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Gear selector light

12K views 33 replies 11 participants last post by  PsYcHoNoVa 
#1 ·
Alright I've searched and searched and I can't find what I'm lookin for so ill ask this question. I'm puttin a led light strip where the gear selector is and I need to know which is positive and which is negative?

Hood Motor vehicle Bumper Vehicle Automotive exterior
 
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#3 ·
When in doubt, slap a multimeter on it and see which one gives you a reading when the interior lights are turned on. As said above though, typically red is hot and black is not.
 
#5 ·
So would the blue wire be the hot wire? Because the red and black one in the pic goes to he OD switch. I've already traced those. *Note* I did this in the parking lot at the college, I had a little time between class and I was gonna figure it out but I was in a hurry
 
#7 ·
Alright I've searched and searched and I can't find what I'm lookin for so ill ask this question. I'm puttin a led light strip where the gear selector is and I need to know which is positive and which is negative?

View attachment 490772
just use a test light....when i did mine i think i took the two wires from the leds and touched them to the wires to the shifter light....i dont know if i got it right the first time or not but if i didnt only had to try it one other way lol.....piece of cake....
 
#8 ·
Most LED's are polarity sensitive, not in the sense that it will harm the strip but that its just not gunna click on if you have your wires backwards. Went through the whole deal when I swapped out interior bulbs to leds that weren't marked. Just flipped em and worked fine. If there's some sort of control circuit with the strip then you should probably figure it out first but if not I'd just assume black is your ground and go from there.
 
#10 ·
1AAdam said:
are u using the LED to replace a burnt out shifter light? if u tap into the shifter light wires it will be on the whole time the headlights are on.
Yes, but I assuming that the blue wire is the hot wire for the shifter light correct? And what is the little black box that the blue and black wire go into?

Corey_Jewell Sent from my iPhone 4S using JeepForum
 
#11 ·
So fixed the gear shift light today! And I took some pics and give you some detail on how it worked. If you've done this before and I got something wrong let me know. I don't have my soldering iron today so ill have to go back and solder them up!

Hand Water Liquid Automotive lighting Fluid

White 8" LED from Advance $15.99

Finger Bumper Thumb Gas Nail

I then cut the blue and black wires from the box where they go in. BLUE is your positive in this case and BLACK is negative

Electrical wiring Finger Gas Cable Motor vehicle

Tied (solder) the BLACK w/ WHITE stripe to the BLUE wire. And the solid BLACK to the Solid BLACK

Finger Electrical wiring Cable Gas Audio equipment

Pic of all of them together

Automotive lighting Purple Hood Automotive tire Fender

Flip the light switch in your GC to test her out

Font Office equipment Gadget Technology Electronic device

Before the lights install

Communication Device Gadget Font Office equipment Technology

After the light install

I'll get some pics at night of it but overall I think it looks pretty good. And this can help someone out too If they need it! Let me know what you think!

Corey_Jewell Sent from my iPhone 4S using JeepForum
 
#27 ·
So fixed the gear shift light today! And I took some pics and give you some detail on how it worked. If you've done this before and I got something wrong let me know. I don't have my soldering iron today so ill have to go back and solder them up!

View attachment 491350
White 8" LED from Advance $15.99

View attachment 491351
I then cut the blue and black wires from the box where they go in. BLUE is your positive in this case and BLACK is negative

View attachment 491352
Tied (solder) the BLACK w/ WHITE stripe to the BLUE wire. And the solid BLACK to the Solid BLACK

View attachment 491354
Pic of all of them together

View attachment 491355
Flip the light switch in your GC to test her out

View attachment 491356
Before the lights install

View attachment 491357
After the light install

I'll get some pics at night of it but overall I think it looks pretty good. And this can help someone out too If they need it! Let me know what you think!

Corey_Jewell Sent from my iPhone 4S using JeepForum
Why do the wires need to be soldered together? Why can't they just be twisted/braided together?
 
#12 ·
If you used white led strips then they will show up white and VERY bright at night.....if you can see them well during the day they may be so bright at night as to bother you while driving......I used a blue led strip and it was too bright for my taste so I taped a couple pieces of notebook paper over them to dim then to the same brightness as the rest of the interior lights.....good write up....
 
#13 ·
Thanks SoulSurvives! I haven't done a write up on here before and since I was gonna replace it anyway, I figured why not help someone else out when they need it. I'll know tonight when I see it in the dark

Corey_Jewell Sent from my iPhone 4S using JeepForum
 
#14 ·
yeah if its way too white and bright you could get some blue painters tape and put a layer on at a time and see if that will dim it and give you the shade of blue your looking for....you could play with other colors of tape as well....just do it in the dark so you can see how it looks when you need it......
 
#15 ·
Nice write up :) just wandering if anyone knows of a "How to " on the method of getting the console out in order to put the LED's in under the panel like in this write up ? I have did a search and cant come up with anything on it.


Ok, think I have found something to help me, would share the link I found but it is to another jeep site and don't wanna start or create any problems here


thanks

maachuu
 
#25 ·
Nice write up :) just wandering if anyone knows of a "How to " on the method of getting the console out in order to put the LED's in under the panel like in this write up ? I have did a search and cant come up with anything on it.

Ok, think I have found something to help me, would share the link I found but it is to another jeep site and don't wanna start or create any problems here

thanks

maachuu
Wjjeeps.com has a write up on removing the floor console. It's pretty simple, actually.
 
#16 ·
Do they still dim?
 
#18 ·
Awesome, mine have been out for a while but read that LEDs do not dim properly with out the right resistor.
 
#23 ·
Looks to bright and glaring? Are you able to dim them?
 
#28 ·
Soldering is a much better connection. But twisting and taping or heat shrinking will probably suffice. Just remember it can get pretty warm under there...
 
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