What MY is your RL? Pics for 09-12'
Relay and fuses come to mind. Is your relay a 4 or 5 pin?
.

 

Ok, I realize this question broadcasts my ignorance, but when you ask "What MY is your RL?", define "MY". You lost me on that one....

I've checked several fuses, but no relays. Are the relays in that illustration INSIDE the dash? So I need to disassemble the dash to check them?

Honestly, I've never changed a relay. This is a new one for me. New LEDs really blow relays? The stock bulbs worked just fine...

 

...The stock bulbs worked just fine...

Are you saying that you switched back to stock bulbs and everything works?

 

MY=model year
Yes they can. Relays are nothing more than a resistor/induction coil or induction coil/diode most of the time.
It's just a 4 pin block that pulls out just like a fuse.
Yes it should be under the dash on the left side.

 

Ok, I would try removing the last led you installed and test again. If nothing, then check for voltage at the connector.
You could even replace both DRL w/ originals and see if they work.
Are the LED's you purchased for the ridge?

 

Yes, they are made to fit specifically in the Running Light socket, which is different than the Fog Lights.
I'll need to do more testing tomorrow, with the sun...

 

First off to both of you, why don't you fill out your profile, with your YMM, and I can tell CBR's next question is going to be "I DON'T KNOW WHAT YMM IS?", just like when Skelley asked for MY. Why do you ask, several posts in this thread and I'd bet 5-10% of all posts in the entire ROC, revolve around attempting to determine, "where" someone is coming from, thank you Skelley for atleast providing "WV", and what country, again with Skelley we know that is USA. But I'd guess he has a Y=2006-08, M=Ridgeline, and have no clue whether it's a M=RT, RTS, RTX, or RTL. YMM=Year, Make, Model. CBR it's also helpful if you provide your location, why, well specific to this topic only Canadian RL's included DRL's until 2009, so if you had a MY 06-08 with them in the US, we would know it's an aftermarket kit or a conversion to a Canadian DRL's. But if you want to be clever, abbreviations and nicknames are fine. RANT OVER

Now back to the topic at hand, CBR, install your incandescent bulbs in one or both DRL sockets, that will confirm the LED bulbs didn't short anything out or blow fuses or damage relays. My guess, since the first LED worked with an incandescent installed that is all that is necessary to confirm Fuses/Relays are good. Then reinstall the offending LED, check for directionality, it does matter on LED bulbs, maybe even swap the LED's right to left to see if the 2nd is shorted out. Lastly if all that seems OK, but it's still not working with both LED's installed, my best guess is the LED's are not meeting the load requirements of the relay, at that point replacing or rebuilding the offending relay is the issue.

Getting to the Relay does not require "tearing the dash apart", although I guess that may work, I have no suggested methods to do that. Taking the drivers seat out would help, but disconnect the battery so you don't set off the airbag in the seat back. Otherwise get limber, cause your head goes between the "dead pedal" left foot rest and the break pedal, shoulders on the floor mat, and hips on the drivers seat, feet about on the seat back or wherever you can to get comfortable

I know the flasher Relay has issues with LED bulbs, and there is a workaround for that on here for the cost of a cup of coffee, also site sponsor Diode Dynamics, sells a relay for the flasher issue for like $60.

Anyways, that's the approximate order I'd troubleshoot this in, YMMV...

 

....

Now back to the topic at hand, CBR, install your incandescent bulbs in one or both DRL sockets, that will confirm the LED bulbs didn't short anything out or blow fuses or damage relays. My guess, since the first LED worked with an incandescent installed that is all that is necessary to confirm Fuses/Relays are good. Then reinstall the offending LED, check for directionality, it does matter on LED bulbs, maybe even swap the LED's right to left to see if the 2nd is shorted out. Lastly if all that seems OK, but it's still not working with both LED's installed, my best guess is the LED's are not meeting the load requirements of the relay, at that point replacing or rebuilding the offending relay is the issue.

Getting to the Relay does not require "tearing the dash apart", although I guess that may work, I have no suggested methods to do that. Taking the drivers seat out would help, but disconnect the battery so you don't set off the airbag in the seat back. Otherwise get limber, cause your head goes between the "dead pedal" left foot rest and the break pedal, shoulders on the floor mat, and hips on the drivers seat, feet about on the seat back or wherever you can to get comfortable

I know the flasher Relay has issues with LED bulbs, and there is a workaround for that on here for the cost of a cup of coffee, also site sponsor Diode Dynamics, sells a relay for the flasher issue for like $60.

Anyways, that's the approximate order I'd troubleshoot this in, YMMV...

Not enough load, which was what I said earlier. Not sure how else to explain it? Maybe an EE or some Engineer or Technical type has something to add

 

Yes, with the new forum layout everyone should update profiles to help make things easier.
DRL should be a easy trouble shoot since it's only mentioned in the FSM a total of 20 times if I recall.
I'm thinking if he pulls the last led that he installed and goes back to a known good state that the led could be defective.
Either way it should be a easy trouble shoot.

mak.....cheer up....lol

 

Skelley,
I'm cheer'd up, damn new format website doesn't show the type of Vehicle on the page next to your name in each of your posts.

Burned us all, seems both of you have them filled out.

Hope you can both accept my apologies for the above rant.

Carry On

 

All good bud and yeah the new format will take some getting use to.

 

do you have them in correctly? led's have polarity, regular lamps do not....

 

I've run into that issue with LEDs, yeah. But I don't think that's the issue here. The running lights are in a 90 degree boot, and have the release tab on one side. I don't think it's something that can be installed backwards.

But... I'll probably check that tomorrow, because now it will be stuck in my head like a thorn...

 

OK... Switched out the passenger LED with the stock bulb, and both it and the Driver side LED worked. So I switched the passenger side with a different LED, but no light... It's as if the two LEDs at once don't work. And thats very odd... Anyone have suggestions? Please?

 

The factory DRL's are wired in series with a voltage drop of 6VDC each across each one. The LED's are (I bet) 12VDC each; hence not enough voltage to swich the diode on.

 

That makes sense. Can I do anything to remedy that? Or can I simply not use LED running bulbs?

Are you saying that the LED bulbs are wired to draw MORE than the line is rated for? Or less? It would be a terrible irony (and shame) if 'lower draw' LEDs are having problems because they want more juice than the line can handle... I sure hope there's a way to overcome this issue...

 

The only work around I am aware of involves a relay and load resistors. It is discussed on this forum somewhere with wiring diagram.

 

How frustrating. I just want brighter, cleaner, less yellow bulbs in my running lights. I love the light quality and temperature of LEDs (I've replaced all of my interior lights with LEDs), and figured it would be a simple switch. Apparently not... Unless someone has a line on LEDs rated for the 6v line that our running lights use? Anyone? Bueller?

Barring that, what about other light options? Are there other bulb that are brighter and 'bluer' than the stock bulbs?

 

Where did you get your led bulbs at for the DRL?
I don't think I've ever seen them listed.
Here is Diode Dynamics (site sponsor) light selection page.....Link.

 

I got mine off eBay. When one was in, and the other stock bulb was in, it lit up. It was bright and beautiful. But two of them on the same line don't work. Very depressing.

 

Sort of a "Get what You Pay for thing?"

 

I wouldn't rule out that possibility, although they weren't all that cheap... I think it's just a voltage issue. I've been looking at other halogens, and I'm even concerned that they will function properly. It's very odd to my (admittedly low on expertise) brain that these LEDs, which supposedly draw less power, won't work because they aren't getting a full 12V each... I figure if halogens work, so should LEDs.

Yes, I know.. Ignorance is bliss.

 

For the record, I attempted to put cheap LED's in my taillights when I first got my truck. The same thing happened. One would light up with a halogen bulb in the other, but not with both LED's in at the same time. Strangely enough, the third brake light would stay illuminated the whole time and turn off when I hit the brake. The RL's relays and sensors do NOT like seeing different loads. I just stayed with the OEM halogens and never gave it a second thought.

As far as the running lights, are you talking about the lower fog lights? If you are, I believe they are H11 bulbs. I don't have stock fog lights, but the bulbs are very easy to find. The stock bulbs, and most standard automotive bulbs for that matter, have a 3100K rating, which means they will have a yellowish, dull tint to them. On the kelvin scale, 4300K is an equivalent color to sunlight - naturally the brightest with a very slight tint of yellow in it, if any. Bulbs between 4300k and 5000k are what I prefer. They are a very bright white with the slightest tint of blue in them. Once you go any higher than that, the light output diminishes rapidly and becomes more and more blue. All of those kids you see in their Chevy Cobalts with annoying blue lights likely have 8000k or even 10,000k bulbs from eBay and have next to NO light output. I don't even know how they see anything at night.

If you're only concerned with the color of the light output, what I would recommend is going on Amazon and getting a pair of GE Nighthawk Sport bulbs. I have a set of them for my headlight bulbs and they've been fantastic for over two years now. The light output hasn't diminished much at all and they're still going strong. They are under $20 and you can have them within 2 days with Prime shipping. Most of the negative reviews are because the bulbs burned out quickly. That is one of the possible side effects of higher output bulbs, but you'll feel much better about having to replace a set of $20 GE's than a set of $55 Silverstars.

 

Well, I guess I'm glad I'm not alone in experiencing the weird behavior of loads/LEDs with my RL. At least I can take solace in it not being just my truck...

As for which lights, I'm referring to the Daytime Running Lights, that only come on when you're driving with the headlights off. The foglights (which I HAVE replaced with LEDs, and I love them) are (on the 2011, at least) directly under the headlights. The DRLs are to the outside of the foglights. Since these only run when the headlights are off, I assume their purpose is to be seen, not to see. So I don't care much about how well they illuminate the road. I just like the sharper, less yellow light of LEDs. But it seems like LEDs don't want to work in these positions. Maybe the line doesn't provide enough voltage to fire them up, I don't know. My father was an electrician in the Navy. I wish I had learned more from him... I'm definitely going to take a look for those Nightahwk Sport bulbs. They sound like just the ticket. I just wish the LEDs I have purchased would work.

EDIT: No dice on the Nighthawks. They replace 9006 bulbs, while the DRLs are 9005s...

 

justs for information here. the reverse lights are the same, 6v. I was installing a backup camera that needed 12v from the reverse lights and would not work. I installed a toggle switch with 12 volt to turn it on. I don't think that it is 2 lamps in series. Being an electrician for 35 years, if it was in series, when you pull one bulb out, all would go out. Like the old mini christmas lights. My friend that was helping me was a honda tech and said that the "computer" changes it to 6volt for some reason. To sense if a bulb is out?...if that was the case it would have told me that last week when my taillight went out. BTW i read the 6 volt with a voltmeter so i know this for sure. I just ordered some taillight bulbs from china so i will see if they work or not. Let you know in 30 days (long boat from china)

 

FYI: 921 bulbs are 12VDC.

Many forum members have tapped the + reverse line at the tail light end to power their cameras. In my case, I used the + line exiting the primary junction under the fuse block in the cabin. Same line as the tail, just a different location.

You might want to check the DVM connection when you probed the line by the tail light. Perhaps you weren't getting proper ground at the time the measurements was taken.

 

Doing a quick search shows the DRL bulb in our RL is also used in many honda/acura cars as a headlight bulb. (part # 33103S3VA01)
We know that these are not as bright in RL when being used as DRL so I would say that something is limiting/controlling the voltage.

 

Looking at the wiring diagram thread I started, the only item that could have a affect would be the gauge control module.

 

link please?

 

remember, a 12v incandescent bulb will illuminate on 6v's, just not as bright....an led won't

 

True that. On the other hand, a 12V, 18W incandescent won't serve well as a reverse light when fed 6V.

It wasn't suggested you don't know how to read a meter. It was suggested that may have been a DVM connection issue at the time the leads were probed.

 

It's obviously an intentional voltage restriction on the DRL line. Which makes little sense. These are daytime lights. Even if they were screaming bright, it's daytime! The whole point is to be visible.
I can only assume it's the computer limiting the voltage. Now the trick is finding out how to stop it...

 

Use the search engine on this site. You'll find most of what you need.

Might be info you'll find valuable here: http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/...m/forums/19-mods-installs-how-s/79001-drl-led-install-2011-rtl.html#post1131257

 

ditto to what ohsix said. you need a Special LED Daytime Running Light Decoder Wiring Relay Kit mentioned in that thread.

 

Whew. As awesome as that sounds, and as much as I'd love to get some decently powered LEDs in the DRLs, I don't think it's 'remove the bumper' priority for me at this point. A shame, too.

 

You probably need a load resistor like this:

2XH8 H11 Load Resistor Wiring Harness Error Free FOR LED FOG Light Headlight DRL | eBay

My Canadian 08 RL, runs the highbeams at a reduced voltage for DRL's. I was going to install LED's, but didn't want the hassle of load resistors, so I didn't.

 

Would that even make a difference? The problem, as I understand it (and, let's be honest, odds are fairly good that I'm wrong), is that the LEDs won't power on, because the voltage in the line is too low. If that's the case, there is no way to run the LEDs without changing the voltage in the line. I'm no electrician, but resistors don't actually create higher voltage, do they? If I can just throw a couple of resistors on the line, and convert 6v to 12v, I'm golden. But I don't think that's how they work. These sound like they are more to fool the 'computer' into thinking the correct bulbs are installed, so they continue to get power...

Am I wrong here? If I am, someone please say so. I'll be happy to be wrong about this...

 

You are not wrong.