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TrexMex
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2007
- Messages
- 405
- Age
- 48
- Vehicle Year
- 1994
- Transmission
- Manual
...I must have read every post in this forum related to taillights conversion problems.. I was about to quit last tuesday when I decided to send an email to Hopkins mfg saying I had problems with my "trailer".... this is what I sent them:
Hello, I have recently purchased a Hoppy 48925 Taillight converter to hook up to my 1994 Ranger. The problem I have is that when hooking it up to the vehicle the running lights and turn lights work fine, but the brake lights dont work. Being a 94, I have separate lights in the truck and my setup in the trailer is a combined brake/turn lights signal. In case it helps to troubleshoot this problem, if I ground turn lights inputs in the converter the brake lights work. I have also hooked up a Hoppy 48845 converter with the same results. Thank you, Id appreciate any support you can give me with this problem.
and what I got back from them:
Converter will only work if you have it hard wired in completely.
You are using to tow a trailer and not to change the taillight system on the car, right?
They must get a ton of ppl asking for the conversion
... anyways, I just went around the issue for three days and yesterday morning it struck me.. the guy said the converter would only work if it's wired completely and I was mentioning that grounding the turn light would make the system work (which I stupidly thought it meant the box was screwed up or it just wasn't made for the way the truck handled the turn signals)... Conclusion? The damn thing is made for trailer lights!!! Meaning it's being hooked up in tandem to the truck's lights system!! If the ground in the system is floated (i.e. wires cut) the box won't work.
Solution? you need to fool the box into thinking the system is still there. Given that I was getting rid of the old turn signal wiring, I just kept them and instead of a light bulb I bought a couple of 2.5 ohm resistors from RadioShack to simulate the bulbs so I wouldn't have an extra thing to worry about. Frikin' thing worked and me have lights now!!! Celebrated with a friend with a 6-pack of MGD
Here's a diagram:
I really don't know why my setup was different than the one in the tech section, but the way I set it up follows the logical thinking of the box is supposed to be hooked up to a working system, not as a "stand alone unit", if you will... I might be worthwhile to put this in there as a side note...
Message:
Hello, I have recently purchased a Hoppy 48925 Taillight converter to hook up to my 1994 Ranger. The problem I have is that when hooking it up to the vehicle the running lights and turn lights work fine, but the brake lights dont work. Being a 94, I have separate lights in the truck and my setup in the trailer is a combined brake/turn lights signal. In case it helps to troubleshoot this problem, if I ground turn lights inputs in the converter the brake lights work. I have also hooked up a Hoppy 48845 converter with the same results. Thank you, Id appreciate any support you can give me with this problem.
and what I got back from them:
Converter will only work if you have it hard wired in completely.
You are using to tow a trailer and not to change the taillight system on the car, right?
They must get a ton of ppl asking for the conversion
... anyways, I just went around the issue for three days and yesterday morning it struck me.. the guy said the converter would only work if it's wired completely and I was mentioning that grounding the turn light would make the system work (which I stupidly thought it meant the box was screwed up or it just wasn't made for the way the truck handled the turn signals)... Conclusion? The damn thing is made for trailer lights!!! Meaning it's being hooked up in tandem to the truck's lights system!! If the ground in the system is floated (i.e. wires cut) the box won't work. Solution? you need to fool the box into thinking the system is still there. Given that I was getting rid of the old turn signal wiring, I just kept them and instead of a light bulb I bought a couple of 2.5 ohm resistors from RadioShack to simulate the bulbs so I wouldn't have an extra thing to worry about. Frikin' thing worked and me have lights now!!! Celebrated with a friend with a 6-pack of MGD
Here's a diagram:
I really don't know why my setup was different than the one in the tech section, but the way I set it up follows the logical thinking of the box is supposed to be hooked up to a working system, not as a "stand alone unit", if you will... I might be worthwhile to put this in there as a side note...
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. I will not get a chance to test it on the dirt until the weekend but first I need to work on those wheel bearings, Hopefully this Saturday 
.
); Whoever did these the last time used CV joint grease to pack the bearings. For those who are scratching their heads on my remark I'll try to explain: CV joint grease is Molybdenum-based, and it will become liquid under high temperatures i.e. the heat generated by the friction applied to your discs every time you hit the brakes. Wheel bearings grease is Bentonite-based (a type of clay) which will not lose its "pastyness" under high temperatures. Also its high viscosity will enable the rods in the bearings to rotate, which will keep the bearings properly lubricated. Here's what happens to CV joint grease under high temps:
