Spoiler LED Wire type

What type of wire do you suggest using for wiring up the LED light on the spoiler? I need to solder a new wire on since the "OEM" LED wire was so thin that it would melt. Can I use copper speaker wire?

 

how do you know it would melt? how much current is it conducting?

 

Uh, it COULD be due to the fact that he reverse connections earlier this
month and blew a fuse. Then, after reconnecting it properly (he says),
he had still more problems.

Frankly, while I believe everyone should learn how to do this simple
stuff, I'm glad he's "learning" on his own vehicle and not someone
else's. I hope that's the case anyway.

Search back on his posts. The best recommendation for him MIGHT be to
find somebody who knows what they're doing and have them do it for him/her.

 

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Well it melted twice now.

how much current is it conducting?

That, I am not sure about but it could be 12v.

 

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Well the Honda dealer would not touch it since it is an after market
spoiler. I also feel that the guy did not know anything since he had little
words. I think he was new.

All I am asking about are wire types or why this thin LED light wire keeps
melting. Right now I bought some in-line fuses to see what happens next.
After that I will not have any wire left to try it once more. Could wire
length have anything to do with it? This wire was very long.

 

Let's start with the wire size. Locate the fuse the circuit is getting power
from. If the fuse is 5A or less, you can use 22 guage wire or larger. At 10A
use 18 guage wire or larger; for a 20A fuse use 16 guage wire. The fuse
exists to protect the wire, and if the wire is melting you already have a
problem.

The LED bar itself should be drawing well under 5 amps. The overheating wire
is a good indication the wiring between the melted wire and the light is
bad; shorted or backward, that sort of thing.

Both situations need to be corrected before you drive safely and happily.
Definitely get the wire size corrected, or you could have a car fire. No
fun.

Mike

 

Your response is all the reason to believe that you should not be doing
this work yourself...

 

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LED's are light-emitting DIODES, and if you've ever run juice through a
diode backwards, they may be shorted, which will keep on blowing up the
wiring, no matter if its thin or heavier.

Remove the + and ground connections from your car and try powering the
diodes directly from another 12 V source, like a different battery. Put
a fuse in the line (as you suggested) or just a tail light bulb (way
better), since the LED's are supposed to take way less current than a
light bulb and if the light comes on bright, you know the diodes are
indeed shorted to death.

Don't bother trying a battery charger as your power source. . many don't
put out any power unless they are connected to a half-ways alive battery.

'Curly'

 

ok, if the wire melted, there's something wrong with the light unit.
total current should be under 1 amp. well under. don't try re-wiring
it until you sort it out - probably replace it. as pointed out by mike,
failure to fix could lead to a car fire.

volts are different to amps.

 

Here, I believe, is the problem (as I mentioned in my first response).

As written by Guest on 1/09/2007

"I installed a spoiler on my car and when I first installed it, the
light did not come one and I later found out that I put the wires on in
reverse and blew a fuse. Some of the wiring even melted. I corrected
the problem and it was working correctly. Then yesterday, I bought a
splitter for the cigarette light plug so that I can plug in a radar
detector and a cell hone at the same time. As I was backing out of the
lot, I noticed that the spoiler light was not on. I had just plugged
the splitter in the socket before I started the car up. I checked and
the wires were melted again and were still very warm to the touch. This
time, the fuse was not blown. "

Methinks that Guest and other items, like water, should be kept away
from electrical devices.

 

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Thanks, that makes thing a lot clearer. When the fuse blew, I replaced it
with a yellow 20A fuse. This also controlled the horn and left the car in
park. What you write makes sense since the Honda wire is a lot thicker.
Now, I went to Radio Shack looking for wire, is there another place to look
at? Will any wire, 16 gauge do the job or does it have to be auto wire or
something specifically marked?

 

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**** you. I cam for advice, not smart ass comments. Michael Pardee gave
advice.

 

dude, it's not the freakin' wire, it's the freakin' unit. led's draw
/very/ little current. skinny wire works just fine /if/ the led's are
fine. go fix the unit and suddenly all your wiring problems will disappear.

 

Why does this "Guest" guy preface his posts with the "-- " signature code?

Doesn't he realize what this does when you reply using many common
newsreaders?

 

i don't think it's him, i think it's his "sponsor". if he even knows or
cares.

 

Back up one step. The fuse has to be changed back to what it was originally
because there was already wiring on the circuit. The fuse has to protect
that wire also. For example, if the original fuse was a 10A the existing
wiring would be sized for 10 amps... but with the overrated fuse in there it
could be subjected to twice that much current in the event of a fault. Twice
the current also means twice the voltage drop across the wire, so the wire
will get four times as hot before the fuse blows. Don't shrug this off;
notice the recent thread about the 2002 Civic destroyed by an electrical
fire.

Ordinary stranded, PVC jacketed wire is fine. Radio Shack probably carries
it as will many car parts stores. The guage should be at least as heavy as
the original fuse size dictates (from my earlier post).

As the others say, there is still something wrong with the LED if it blows
the original size fuse. They don't draw much current.

Mike

 

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Oh, so how do I go about that? Do I need to get a new LED?

 

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So I guess I might just buy a new one. The guy I bought it from on Ebay has
been kicked off. He offered a lifetime warranty, but you need a return
authorization number first, but it is impossible to contact him via email or
phone. They are Exotic Truck and Auto Gear. Damn them! I should have
bought Honda OEM like I started to...

 

unless there's a simple "gotcha" like a shorted connection, yes.

 

My guess is that the wire itself is shorted to ground, most likely where it
can be pinched or goes through a small hole. I'm not familiar with the
latest in LEDs, but for the most part the active device needs resistance in
series to limit current. That would probably prevent the LED from appearing
as a short on the supply.

Mike