Hatchback taillight rewiring idea

[Matej]

These eurotails look cool lit up, at least in my opinion, but I strongly dislike the center panel.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b243/34156/p2.jpg


That is why I want to do what Yuta did (I apologize for using the idea). I want to paint the center panel to match the car, and move the reverse bulbs to the center circle, where the turn signal bulbs would normally be. I think it looks really cool. Everything Yuta does looks cool.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b342/ayuaddict/2-12.jpg


While I know I could just use one of the red circles as a taillight and the other as a turn signal, I would rather have both of them light up as taillights and when I brake, because the dual circle look is my favorite thing about them to begin with. That would however leave me with no turn signals.

My idea is to wire the outside circles so they flash just like the front signals.

With the taillights off, they would flash between bright and off mode.
With the taillights on, they would flash between bright and regular on.
With brakes applied, they would flash between bright and either off or regular on, depending on if the taillights are on.

So finally, my question is, would this require any expert wiring work?
Or would I just need to splice one of the turn signal wires into the brake light wire?
If so, would anyone happen to know which wires to splice? (Sorry, I know that is asking a bit too much.)

I can solder, but that is about as much as I know about wiring.
Thanks for any info!

[Matej]

Here are some quick gif's I just made to give a better idea of what I have in mind.


Taillights off.
http://www.matejblahut.com/blog/2009/06/off.gif


Taillights on.
http://www.matejblahut.com/blog/2009/06/on.gif


Brakes applied with taillights off.
http://www.matejblahut.com/blog/2009/06/brakeoff.gif


Brakes applied with taillights on.
http://www.matejblahut.com/blog/2009/06/brakeon.gif

[landins13]

just fyi you cant really see the differences because the left one is flashing in every pic

[chetacheese]

wouldnt it be inefficient to have your brake lights blinking. now that everything is explained it may be easier to have and understanding of your idea. but there are drivers out there that may misinterpret your brake lights for just turn signals. but who am i to say. thats just my theory.

[Enna]

just fyi you cant really see the differences because the left one is flashing in every pic

Wow... just fucking wow.

Matej its a cool idea. Iono about both of them blinking, maybe just the outside ones. Interested in seeing where this goes.

Also to chetacheese: there are plenty of vehicles out there that use their brake lights as turn signals. trucks, minivans, hell even corvettes. If people don't misinterpret those, I'm pretty sure they wont have a problem with a 240.

[PinkPanther]

many pickup trucks have their tailights wired in the same manner, suppose you might be able to look at a wiring diagram from an s10 or something

[spiderlone]

I got it down... i dont wana type so much ... so..
Pm sent out...

[cured13]

care to share?

[hOngsterr]

anyone have an idea of
how to wire/rewire the hatch brake light?
my bulbs and everything are fine but
they dont light up when brakes are applied.

[chetacheese]

yea im aware of these newer cars equiped with this feature. maybe it was the gif pictures that fooled me a bit. or maybe its the fact that both circles are being lit up as the turn signals activate.

[essforteen]

You need to use dual filament bulbs and sockets and wire one for brake and signal and one to turn on when lights are on.

[VQMaxFan]

You need to use dual filament bulbs and sockets and wire one for brake and signal and one to turn on when lights are on.

+1 shouldnt be too hard either, you can get the sockets at just about any parts house.

[Matej]

The bulbs in the S13 taillights are already dual-filament. They are normal on when the taillights are on, and bright when the brakes are applied.
I would like them to flash bright on top of that for the turn signal, I am just not sure how to how to wire them so they could flash while I am braking.

[ryguy]

Use a relay running from the turn signal wire to the brake wire to reverse the polarity of the blinker when the brake lights are on, making it turn the lights off instead of making them come on for each "flash." Then use another relay in line before the first relay to make this happen only when the parking/position lights are on.

I think. I went over it in my head and it seems right.

[Matej]

Use a relay running from the turn signal wire to the brake wire to reverse the polarity of the blinker when the brake lights are on, making it turn the lights off instead of making them come on for each "flash." Then use another relay in line before the first relay to make this happen only when the parking/position lights are on.
Thank you, exactly what I was looking for. I just did not know if there was an electronic component that would do that, or what exactly I should be searching for.

[ryguy]

Here's an ultra crude diagram I made.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/ryguy32789/brakelights.jpg

The brown thing is the brake pedal. The orange arrow is the turn signal. The yellow thing is the parking lights. The blue thing is the relay. You'll want it wired to be "on" normally and "neutral" when the blinker is flashing.

You'll have to use a 2nd relay to keep this from happening when your foot isn't on the brake. (not when the parking lights are on. I was wrong in my last post)

I hope this is right, thinking about it is making my brain hurt.

[BlckBeautyVTEC]

id rather have no reverse light, center one for turn signal and two red ones for parking/braking lights

[Matej]

Haha sorry, did not mean to make your brain hurt. But thanks, I really appreciate it.

These taillights come with their own wiring that plugs into the stock connectors. I was hoping to just be able to modify the taillight wiring instead of doing anything to the actual body harness.

I will take some pictures of the wiring as soon as the taillights arrive.

[ryguy]

WAIT

I gave it one last ponder before bed. You'll have to use a different relay for each turn signal (left and right), so it will have to be after the switch on the brake pedal.

This is the correct way.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/ryguy32789/brakelightsCORRECT.jpg

So theoretically you could just put two relays in the hatch (one on each side) to control the signals, and ground the relay to the chassis. Then just use another relay to turn this mess of wiring off when you aren't on the brake.

[Matej]

By the way, my alternative idea I have been pondering is to use the center bulb for both a reverse light and a turn signal.

Instead of a single-filament bulb, I would use a dual-filament one, and use the bright mode for reverse lights, and the regular mode for blinking.

I wonder if that would be easier to wire up.

It would be easiest to just use the single-filament bulb for both, but I would not want my turn signals to be blinding bright, or have orange reverse lights.

[essforteen]

http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb.dll?parta%7Eshowpic%7EZ5Z5Z50000021a%7EZ5Z5Z523 621%7EZ5Z5Z5%7EZ5Z5Z5%7EZ5Z5Z5

Use this socket for your second idea the red wire to reverse wire, and
the yellow to the signal
the housing is a ground so ground that on the chassis or if the harnes has a ground connect it there

[ayuaddict]

haha, thanks matej but we all know your car now is cooler than my ar ever was.

anyhow.

my shit was so ghetto.

so my idea will be hella ghetto.

what i would would do is use a bunch of wide angle LEDS with differing light output and wire them up to shit. the wide angle will allow the leds to not look like fucking dots in your tail lights and the red lense will help light up the whole circle.

well thats just the easy no thinking way, haha.

or if you wanna get fancy use a bunch of leds and make circles in your housings behind your lenses, like 3 different diameter circles inside of each other. like for example:

brake with tail lights off - outer and middle circles.
brake with tail lights on - outer and middle circles.
just tail lights no brake - outer circles.
turn signals inner - inner circles.

if you wanna get fancy alternate the middle circles to blink with the inner circle.

LEDs are hella cheap, even the prewired ones, and you wont have to buy those relay things, plus installing then is as easy as drilling holes and shit.

haha, im super making this up as i go.

maybe somebody who knows more about LEDs can tell you about differing light output based on how much juice is going to the leds, or how certain ones will work better than others.

man this got longer than i thought it would.

good luck!

[andisan]

Nice that would actually look good and everyone is includeing great info so once you get it done maybe you can post up a How-to thread and some final pictures on the final project.......good luck