Martin, well i guess thats what i'm gonna have to do. The thing is i hate taking the interior panels apart :mad:

 

oh well, it'll be worth it in the end.....i hope!! ahhaha

 

cheers I'll let you know how i get on!

 

Rooster

 

 

:devil:

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ok Roo - not too difficult a job !!

 

Go down the local Halfrauds or similar and buy a parcel shelf mounted led strip - tear the guts ok.

 

Split open the existing brake light cluster.

 

glue/fix in the new strip of leds - glue the cluster back together. refix etc.

 

run a single cable down the inside of the boot - through the rubber grommet/link between the boot and body - then get wire down to rear light clusters, scotch lock into the brake feed.

 

Done !!

 

I also did a conversion of the rear lights so my UK Spec has twin brakes and driving lights like a J-Spec

 

 

 

Dean.

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Originally posted by DArby

then get wire down to rear light clusters, scotch lock into the brake feed.

 

 

Dean.

 

 

Aahhhh ! - Scotch locks!?!?!?!? - I hope you didn't put that sub in with scotch locks! :eek:

 

Twist'n'tape is more reliable! - Try using that new fangled invention, the soldering iron. Sure it takes a bit longer, but it lasts longer too.

 

Come on Dean, pull ya socks up

:D

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Guest Martin F
Originally posted by DArby

run a single cable down the inside of the boot - through the rubber grommet/link between the boot and body - then get wire down to rear light clusters, scotch lock into the brake feed.

 

 

 

Dean.

 

 

Arrrggghhhhh Blasphemy!!!

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I've never used scotch locks (at least I don't think I have!) - are they the thing where you put the wires parallel to each other in a plastic housing, and then push a little blade down so it cuts halfway through both the wires?

 

I use those connector blocks for all non critical wiring (stereo etc) and never had a problem with them - are they an offense in the eyes of the electric gods too?

 

What's the best way of t-ing into an existing wire? For example, I need to tap into my ECU wiring to fit my apexi gizmos - I don't need to sever the connection to my ECU, I just need to run another feed into my SAFC and RSM-GP for things like the speed and rev signal wires.

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Originally posted by Matt Harwood

 

 

Aahhhh ! - Scotch locks!?!?!?!? - I hope you didn't put that sub in with scotch locks! :eek:

 

Twist'n'tape is more reliable! - Try using that new fangled invention, the soldering iron. Sure it takes a bit longer, but it lasts longer too.

 

Come on Dean, pull ya socks up

:D

 

OK OK - it was for simplicity of instruction....

 

I only use soldering irons or 3/5/15/30a connector strips.

 

I run an Electrical contracting company - i sort of know how to connect things without causing fires etc. :D

 

 

Dean..

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Dean - yeah i'm not looking to put the standard LED strip in to my boot level light. I have made this LED driver that does something nice to the LED when you press the brake. Its not cheesy or some thing that flashes it just fades all the LEDs on smoothly starting in the center and fading outwards!!! - it looks very smart, and it my trade mark for all my cars i've hadd!!! hahaha :rolleyes:

 

I would really like to make the dead loom in the boot work, as that would save running extra wires about the place, but either way i'll do it some how!!

 

The only thing i'm not looking forward to is crackin open the old brake light unit, asthe glued section needs to be strong enough to hold the unit in place and provide a good boot seal

 

all good fun though eh??? :p

 

Cheers

 

Rooster

:devil:

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Dean, haha cheers for the encouragement!! well seeing as Martin has a blank one in case all goes wrong, i'm gonna take it in to 'surgery' later this week! - i've got hold of some super strong contact glue from a mate with a van so i'll be sorted there!!:p

 

I've found a nice razor sharp scribing tool, which seems to cut nicely away at plastic like that and leaves a very clean edge!! so its looking good!

 

Cheers

 

Rooster

:devil:

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Guest Martin F
Originally posted by Adam Wootten

I've never used scotch locks (at least I don't think I have!) - are they the thing where you put the wires parallel to each other in a plastic housing, and then push a little blade down so it cuts halfway through both the wires?

 

 

Yeah the're generally the ones, but be careful as other types of connectors can be referred to as Scotch-Lok by some people.

 

If you ever have to fault find an intermittant equipment installation and you spot some of these connectors, chances are it's them.

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