Installed Third Brakelight Kit, Clock Completely Dims / Airbag Slightly Dims
 

So I installed the F'n A third brakelight kit which is outstanding. Got it to light up, goes brighter when I brake and is on when my lights are on. There's only one small issue. When I brake while my lights are completely off, and only DRL's are on, my clock goes completely dim and the airbag light dims slighly. This only happens when my lights are completely off.

This is the second kit I was sent that's now doing this. I have Tom's LED tails, HID's, and LED fog lights (Toyota OEM kit), and LED DRL's as well. I am not sure if any of those are causing it but it appears to look like a grounding issue possibly. I'm not the best when it comes to electrical, but would anyone have an idea where to start? When I remove the bulb from the third brake light, the clock no longer dims. I've checked connections of all the wires tapped into the tail light and all of them are fine.

Not sure where to look now. Any advice would be appreciated!


Edit: Crap, just found this thread. http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1220654

Got some info from it, but I am not sure if I should start checking grounds.

After further diagnosis, here's what I've found out now.

The light no longer dims whenever I turn the console dimness setting to the brightest setting. The second I go one step lower on the brightness, I lose the clock and the airbag light dims. Remember, this is with the lights off completely, not parking lights or full lights.

Possibly a bad ground on my fog light kit? I think the rear is okay now after checking all connections and grounds.

I would check all connections you made or touched when installing the fna kit. It sounds like a bad ground. It's possible one of the wire taps used was defective and is not making a solid connection between two wires. Could also be one of the pins of the OE wire harness got loose or something when you are installing and now the OE tails you have are not solidly connected.

One more thing, first thing, pull the bulb out of the FnA kit socket and test it. If that solves the problem, you know it's in the FnA wiring for sure.

Ya, when the bulb is removed, it works fine. Its definitely a ground issue somewhere. I just keep the dash brightness full and it works just fine.

I reported this problem in that thread you found. I replaced the bulb with a new one and the problem went away. It's been solid since.

Oh be careful, with lights on, my brakelights remained constantly lit. That could piss off some folks behind you if yours does the same.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Tested it and they are okay. I think it's the bulb too.

I purchased the Rear Foglight Kit #2 from F n' A Automotive. It's supposed to turn on when I turn on my headlights and glow brighter when I brake. I'm not very good with electrical/mechanical work, so I found a place to do the install for me for $100 CAD. After the install, just before handing me back my keys, they noticed a minor problem and was able to fix it within 10 minutes.

As I was driving home, I noticed the EXACT same issue as described above in posts #1 and 2. I contacted F n' A to see if they could send me a new bulb since other members solved the issue by replacing the bulb. They said that it shouldn't be happening because they install diodes in the kit before shipping them out. After they mentioned diodes, I remember the installer mentioning that they fixed my minor issue by installing a diode. (My minor issue was that my ABS and Traction Control light came on.)

F n' A then says that since the installers put in a diode, the kit's warranty is void and that the only thing they can do is ship them back the kit so they can fix it and ship it back to me. The only problem is that I already mentioned I had no knowledge with installs and that I paid a great deal of money to get someone to do it. I would have to pay the company money to take the kit out, then pay them again to reinstall the new kit.

I'm fairly certain that the issue is with the bulb since other members have fixed the issue by replacing the bulb. So my question is: where did you guys source your bulb from? I want the foglight to match the brightness of the stock lights as closely as possible.

TL;DR: I suspect the bulb that came in the kit that I purchased from F n' A is defective and they aren't willing to replace it. Where should I source a new bulb from?
@Foobar

Mine wasn't from F 'n A - no diodes in the one I have, and it just took a standard Sylvania 3157K.

I tried using halogen bulb and it worked perfectly. However, I didn't like how it kinda faded on and especially faded off. I sourced a LED bulb locally (http://www.lightdepot.ca/) for $15 CAD and again, it worked perfectly.

I would not suggest F 'n A's Rear Fog Kit (speaking of which, I don't even see them on the forum anymore) because of their unwillingness to fix my problem. Not only that, they blamed me for the fault (because I had to install a diode to fix the Traction Control and ABS lights coming on). Also, their kit doesn't lock into place, so I'll have to find some time to tape it down. I'm worried it'll fall out from vibrations while driving.

ASE electrical certified tech here. What is happening is that the ground in the bulb is not good, and when you hit the brakes it is choosing the path of least resistance to ground it self through your parking light circuit, thus dimming your clock. Either that bulb they gave you is bad or their wiring is shit. With a good bulb, some wire, and 10 minutes of time, any competent electrician could fix this.

From F N A automotive a while back. Just trash the kit, disconnect it all and all lights will be fine. You are causing a issue with the brake light signal which sends it to the ECU which drives it crazy.

F n' A AutomotiveWhen did you purchase our kit? We had a recall to fix that issue as a few of our customers got lots that did that but we have since fixed the issue. Your best bet is to ship us the kit back, we'll fix it, replace the bulb and then just pay for shipping back.



And the bulb we'll just cover for you no charge

If I've replaced their LED bulb with my own LED bulb and it works fine, does that mean the wiring is good?

The LED I'm using now is fine. Nothing dims, etc. Do you think it's going to cause electrical problems in the future? Thanks.


I paid an installer to install it because I have zero electrical knowledge. I didn't want to pay them to uninstall it, then pay them again to reinstall it if it was just a minor issue (the bulb). Since I've replaced the bulb, everything seems to be good now.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97539


It is most likely a bad ground or a short in the kit.