LED tails/fast blink issue -- UPDATE

[williajj]

Kirk, check the connection between the taillight and the vehicle. Mine fast-blinked because the connector was corroded even with the resistor. I ended up cutting the connectors off completely and splicing them together. It's been about a year now without any fast-blink issues.

BTW, the aftermarket resistors you have are fine and are the same wattage everyone is using.

 

[KMeloney]

Kirk, check the connection between the taillight and the vehicle. Mine fast-blinked because the connector was corroded even with the resistor. I ended up cutting the connectors off completely and splicing them together. It's been about a year now without any fast-blink issues.

I wondered if that could be it. But then why would the stock lights work fine without some kind of faulty functioning?

Edit: Your tail light's connector was corroded, or your truck-side connector was?

BTW, the aftermarket resistors you have are fine and are the same wattage everyone is using.

Yep, I'm not concerned that I got the wrong resistors. Thanks.

 

[williajj]

Edit: Your tail light's connector was corroded, or your truck-side connector was?

The tail-light connector was. The unit itself is pretty cheap and must not seal completely. Getting carwashes twice per week probably led to water getting in there at some point. I fiddled with the connection point when the blinker was on and it went from fast-blink to normal, and back again. I knew the connection was the issue at that point, so I just cut the connectors out. It only happened on one side, the other is completely fine.

 

[KMeloney]

That's some good info, Will. I'll look into it!

When you cut the connector off, were you able to rewire the connector with freshly stripped wire, or did you make a hardwired connection from loose end wires to the connector on the truck-end?

Thanks again!

 

[williajj]

I just cut both connectors off and stripped each wire enough to where I could get a good connection. It was kind of a pain because it's in a hard location to get at, but the end-result was great.

 

[KMeloney]

Thanks again, Will!

 

[KMeloney]

Will -- Would you recommend squirting anything inside of the plastic connectors before reconnecting them? Something like Vaseline or silicone grease or something like that? Something that might help connectivity, but keep moisture out? Or is that a no-no?