This is what the sparky done to mine ...not sure of how he done it though ???..if you look in top corners of the plastic binacle you can see the extra green lights ...hope this helps
Interesting solution, just like a Series III.
 
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Glad to hear you've managed to sort one issue and got a solution for the other.

Sounds like the flasher unit doesn't like LEDs, or rather LED's used with chassis return earths. *insert grumblings about chassis returns and robustness to fault conditions*

Out of curiosity, wouldn't an LED bulb in the dash also fix it (pure theory here) as it is in itself a diode?
No. The problem is the the tell tale wires for each side are connected together at one side of the bulb. They have to be separated by diodes.
 
EDIT: clicked your link, looks like a 3mm LED. :)

not sure about the price though, be fairly straight forward to knock up

Price-wise, I guess you might be right. I took a look at zeaphod's 'diode' thread, and we do have a Maplin in town...... but like I said - soldering and electronics are something of a black art to me. The time saving in just getting something 'plug and play' is probably worth it to me.
 
Did you manage to get these sorted.....

hey mate, yes and no...

Yes, in that I've been driving around for the last week with fully functioning LED lights and indicators. (still at the stage where I'm checking my reflections and light spill to be sure it is all working, but i'll get over that)

No, in that I don't have the dashboard indicator tell-tale light.

However, I have got the additional earth/LED thing from B-o-B and that's a wee job for tomorrow. For my money, the lead it comes with is too short, and I think I'll bolt on an extended wire to give me more options in finding a good earth point. I think that taking that instrument panel out is enough of a pain without having to try and remove an earth point on a short cable.

Also on tomorrow's job list is the landreiziger headlamp loom and relays to allow me to fit the 'crystal' type lamps and bulbs and get a better voltage/current to the headlights, while taking current away from the light switch on the steering column.
 
Thanks very much indeed for the replies guys, I'll try to respond to all the points logically.

All the original lights were working. The car got its MOT on Tuesday, and I had checked all the lights before taking it down. I guess I can't say 100% that they were still working today... but I do assume so.

As I say, I don't think any of the light units I've bought are faulty - they all light up fine. (Sorry, my OP was a bit long, but I don't think I said the units themselves were at fault). When the reverse and plate lights didn't light 'in situ', I rigged up short test cables and put the new LED lights directly across the vehicle battery - reversing lights and number plate light fired up fine. I had read that LEDs were polarity sensitive, so while I was pretty sure they were wired up OK, I did swap the wires just in case it made a difference, and it didn't. Because there is a current getting to their relevant circuits, I just assume it's not strong enough?

"Did you damage any of the connectors or disconnect any earths when you were pulling it all apart? " Don't think so - mainly a case of attaching crimp connectors. I've done this a lot, and I have the proper tools, so I'm pretty sure they're OK. One thing I haven't done (for the reverse and n. plate light) is to put the original units back to see if they still work. That's a useful thing to start with tomorrow. But as I say, I am still getting a current through the circuits when I expect to - i.e. when reverse is engaged..

So... for the reverse and plate lights:
  • "earths" are things to check - anyone know where the earths are for the reverse, plate and indicator circuits - somewhere close by, or back to the battery?
  • poor cable run between battery and lights. How would I do a continuity test on that? I have a meter, and a wee bit of experience, but electrics aren't a strong point.

Indicators:
Don't know where to start. They all light up fine, so the LED units are fine, and are clearly getting enough current. The fact that they all light up, when only one side is selected, suggests some sort of 'leakage' in the circuit, so that power is getting across to the 'undesired' ones...? (This happens with the adjustable relay, and without).
Again, I haven't put the originals in again to check they are still working, but that's now just four plugs to swap - easy done in the morning.

Thanks again.
Mate for the indicators you need to add some resistance to get them to work. Most blokes install diodes to do this onto the indicator bulb on the dash. There's lots of tutorials on here.
 
Yep, seen those. I think the fix sold by Bolt on Bits is an LED light, which acts as a diode, as well as providing an improved earth point. I'll fit that at some point today and all should be well.
 
Just to wrap this up - and maybe for the benefit of anyone else doing the same thing:
  • Quite happy with the bolt on bits lights overall - fitted well
  • I needed to fix the earth for the reverse and number plate lights
  • The BoB relay (came with the kit I bought) works fine - indicators flash at a normal rate, and the dash light for the trailer still works.
  • I needed to get the BoB 'fix' to allow the indicator 'tell tale' light in the dash to work - basically a small LED with a ring connector for an extra earth. As I thought, this lead was too short and I needed to extend it to find a reasonable earth behind the dash. But once connected, it works fine.
I'm pleased with this overall. I went for indicators and side-lights that were as close as possible to the orginals - amber lenses rather than clear for the indicators. The fog and reverse lights do look different. They are all much brighter than the originals, and should hopefully just last longer.

Thanks for the help last weekend though. It's appreciated, and made the job easier.
 

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