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LED Puddle Lamp Success!!!


Jamers

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Many of us have tested numerous DE3175 Festoon LEDs for the Puddle Lamps with no success. Any and all LEDs will pulse in the 2013 Fusion. I happen to also own a 2013 Explorer which uses the exact same Puddle Lamps however the LED replacement works just fine in that vehicle. Something is obviously unique about the Fusion's electrical system.

 

Through hours of research and testing I have found the correct resistor to eliminate the pulsing when using a LED in the Puddle Lamp. I also had to spend $40 on a decent Digital Multimeter (DMM) to take measurements. A special thanks to Harley#356 over in the ExplorerForum.com for his expertise.

 

The root cause of the pulsing was due to the fact that the LED light draws significantly less current than the stock bulb. 1/10th watt as compared to 4.8 watts. This would cause a fault in the system. The solution is to install a resistor to draw enough current to illuminate the LED but no too much that the resistor would get dangerously hot. The function of a resistor is to draw current and dissipate it in the form of heat.

 

I found that a 150 ohm 3 watt resistor provided the proper balance. It draws approximately 1 watt of current therefore it never get hotter than 130 degrees. The 3 watt designation on the resistor is just it's rated power capacity. With a 150 ohm 3 watt rated resistor on a 12v system it is only drawing 1 watts of current therefore it is well under it's rated max of 3 watts. Even after leaving the light on for several minutes it never got hotter than 130 degrees. Hot to the touch but won't melt anything.

 

I tested two brands of LED bulbs although I am confident pretty much any LED bulb will work using my recommended resistor:

 

This one from Putco is a 3 LED and fits very nicely into the Puddle Lamp housing. I slightly bent the metal prongs over the edges of the festoon circuit board and it was securely locked into place. Don't be fooled by it's small size; this LED is very bright. Free shipping so $21.50 for a pair.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007RXI4JM/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i03?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

This is the first set of LEDs (in Cool White) I purchased and use in my Explorer. They worked fine in the Explorer as I stated earlier but would only work in the Fusion using the resistor. Although they are 4 LED they are actually slightly less bright than the Putco LED's above. However they are still plenty bright enough. These are a little tighter fit due to the larger circuit board but will still work. With shipping you will being paying $17 for a pair so you might as well get the Putcos above.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/festoon/de3175-led-bulb-4-smd-led-festoon/238/

 

As for the resistor itself, not all resistors are the same. Here is the one I found worked the best. It is small enough to fit between the Puddle Lamp connectors. I have them positioned not to touch anything and there is just enough space in the side mirror housing as well. It's hard to see in the pic but the resistor sits more between the connectors rather than above them. This way I know it's not pressing on anything. Even if it were it the resistor does not get hot enough to melt anything.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/140740589823?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_686wt_945

 

By the way, the LED Puddle Lamps look awesome on my Fusion. Especially since I have already changed out the from parking lamps and rear license plate bulbs with LED. I also have installed HIDs so I have nice Cool White (5000-6000k) light all over.

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Edited by Jamers
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Bravo! I just got my car delivered this week and wanted to attack this subject but haven't had the time.

 

I'd love to see a YouTube video of the final result in action. Does the dimming (theater effect) still look fluid?

 

Again, nice work.

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These pics and video say it all. Standard factory Puddle Lamp on Passenger's side and LED Lamp on Driver's side. The picture showing both sides at once displays just how much brighter and whiter the LED lamp appears. Keep in mind this is reflecting off of my tan garage floor. Had my car been on the driveway it would have appeared even whiter.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRO0YMKOw4c

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Keep in mind this is reflecting off of my tan garage floor. Had my car been on the driveway it would have appeared even whiter.

Your garage floor is very clean and shiny! What did you do to it and how do you keep it so clean? Oh, the lights are cool too :-)
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Well, I was assuming you just didn't want to cut open the puddle lamps, which is much more labor intensive than adding the resistor to the terminals.

Now that changes everything! I didnt know you had to cut open the housing...

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I was the guy that mentioned "DayTimeBrightLights" in another post. I have been in contact with Dan, the owner, and he is going to get some of the resistors mentioned above. He should have them tested by the end of this week. I will let you guys know his findings or you can just email him. Much thanks to Jamers for his hard work/research and sharing it with the rest of us.

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These pics and video say it all. Standard factory Puddle Lamp on Passenger's side and LED Lamp on Driver's side. The picture showing both sides at once displays just how much brighter and whiter the LED lamp appears. Keep in mind this is reflecting off of my tan garage floor. Had my car been on the driveway it would have appeared even whiter.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRO0YMKOw4c

 

Looks great, what do you have going on in your headlights, they look great too!

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I've tried once to get to mine and I guess I do not want it bad enough, is it just a matter of pulling in the right spots or what?

Do you mean to say you couldn't remove the taillight in order to access the bulb? I followed the instructions in this thread. It was really easy. 3 bolts total to remove http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index.php?/topic/52427-2013-fusion-reverse-lights/?hl=reverse

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I'm more scared about pulling on the lid covering fabric/liner/cardboard, if they just pop off? I have to unbolt the lights to get at the reverse light bulb? /sigh.

 

I got the reverse lights swapped out, I just didn't want it enough the first time.

Edited by shaggy314
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