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| 3rd Brake Light - Replacement Bulb / LED? (Page 1/2) |
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82-T/A [At Work]
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DEC 02, 09:10 AM
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Hey guys, I generally don't use LEDs in the tail-lights and such, no real reason to... but the third brake light on nearly every Fiero I've seen, causes the cover to melt. The heat from that bulb is just too extreme. Is there a good LED replacement? I see nothing that is simply plug and play.
I can desolder the xenon bulb from the plug, and solder something else on there... thoughts?
Thanks!!!
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css9450
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DEC 02, 10:27 AM
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I have the one that used to be sold by Black Top Racing, back in the days before they changed their name and shifted their focus to lighting for Jeeps (I can't fault them for that; there are a TON of new Jeeps made every year and their owners love custom lighting!). It's nice and bright but the only problem is it is kind of pink. Apparently white LED + red lens = pink. I keep meaning to look for an alternative but since I usually don't actually SEE the light, I tend to forget about it. Out of sight, out of mind.
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fierosound
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DEC 02, 10:42 AM
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1985 Fiero GT
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DEC 02, 01:02 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
causes the cover to melt.
I can desolder the xenon bulb from the plug, and solder something else on there... thoughts?
Thanks!!! |
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Xenon bulb? I assume you mean incandescent? I think xenon would be rather unusual as a 3rd brake light stock, as for the heat, I'm sure the bulbs are available, but you'd have to look for a non can is one, the canbus ones have resistors that heat up just as much as the incandescent bulbs. My Fiero's an 85 so I don't have that, personally I like it like that, more unique, and the 3rd brake light looks like it was added in afterthought (which it was haha).
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82-T/A [At Work]
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DEC 02, 01:12 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by 1985 Fiero GT:
Xenon bulb? I assume you mean incandescent? I think xenon would be rather unusual as a 3rd brake light stock, as for the heat, I'm sure the bulbs are available, but you'd have to look for a non can is one, the canbus ones have resistors that heat up just as much as the incandescent bulbs. My Fiero's an 85 so I don't have that, personally I like it like that, more unique, and the 3rd brake light looks like it was added in afterthought (which it was haha). |
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No, it was definitely a xenon, not a normal incandescent. I can't say if the xenon bulb is what caused the housing to melt, but I'm looking for just a simple LED replacement either way. The car is an 85, and this appears to have been something the previous owner added (using the factory 3rd brake light housing). I don't remember my 85 GT or my 85 2m4 having a 3rd brake light back in the day.
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1985 Fiero GT
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DEC 02, 02:08 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
No, it was definitely a xenon, not a normal incandescent. I can't say if the xenon bulb is what caused the housing to melt, but I'm looking for just a simple LED replacement either way. The car is an 85, and this appears to have been something the previous owner added (using the factory 3rd brake light housing). I don't remember my 85 GT or my 85 2m4 having a 3rd brake light back in the day. |
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Yeah, 85s didn't have them, as for xenon, I still don't understand, those need a "ballast" I think it's called, basically an additional chunk of circuitry that increases the voltage, if it's just a bulb there, it can't really be xenon unless there's also that circuitry, unless that circuitry is somewhere else, in which case an LED or any normal bulb would be fried instantly. Also xenon bulbs take a while to "warm up"and reach full brightness, so that would be rather ineffective as an intermittent brake light, that's why a lot of cars use xenon low beams and halogen high beams, otherwise you'd be left in the dark for a little bit when switching to high beams.
At the end of the day xenon bulbs produce much less heat than incandescent or halogen, so you should be fine as is if it isn't blinding other people, although be wary of any high voltage wiring.
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82-T/A [At Work]
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DEC 02, 02:23 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by 1985 Fiero GT:
Yeah, 85s didn't have them, as for xenon, I still don't understand, those need a "ballast" I think it's called, basically an additional chunk of circuitry that increases the voltage, if it's just a bulb there, it can't really be xenon unless there's also that circuitry, unless that circuitry is somewhere else, in which case an LED or any normal bulb would be fried instantly. Also xenon bulbs take a while to "warm up"and reach full brightness, so that would be rather ineffective as an intermittent brake light, that's why a lot of cars use xenon low beams and halogen high beams, otherwise you'd be left in the dark for a little bit when switching to high beams.
At the end of the day xenon bulbs produce much less heat than incandescent or halogen, so you should be fine as is if it isn't blinding other people, although be wary of any high voltage wiring. |
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That's true... it says it on the bulb, but I already cut it off from the connector. Maybe it isn't?
I'd still like to replace with LED. I sent an e-mail to Headlight Revolution (the place that used to be BlackTopRacing). I didn't see anything on their site for that, but we'll see... maybe they have something not listed.
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Vintage-Nut
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DEC 02, 04:25 PM
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I believe the "High Mount" brake light started in 1986 which used bulb number 889 and includes the socket
You can find 889 in a 'white' LED
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Original Owner of a Silver '88 GT
Under 'Production Refurbishment' @ 136k Miles[This message has been edited by Vintage-Nut (edited 12-02-2024).]
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82-T/A [At Work]
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DEC 02, 04:41 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Vintage-Nut:
I believe the "High Mount" brake light started in 1986 which used bulb number 889 and includes the socket
You can find 889 in a 'white' LED
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OMG, I love you...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HT6UCZA
I just ordered two. Might be ghetto, but I know you can take a red permanent marker, and color the top of the LED and it will make it a little bit more red, and a little bit less pink with the lens. I noticed when I removed the bulb, they look like fog lamps... which is apparently exactly what it is. Kind of funny.
Anyway, thank you for that!
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82-T/A [At Work]
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DEC 02, 04:43 PM
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Also, FieroSound, that panel looks awesome! My daughter is trying to keep everything stock looking... but I may do this on my Fiero when I eventually take it out of storage.
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