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@BigBoomer , wires fraying due to vibration, perfect. I suspected this as the only lights I have had to replace are the two on the trunk. Now, whenever it is in my power, I shut my own trunk! That's what the little pneumatic motor is for. Taking friends to the airport (of course with this car I am a favorite pick for that favor), "no, I'll get your bags; it's no problem"
Serves you right for being Mr Taxi-man <LOL>
Seriously, these cars are now OLD and whilst they are WAY more reliable than most other manufacturers cars, they ain't perfect and are subject to wear and tear just like any other vehicle.
Even a 2006 is now 17 years old and unless you bought it new, who knows how it's been treated before you bought it?
On yours it could be the solder joints on the individual LEDs but could also be an internal fault within each LED.
Could also be a burnt out limiting resistor or other electrical fault.
No, these are not as simple as a the filament bulbs in the 01-03s, but then you've not had to replace bulbs every 3-5 years either.
Measure the voltage at one of the LEDs and get back to us. LED beads I linked to are 3 watt version I run them at 1.75volts 36mA. The 1 watt version will be more efficient but won't get as bright before burning out. Even at 1 watt you need a large heatsink or the LED will quickly suffer thermal death. At above spec I estimate output at 100 lumens.
Measure the voltage at one of the LEDs and get back to us. LED beads I linked to are 3 watt version I run them at 1.75volts 36mA. The 1 watt version will be more efficient but won't get as bright before burning out. Even at 1 watt you need a large heatsink or the LED will quickly suffer thermal death. At above spec I estimate output at 100 lumens.
Get the 1 watt.
Ah, thanks. I will order 1 watt LEDs. FWIW - the tin sheets accept solder easily. I have been grinding off the old LED mounting flanges as they appear to be staked to the tin sheets (not soldered). If the Amazon LEDs look similar in color and brightness, this should be a good method to avoid buying $300 tail light assemblies! (I know my soldering looks like poop)
P.S I'm still confused on color, do you think the 625nm or 660nm will be the best color?
Last edited by cyclehead; Nov 2, 2023 at 12:59 PM.
This should put to rest the notion that LEDs are super reliable. Some are (they last 30+ years) but in cases like this when the emitter is driven harder for more brightness not so much.
660nm is deep red or put another way less orange. Can't be photographed properly, a camera can't really tell the difference in long wave lengths. 620-625 is what you consider red lighting. I greatly prefer the 660nm deep red, high end German cars use it. I will caution you, those LED bead may not work as expected or they may work perfectly in respect to brightness and power draw. That's why I wanted to know the running voltage of the original LEDs.
Here's my attempt to get a picture, left is standard aka 620nm red on the right is the 660nm LED bead. Camera barely shows a difference in real life there is a substantial difference. You could buy both since they are not super expensive.
I love that you guys are messing around with this. I still have one of my trunk mount LED lights, beautiful condition. If you want it, send me your address in private message and I will send it to you. No cost, I just hate stupid trash.
@BigBoomer , haha, I know, but I kind of like doing that for people too. As for your other suggestions, I love your electrical knowledge. You are a true asset on this site and your posts are always nice and intend to assist, never condescend.
I love that you guys are messing around with this. I still have one of my trunk mount LED lights, beautiful condition. If you want it, send me your address in private message and I will send it to you. No cost, I just hate stupid trash.
I'm waiting for the Amazon LEDs to arrive. Then I will try to repair my spare outer taillight assembly. It only has two dead LEDs. If I can successfully solder new LEDs and make them look not-toothless again, I will plan to patch them up and offer them to the forum for beer money.
I'm waiting for the Amazon LEDs to arrive. Then I will try to repair my spare outer taillight assembly. It only has two dead LEDs. If I can successfully solder new LEDs and make them look not-toothless again, I will plan to patch them up and offer them to the forum for beer money.
Let me tell you, there could be more money in that. I see quite a few cars just out of warranty that have non-working LED's. Many Mazda's for some reason. Every car company is looking to cut costs and this is an easy place to do it.
Good luck! If I was looking at $150 or so to replace my 2018-ish driving lights, I would happily pay you $50-75 to fix them.
The Amazon LED bulbs arrived finally yesterday (slow boat from China). The color is a good match. The problem is that when I drop a new LED into parallel with two Lexus LEDs, the original two LEDs become dim. If I drop in a Lexus LED in parallel with the other two LEDs, they do not become dim. However, if I drop in a matched set of three new LEDs, they are all the same brightness. (Yes, I've long forgotten all my classes on circuits, resistance etc). So I think the process will require soldering in new LEDs in matched sets of three.
Photo shows one new LED clipped to the board, and the original two LEDs by my fingertips have gone dim (while the new LED is in the circuit).
One aggravating feature of the Amazon LEDs is this metal backing disc. It is conductive to one of the tabs, so I'll have to cover the disc with tape to insulate it from the metal plate.
Last edited by cyclehead; Nov 18, 2023 at 02:38 PM.
The newer LEDs will have a lower volt drop than the old ones, so if they are wired in parallel more current will flow through the newer ones.
If wired in series, chances are the newer ones are more efficient so will be brighter for the same current.
+ terminal is connected to casing I forgot to mention that earlier. Naturally you have to replace them all given the difference in voltage drop vs. the originals. I've had good luck with reliability no failures so far.
Toyota and Lexus Join Mille Miglia For The First Time
Slideshow: A five-car lineup spanning more than five decades of Toyota performance and engineering will tackle one of Italy's most celebrated automotive routes.
