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Wiring in LED replacement side clearance lights
After buying replacement LED side clearance lights from Chromeman Bill two years ago at the Maintenance Seminar in Vonore, I’m getting close to putting them in.
I’ve gotten far enough to have removed a couple of the existing lights. I’m wondering the best way to connect the wires and have some questions:
1. Stainless must make a good ground. Looks like the original lights ground to the stainless.
2. Should I use crimp/solder/shrinkwrap butt connectors (and maybe more shrinkwrap) to connect the old wires and new wires?
3. Should I use crimp/solder/shrimkwrap bullet connectors or spade connectors to connect the wires? During the replacement of the backup or docking or cargo lights in the back bumper, I discovered that apparently Liberty used bullet connectors for those lights.
I know quite a few of the older Prevost owners have done this light switch and I’m wondering how you guys have done it. What’s working out well. I don’t want to use the wrong method and do this all over again!
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5 Replies
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Dick,
I grounded to the stainless same as original, and used crimp type butt connectors. No tape no heat shrink.
Flawless thru 3 years.
I did replace the well nutts, most of mine broke upon losening the old bolts/screws.
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Dick,
Ditto on what Joe said. I used the butt connectors when replacing the original lights with original replacement lights. LED light were not available back then. I did replace the old stiff well nuts/rivnuts to hold the new fixtures in place. I ordered the replacement nuts and lights from Prevost Parts to avoid the did not match up problem.
I’m told my side lights are 24 volt for which there are no LED’s available for direct replacement. My “Cruise On” light finally burned our six months ago. I wanted to change it to LED for life etension and heat reduction. All I could find were 12 volt LED’s. So I went looking for a converter to reduce input from 24 volt to 12 volt. Found one ordered it, installed it in a very tight space and then took a ride and it did not illuminate the GREEN 12 volt LED. Took the unit out and went to a friend who had an old IBM variable voltage unit and at 12 Volts the LED lite up brightly.with 24 volts in and 12 volts out. So for whatever reason it did not work in the bus. So next I searched for a source of an LED using a drop down resistor to allow 12 volt to LED. That did not work either. So for now I don’t have a “Cruise On” light. Still stumped but open to ideas.
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Will: Check with Chromeman Bill (he’s an advertiser), as I said that is where I got mine. Interesting story about the cruise control lights. I keep wondering when some of my dash switch lights will start burning out!
Would it make sense to use the 12 and 24 volt chassis cutoff switches in the engine bay to determine voltage of coach related stuff?
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soldered and shrink tubing. replaced well nuts and all new fasteners.
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i soldered and heat shrunk everything. Has to drill out and tap some. used stainless stell screws on both the base and the covers. Prevost used regular steel and those rusted something terrible. Stainless should give me a long life with no rusted screws, the solder will give me a solid connection without any concerns of them coming undone or rusting out.
Also you can get base gaskets at NAPA or from Bill for the light base to get a good tight install.
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL
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