Dash board LED style warning lamp charge lamp fitting

[Kev Davies UKCC Membership]

Well done Mike, that's very useful and easy to forget or not realise.
A friend restoring a Mini van recently had this very issue.
I've fitted LED dash lights and had to do exactly as you suggest.

[Flykilla]

Thanks for that. I plan on doing some work to my dash over the winter. Changing the warning lights to LEDs is one of the items on the list. Wasnt aware of this issue.

[Tony]

Great post Mike!

[Mike Hamblin]

Just a bit of information that I put on the old forum, which is now well lost.

If you are fitting LED type warning lamps on your dash, you will need to do a minor mod on your battery / IGN warning lamp.

I removed my old analogue 12v warning lamps and fitted LED style.
which do look 100% better.

Lesson learnt, on my AK with a LS3 set up.

On the battery charge warning circuit,  (Blue Wire ) you need to draw a small current to excite the alternator on start on up. If you don't do this the led warning lamp will stay on all the time.

This is due to the LED not drawing enough current, only milli volts which means it does not excite the alternator on start-up, the battery warning light will stay on.

2 ways to solve it.
Fit a resistor in line on the blue wire with a heat sink. So that it draws current.
Universal 10A, 50V In-Line Diode (12V 24V 14V - 10 A AMP 10AMP - 12 14 24 V VOLT about £3.95 from Ebay.

Or re use any original any color old push in style 12v warning light in line with the LED so that the old analogue 12v lamp still draws current Which excites the alternator.  Just leave it up under dash tied back out of the way. No one will ever see it.

It only ever lights up with just the ignition on, and as soon as the engine starts it goes out.

Thanks
Mike H
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