LED trailer light malfunction

[Home Cookin']

I have 6 year old LED lights on the trailer--they have about a dozen small lights in the circle of the lens, license light and side light.

One quit working but I found a bad connection upstream. The other, only one of the dozen lights lights up. It's getting power, although it seems weak, the side and license light doesn't work, just one "bulb' for headlight, brake and turn.

the whole units is sealed up but I suspect water got in the plastic.

I'm not real familiar with LED having always had basic incandescent, where the problems are always at the connections or bulb and not the unit itself. But I conclude the unit has gone bad, since it has power but is barely working.

To the more experienced: make sense? Am I missing something?

Thanks

BTW used in salt water!

 

[Bondo]

Re: LED trailer light malfunction

I have 6 year old LED lights on the trailer--they have about a dozen small lights in the circle of the lens, license light and side light.

One quit working but I found a bad connection upstream. The other, only one of the dozen lights lights up. It's getting power, although it seems weak, the side and license light doesn't work, just one "bulb' for headlight, brake and turn.

the whole units is sealed up but I suspect water got in the plastic.

I'm not real familiar with LED having always had basic incandescent, where the problems are always at the connections or bulb and not the unit itself. But I conclude the unit has gone bad, since it has power but is barely working.

To the more experienced: make sense? Am I missing something?

Thanks

BTW used in salt water!

Ayuh,... The few I've taken apart have been potted in plastic,...
Mighta gotten saltwater wet once to often, donno,...

I Do know, Led lights seem to be Extremely ground sensitive,...
A ground that'll light a light bulb, sometimes won't light an Led,...
So,....
Double check yer Grounds,...

 

[H20Rat]

Re: LED trailer light malfunction

You are absolutely describing a bad ground... Check that from the light all the way to the trailer harness.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: LED trailer light malfunction

so a weak ground ends up lighting one lamp but a better ground will light the rest--it's not an all or nothing deal like with incandescent trailer bulbs? As I said, I'm not LED trained. But I know from doing trailer wires since I was 14 that's it's usually the ground. And the one I have going on this rig, I'm not 100% sure on. I should have run a dedicated ground from the hitch to the light

 

[H20Rat]

Re: LED trailer light malfunction

LED's have a trigger voltage where they will turn on, and it can vary some depending on tolerances. In your case, some are happy with the ground, some aren't.

 

[T_Herrod]

Re: LED trailer light malfunction

I have to deal with LED lights on dump trucks at work every day. They must be grounded properly. If the ground looks clean,,,,clean it again. LED lights are very ground sensitive as stated in a previous post. Good luck.

 

[TD_Maker]

Re: LED trailer light malfunction

Run a dedicated ground wire to your lights. Sometimes just grounding the light fixture to the frame wont do it. I fight this ground thing all time down here in the rusty trailer world.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: LED trailer light malfunction

Ayuh,... The few I've taken apart have been potted in plastic,...

The good ones are potted.

The first set of LED lights I bought were not potted and they only lasted a couple years, too many dead LED's made me replace them, all the circuit board components were corroded. ....I checked to make sure the new set I bought had the circuit board potted.