206 - blinkers blink twice as fast after switched to LED

[rzepek2pl]

Hi there. I bought a set of LED bulbs and I replaced the traditional bulbs with them. It looks simply neat, but I have some problems with the new bulbs. First of all, the blinkers work twice as fast than with standard bulbs. I guess it has something to do with the resistance of the LEDs. Also, some lights work when they're not supposed to. For example, when I use blinkers, front-left position light, and the rear plate lights work as well (they blink right before the blinkers do). I guess it's worth mentioning that only W5W lights do that. I think the bulbs are not grounded properly. Has anyone come across such a problem? Any way to fix this? I'd be happy for any piece of advice.

[Hell Razor5543]

It is possible that the LEDs you have fitted are not compatible with the networking (this could be the CANbus, but I am NOT certain of this) of your car. Once you find out what bus system your car has you need to get LEDs that are suitable.

[rzepek2pl]

I did some research. I'm not sure if what I found fits my case, but supposedly, I need a flasher module that is suitable for LED lighting, but I don't know which one is it on the BSI board. Can anyone tell me which transmitter is responsible for the blinkers? I'd like to know before I disassemble the BSI. It seems to be really hard to get to. :/

[Hell Razor5543]

If normal lightbulbs work properly I would not go changing any of the electronics (as you have to make sure to get one that is compatible with YOUR particular ECU combination). Once you know what type of comms BUS you have in your car it should be easy to get LEDs that will work properly in that BUS.

If you were to post up your VIN somebody with the right level of Peugeot access could let you know all about your car.

[Homer]

I did some research. I'm not sure if what I found fits my case, but supposedly, I need a flasher module that is suitable for LED lighting, b

Nope, you need LED bulbs with built in resistance.

Or just use the bulbs it was designed for.

[407iain]

They will have a lower resistance than the standard bulbs. This is why when you have an indicator bulb go pop it will make the remaining bulbs flash faster. Less resistance in the circuit.

[white exec]

A standard flasher unit is designed to operate with a load of something like 4 x 21watt (corner indicators) plus 2 x 5watt (side repeaters), which = about 94watt (about 7amp) in total.
Decrease the load (eg a blown bulb) and the flash rate will increase.
Fitting simple LEDs reduces the load drastically, and a standard flasher unit will misbehave.

As said, LEDs are available which incorporate a resistor, which adds extra load, making them a similar electrical load to a 21watt bulb. They will no doubt work, but there is no real gain or advantage (the electrical load remains as before) . . . except perhaps brightness, or 'instant' on/off an LED gives.

Good advice not to monkey about with the car's original wiring or indicator circuitry, for the sake of a doubtful gain.

[rzepek2pl]

So, all in all, you guys are saying that I should buy yet another set of LEDs? This time one that is suitable for the CANBUS? :/

[rzepek2pl]

Let me recap all the problems I have with new LEDs:
- blinkers blink too fast
- when blinkers blink, front left position light and reverse lights blink as well,
- when position lights turned off, the front left position light works just like stop lights,
I have a couple of possible suspects:
- I need to replace the flasher module with the one suitable for LED (which can supposedly work with traditional bulbs as well) OR
- I buy a new set of LEDs fitted for CANBUS (sounds expensive) OR
- I buy LED decoders (they're supposed to give the computer fake info about light's wattage or something like that, so it doesn't think the bulb burned out) OR
- the grounding is faulty.
I'm getting tired of this, but I want the LEDs to work. I don't want to go back to the traditional bulbs. What am I supposed to do?

[Hell Razor5543]

I would definitely go the route of CANBUS LEDs. While they can be more expensive (but not necessarily so) they would be compatible with your car (assuming it is a CANBUS vehicle). I just did a search on e-bay, and found several CANBUS LED options. Here are a couple of examples;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/44-SMD-LED-C ... SwblZZMR51
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-PY21W-Ambe ... Sw8AhaPPY6

[rzepek2pl]

I found similar ones on a local Ebay-like site. But still, I'd have to buy the whole set because there are problems with other LEDs as well. I still want to find something else before resorting to buying new ones. I'll visit my trusted mechanic with that problem, maybe he'll be of any help. I'm glad with yours, though.

[Hell Razor5543]

I do understand that replacing all of the bulbs you want to change for CANBUS compatible LEDs could be expensive. However, to my mind, there are only two viable options (if you take the engineer maxim into account; If It Ain't Broke Don't Fix It!). Assuming (and you have not said otherwise) everything works properly when the right incandescent bulbs are fitted you can either continue using standard light bulbs or switch over to CANBUS LEDs. Changing any of the electronics is a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, and it is possible that adding new equipment to the system could introduce unpredictable effects.

Good luck, however you decide to proceed.

[moizeau]

Do you still have the original indicators? If so, wire them back in. Do the other electrical issues go away?

[rzepek2pl]

I ordered the CANBUS compatible LEDs. Now, let's wait and see if it helps (I hope so, I paid twice as much for them compared to the previous LEDs).

[rzepek2pl]

The CANBUS LEDs just came. I just installed them. The results are as follows:
- the left reverse light is still lit when it's not supposed to be lit (it's half lit when the ignition is on),
- the blinkers still blink too fast,
- the front left position light still lights up with STOP light.
I definitely paid too much for this entire operation and I haven't accomplished much. At least the new LEDs are brighter. I can purchase the LED flasher and solder it onto the BSI, but what can I do with the reverse lights?