Defender Trailer Light

[BBenzzz]

PH,

After carrying out a full LED light conversion on my 57 plate Defender 90, the bugger seems to think I now have a trailer connected (when I dont)..

Any ideas what circuit has been affected by this change?

Cheers!

[SantaBarbara]

Iot may be that it measures the current or Watts. In the circuit

[The Wookie]

Are you still using the original flasher relay or did you get a steady state item with the LED kit?

[BBenzzz]

The Wookie said:

Are you still using the original flasher relay or did you get a steady state item with the LED kit?

We got a new flasher relay with the LED kit..

[The Wookie]

I’ve got a vague recollection of there being a switch on my LED flasher relay for two different modes but it might be my imagination

Failing that it can only really be a faulty flasher unit or a dodgy earth somewhere causing weirdness. Half the reason I fitted LED’s on mine was because the bulbs were dingy and kept blowing because of the st electrics

[BBenzzz]

Wookie, thanks for that.. Will have a look after work and see what's what. I don't remember seeing any switches on the relay itself, but I didn't look in any great detail.

[The Wookie]

No probs! Hope you get it sorted

[WilliamWoollard]

LED's draw next to no power so a simple fix can be to connect a traditional filament bulb in the indicator circuit somewhere so the resistance is the same. Just hide it away out of sight so only your new LEDs are visible.

[The Wookie]

With Defender LED kits you usually get a solid state flasher relay that isn't troubled by the lack of resistance. The trailer warning light should also be activated by this relay if it detects a connection

[jeremyc]

The Wookie said:

With Defender LED kits you usually get a solid state flasher relay that isn't troubled by the lack of resistance. The trailer warning light should also be activated by this relay if it detects a connection

Related question: when is the trailer warning light supposed to be illuminated? Is it only when the indicators flash with a trailer connected?

[TooMany2cvs]

jeremyc said:

The Wookie said:

With Defender LED kits you usually get a solid state flasher relay that isn't troubled by the lack of resistance. The trailer warning light should also be activated by this relay if it detects a connection

Related question: when is the trailer warning light supposed to be illuminated? Is it only when the indicators flash with a trailer connected?

Yep.

Which it would normally detect by the increase in current drawn by the extra bulb.

You've replaced front and rear indicators with LED - what about the side repeater?

[The Wookie]

I kept incandescents in the indicators in mine and it copes fine

[Trevor450]

I’ve got the RDX flasher relay in mine. It has a variable resistor so you can adjust the trailer warning depending on load.

I too have normal bulbs in the repeaters and it works fine.

I did have another issue with fitting LEDs. The shared dash tell tale (earth changes depending on which indicator you use) was backfeeding the opposite circuit meaning all four indicators flashed. The solution was a couple of diodes and a new, separate earth for the dash tell tale. It did have me head scratching for a while.

TD5 onwards have a separate tell tale for each side so it isn’t an issue.

[DougieMc]

Hi Benz did you ever resolve this issue as I have the same problem ?

[w1bbles]

This is your friend:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

It isolates the tell tale earth. I’ve just bought one but not fitted it yet.

[w1bbles]

Fitted it. All good now.