Ok, i found this on a dsm site and thought it'd be cool to try on a set of gen3 euros(or any euros) or the JDM lights with the amber corners or the stock ones. it's long and here you go:
German Tailight Install
German taillight re-wire.. The amber German taillights will work with the American version of the 2G Eclipse as long as you make some modifications to the wiring.
Hopefully you have access to instructions on removing your taillights, but in case you haven’t I’ve included a brief description of the tools and process. A 10mm deep socket will come in handy here. Remove the two panels for bulb access. Also take out the center section of the interior section of the trunk. To do so you will have to take out the spare tire so you can pop the bottom part of this panel. With that popped you can lift it up and off. This will give you access to the seven nuts that hold the center Eclipse section. It will also make it easier to run some new wiring. With the center section off you can unbolt the right and left side taillights.
First you need to transfer the wiring and attached bulbs and sockets from the all red American lights to the German set. A single philips screw holds the white socket to the light assemblies. The bulb and socket at the "arrow head" end needs to be swapped to the German lights as well.
Mount the German lights into the tail section and secure with the nuts. Then the center Eclipse section.
Keep in mind how the (US) lights are wired to work from the factory. This will help you understand the changes required to get the German lights wired. The driving and parking lights are all the way across, in other words all three sockets are energized. They use a twin filament, 1157, bulb. The low wattage filaments are used for the running and parking lights. The arrowhead ends never energize the high wattage filament, but fortunately they are there waiting for a new role. The two sockets toward the center use the high wattage filaments for brake lights, turn signals, and hazard flashing. This is important to remember because a single wire feeds the signal for these functions. The same wire that sends the electrical pulse for the turn signal also sends the steady voltage for the brakes.
The German taillights will need to be set up so the two center bulbs use the low wattage filaments for parking and running; and the high wattage for brake lights only. The arrowhead amber socket needs to have the high wattage filament dedicated to the turn signal and hazard voltage. Remember though that a single wire sends all three to the American taillights. So the trick is to remove the brake signal to that wire and only allow the turn/hazard signal voltage through.
To prepare things you will need to move the pin in the arrowhead bulb connector from one side of the socket to the other. The center contact is ground and does not need to be moved. Take an awl and poke the contact out of the socket and also remove the rubber plug from the side you are moving it to. Put the rubber plug into the hole the contact came out of. This swap will mean that voltage will now activate the high wattage filament of the 1157 bulb. Now cut the wire you just moved about 3 to 4 inches away from the socket. You will be attaching a new wire to these "pig tails" later. Tape the rest of the wire you just cut (the chassis side) so it will not ground out on anything.
You will need to go to Radio Shack and pick up a couple (two) 8 Ohm, 20-watt resistors (pn: 271-120). These are ceramic resistors and will simulate the resistance of another bulb. Without this additional resistance the turn signals will "quick flash". But we will get to that later.
The next step is to remove the turn and hazard signal from the wire that carries the brake light voltage. To do this you will need to access the hazard/signal flasher behind the radio. To gain access you will need to lift off the center console and the passenger side panel. I will assume that you either know or can find the directions on this.
Once it is all off pull the connector off the unit. It has ten wires connected to it. As you look at the connector you will see one side has a notch. To the left and right of the notch are two wire contacts each. The one on the left closest to the notch is the one that sends the signal to the back. There is a gray clip that keeps the contacts in place so take it off (and don't lose it). Push out the contact identified prior. If you want to be sure you have the correct one take a voltmeter and probe the socket. You should see it activate when you press the brake pedal (duhh) and go to zero volts when you are off the pedal. When you have the contact pushed out of the socket, replace the gray lock and then tape up the wire you just removed so it cannot short on anything.
Now put your radio back in and your console together.
The next job is to send a brake signal to the two center sockets. To do this you need to run a wire from the signal that goes to the center "third" brake light. This is behind the panel under the rear window on the driver's side. There is a green/red wire that you will tap for its signal. To do so you will need to strip back some of the insulation and solder a new wire to it. This new wire will need to be fed to the tail light area.
The white socket that plugs into the taillights are now ready for their surgery. First the left side. There are three wires. The ground (black) and the wire next to it (parking light voltage) stay. The gray/blue wire is cut leaving a 2-3" pigtail. The end that goes to the socket will be connected to the wire you soldered in the prior step. This will be daisy chained to the right socket.
The chassis side of the cut wire will be extended to the amber "arrow head" socket on the left side. In addition you will need to connect the 10-Ohm resistors to a chassis ground on one end and this wire on the other. So from this single wire it splits into two wires. One to the resistor and ground and the other to the socket connector on the amber arrow.
Next is the right socket. The wire to be cut is gray/red. The socket side gets connected to the brake light wire daisy changed from the left light. The chassis side gets split again. One strand goes to the amber socket wire and another to ground with a 10-Ohm resister in line.
#19525, "RE: German taillight mod" In response to Reply # 2
finally, a write up on this...i really need this 2 make my tails light up the way i want, thank you thank you thank you!!!! but i am confused as hell...im sure i can figure it out, so thanks again!!!!
#19526, "RE: German taillight mod" In response to Reply # 3
ok, i got it now...had 2 read it a few times... thanks again...
what it looks like? = the american taillights have all the light on and use those for the turn signal and brake together (expet the outside ones are only for running lights)...
*** ***
the german has the middle 2 lights as brake only, and the outside lights as turn only...
#19527, "RE: German taillight mod" In response to Reply # 4
thank you for making it easier to understand. i haven't done this yet and was hoping on here would do it and take pics and do a better write up. like i said i found this on another site. i might just try it with this write up
vector racing - if you do this, can you do a write up for everyone else and take pics as you do it. the one i found is confusing and didn't have pics. i want to do it to my euros cause their the ones with just 3 circles. and if you do, can you send it to me cause i would like to put it on my website under my mods section.
#19531, "RE: German taillight mod" In response to Reply # 8
put it where ever you want to put it. i just though that it would be easier to put it in the interior/exterior section cause that is what it is. as for seeing it before, when??? and dont' tell me to use the search button cause that doesn't work right.
#19532, "RE: German taillight mod" In response to Reply # 9
>put it where ever you want to put it. i just though that it >would be easier to put it in the interior/exterior section >cause that is what it is. as for seeing it before, when??? >and dont' tell me to use the search button cause that >doesn't work right.
he was saying that because the post is so good that it needs to be saved because so many people ask this question but you were the only one who helped
#19533, "RE: German taillight mod" In response to Reply # 10
ok my misunderstanding. i put it on my website but the mods link i have is not working. i also have a some of the 2gnt.com mods on there too....any mod that is not mine has been noted. i would like this to be saved also cause i wouldn't want to loose it. i just kindof want a better writeup with pics or just some pics to go with it
#19534, "RE: German taillight mod" In response to Reply # 0
Ya I think that mod would look badass with altezzas. When I had my cf altezzas on i removed the outer bulbs because without the reflector it looked like crap. Using those outer bulbs as blinkers would be awesome. Yay! New project! Thanks for postin that bro.
Search
Printer-friendly copy
0 Users in Chat
