|DIY| EK9 taillights for $$10

[EK4R]

Disclaimer: The following is provided as a GUIDE ONLY, and neither myself nor Ozhonda take any responsibility for the outcomes of someone else doing the following. You follow these steps at your own risk!

always wanted the EK9 taillights but couldn't afford it?
here is the cheap alternative to rice up your car :cool:

aim:
wannabe EK9

tools:
2x universal bulb holders suitable for tail/stop lights (3 wires) // 3bux ea.
2x tail/stop light bulbs // 2bux
1x ranchet for removing nuts
1x PVC tape
1x hot blade/knife or blow torch :cool: or anything that cuts plastic

steps:
1/ Remove your taillight - open your boot and tape of your plastic covers and undo the 4 bolts holding your taillight. (circled in red in picture. note: picture taken with the bolts already REMOVED)

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/gxiang/DIY/PA050261.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/gxiang/DIY/PA050262.jpg

2/ undo the harness that connecting your tail light wire. its light grey in colour. note: should have a lil button you hold down and pull out.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/gxiang/DIY/PA050263.jpg

3/ CAREFULLY undo the foam cover from your tail light assembly. some parts might seem to be glued on so be gentle, should come off.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/gxiang/DIY/PA050265.jpg

4/ cut a hole where the new htail light will be fitted. make sure its big enough for both the bulb and bulb holder. dont worry if the bulb holder wont click in place, you coulse use tape to stick it on. hard to cut the perfect shape i know :) i used my lil hot blade to cut it, works well on plastic

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/gxiang/DIY/PA050272.jpg

5/ cut the end of your new wires so about 1/2 inch of metal is hanging out.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/gxiang/DIY/PA050266.jpg

6/ cut your existing stop/taillight wires in the middle so that about 1/4 inch of metal is showing.

7/ CONNECTING THE WRIES!!! * important *
now here is the fun/hard part. you need to make sure which wire on your new bulb are brake light or parker light. the black wire usual is the ground wire.

to know how, go to your car battery and place the black wire on the negative terminal, and place each other wire on to the red/positive terminal one at a time to determine which is brighter in output. obfiously the brighter the output is the brake light.

now just conect the corresponding wires to the existing wires.
existing wire : black = ground wire, green = brake light, red = parker light

so in my case, the new wires were black = ground, green = parker light, red = brake.

i conected my black with black, green with red, and red with green.
(hope it made sense)

NOTE: even if you did connect the wires wrong, just go back and re-correct it, its 50/50 chance so no worries. no bulb will be blown. just make sure your black wire is connected properly.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/gxiang/DIY/PA050273.jpg

8/ cover the wires with PVC insulating tape to protect and hold it in place.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/gxiang/DIY/PA050274.jpg

9/ put foam cover back on and put your headlights back. then repeat for other set and your done!!!

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/gxiang/DIY/PA050275.jpg

heres the end result.

before....

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/gxiang/DIY/PA050256.jpg

after!

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m99/gxiang/DIY/PA050276.jpg

[SiReal]

fark man thats really realyl awesome stuff.

i would suggest placing a bit of solder on teh connections as well ;)

[EK4R]

thx jeff.

regarding the solder, its abit old school and im no good with that stuff nor do i have the tools. i was actually reading Claymore's Jazz lights and he mentioned this way was just as good. its not hard to redo so i guess if it fails just redo it :P only 10 bux

gl all

[fadz]

good stuff dude.

[kn1ghtm4r3]

wow thats good stuff man. =)

[honda_ek4]

gud stuff..
ill be doing this soon

[panda[cRx]]

awesome

[preludacris]

looks sexy as!

really makes a massive difference imo


EK9 y0!

[EK4R]

thx all for the comment

[civic_mods]

Good stuff!!!!!!!

but change the words headlight to tail light or rear light, mate:P

cheers champ

[zco]

the real ones lgiht up brighter than the DIY ones. its because of the bulb you use. and when you break, the bttom but doesnt light up either.

[EK4R]

the real ones lgiht up brighter than the DIY ones. its because of the bulb you use. and when you break, the bttom but doesnt light up either.

looks the same to me. maybe its your the photo.
and with regardsing to bottom dont light up i dont know what you mean, but mine do light up? and if your refering to real ek9 lights, then no i dont want to be a ek9 where the buttom bit dont light up. i like it both lighting up. way better.

[bigjo5]

looks the same to me. maybe its your the photo.
and with regardsing to bottom dont light up i dont know what you mean, but mine do light up? and if your refering to real ek9 lights, then no i dont want to be a ek9 where the buttom bit dont light up. i like it both lighting up. way better.

i agree i rahter have both of them lighting up then just the one of them.. might aswell have it brighter

[zco]

looks the same to me. maybe its your the photo.
and with regardsing to bottom dont light up i dont know what you mean, but mine do light up? and if your refering to real ek9 lights, then no i dont want to be a ek9 where the buttom bit dont light up. i like it both lighting up. way better.

haha i meant.. when you have parkers on.. they both light up. when you break, the top bit goes BRIGHTER. and hte bottom bit stays the same.

hmm. i have 3friends that have done the ek9 DIY, and its not as bright when parkers are on as my ones . still dont know why ! weird..

[Mrkrooz]

Big props mang well done :thumbsup:

[EK4R]

Nice one. Told you it was easy. My old Suzuki went 180,000 km with twisted electrical connections with no problems and I always used them in all my cars since my apprenticeship days with no comebacks. Keep up the good DIYs.

...more to come lol. big thx to you for helping me out in my DIYs. :thumbsup:

[Tu88y]

This is how I have mine done....

PARKERS
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y1/tu88y/DSC02805.jpg
BREAK
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y1/tu88y/DSC02808.jpg

[Killa From Manila]

^^ did exactly the same last night turned out awesome
nice write up EK4R

[NeRV]

haha yeah nice write up... looks much better aye jimmy

[honda_ek4]

damn that looks mad tu88y!
good work!

[uetecu]

Very nice write up..!

One question.
Is there any way of fixing the new light into the hole instead of taping it? It would be good to make it easier to change bulbs when they blow.

[EK4R]

well if u can be bothered, draw a template and cut it around that. so it will fit. but taping is that hard either. just few tapes :P

[JasonGilholme]

You lazy focker!!! Twist & tape.... wtf.

Do it once, do it properly, DO IT YOURSELF!!! :thumbsup:


serious note: If you are lazy and only want to twist em, put heatshrink around them instead of tape. Tape is for panzies.

[destrukshn]

you can't use heat shrink if you only tap into the original harness, if you cut the old harness and then re join em, then you can use heat shrink.


unless you have heat shrink tape, don't know how well that works though.

[JasonGilholme]

yeh i spose so but he had every opportunity to use heat shrink.

[Eclipsor]

You lazy focker!!! Twist & tape.... wtf.

Do it once, do it properly, DO IT YOURSELF!!! :thumbsup:


serious note: If you are lazy and only want to twist em, put heatshrink around them instead of tape. Tape is for panzies.

What he said.

Looks good though.

[EK4R]

You lazy focker!!! Twist & tape.... wtf.

Do it once, do it properly, DO IT YOURSELF!!! :thumbsup:


serious note: If you are lazy and only want to twist em, put heatshrink around them instead of tape. Tape is for panzies.

wtf is heatshrink? not everyone know how to do everything, as long as it looks good i wouldnt give really.

[uetecu]

is there any way to do it so you can twist lock it?
how about a circular drill (similar to drilling a hole for a door handle)?

[Killa From Manila]

is there any way to do it so you can twist lock it?
how about a circular drill (similar to drilling a hole for a door handle)?

nerv got his dremil onto my tail lights and did a rough cut, the same shape as the bulb housing and it twists and locks just like oem :)

[uetecu]

nerv got his dremil onto my tail lights and did a rough cut, the same shape as the bulb housing and it twists and locks just like oem :)

yep thats what I was referring to. :)
is the dremil a round drill piece?
did you still need to use tape?

[JasonGilholme]

wtf is heatshrink? not everyone know how to do everything, as long as it looks good i wouldnt give really.

Yeh man. Heat shrink is a rubber lookin stuff you can thread the wires through before you wind them together. Once you wind them together (or solder if your tuff :P) you place the heatshrink over the join and then you heat it up with a lighter/match or even a soldering iron. It then shrinks around your join holding it together better and keeps it insulated from the other wires so it can't short and cause an electrical fire or somethin.

Cheap stuff to buy. You can get it from any electrical store like tandy's, dick smiths etc.

Good work tho man. I'm not baggin ya. :)

DIY :thumbsup:

[NeRV]

yep thats what I was referring to. :)
is the dremil a round drill piece?
did you still need to use tape?

No we didnt need to use tape at all, only to cover up the wires again,
This is what i had and used to cut out the shape of the bulb holder.
http://www.stoeltingco.com/physio/store/images%5Cstores%5C58600.gif

Its a Dremel multi purpose rotary tool, i also have the 150 piece kit with it, so its pretty handy.

[Tu88y]

damn that looks mad tu88y!
good work!


Yeah did mine ages ago.....

[vinnY]

2x universal bulb holders suitable for tail/stop lights (3 wires) // 3bux ea.


its driving me nuts, wherein sydney can i get some? i've tried super cheap auto, autobarn and repco and no luck

[Tu88y]

go to wreckers and ask them to sell you break socket....

[honda_ek4]

its driving me nuts, wherein sydney can i get some? i've tried super cheap auto, autobarn and repco and no luck
im in the same boat as you mate, but im waiting for a friend to do it first so he can tell me where he got the sockets from
if you just be a little more patient i will let you know where to purchase them when i hes done it..

[kn1ghtm4r3]

autobarn have them y0
though i bought the last one =)

thanks for the write up ek4r. heres the end result:

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k91/hondaek4/lights.jpg

[EK4R]

yea i brought mine from autobarn. if you ppl want i could buy some and post them up but might cost alil bit more.

nice work knightmare!

[civicek4]

hey EK4R, im having trouble taking off the bolts off the tail light. what tool did u use to take the bolts off in such a tight spot.

thanks

[vinnY]

im in the same boat as you mate, but im waiting for a friend to do it first so he can tell me where he got the sockets from
if you just be a little more patient i will let you know where to purchase them when i hes done it..

hey mate, did you find out where to get them from? :p

[honda_ek4]

yepp..fanx anyways:)

[honda_ek4]

hey EK4R, im having trouble taking off the bolts off the tail light. what tool did u use to take the bolts off in such a tight spot.

thanks
my bolts were very hard to take off as well..
they were on so tight i smoothed the thread out and had to smash the bolts off with a hammer..:thumbdwn:

[EK4R]

lol serious? mind wasnt so hard. i had a ranchet on a angle and came off easy...shouldnt be that hard if you have the right tools. put it back on the same way.

try some wd40 to loosen the bolts. just dont get the water into the wires

[vinnY]

i still can't find the bulb holders hence why i asked if you found them or not :(

[EK4R]

theres plenty in melb :P unless u want me to post it up for ya

[jimus888]

i got my bulb holders from autobarn, think they were nivara brand or something. put them in today, look mad. good write up.

[90xsi]

stop tail light bulb holder

part no

49836 or 49836bl

http://www.narva.com.au/Globes_11.html

ask for that part number at a repco store
not sure who else is a narva stockist.

see how you go.

[honda_ek4]

lol serious? mind wasnt so hard. i had a ranchet on a angle and came off easy...shouldnt be that hard if you have the right tools. put it back on the same way.

try some wd40 to loosen the bolts. just dont get the water into the wires
haha yeah..
to late for some wd40 now tho since its already broke
hahaha
thanx for the last minute tip anyway:thumbsup:

[TypeRice]

whats the bottom light for usually?
top is breaks.. middle is reverse light and side indicators.

wats da bottom on for normally yo?

[kn1ghtm4r3]

whats the bottom light for usually?
top is breaks.. middle is reverse light and side indicators.

wats da bottom on for normally yo?

bottom usually don't light up =9 but with ek4r's guide they can be for brakes as well.

[EK4R]

whats the bottom light for usually?
top is breaks.. middle is reverse light and side indicators.

wats da bottom on for normally yo?

yea mate the bottom is just there for looks it a empty hole that dont light up, however the EK9 civic tyres Rs have them as a parker light. dont light up during breaking, only top do.

it changes your whole cars perspective from the rear :) try it. works wonders

[ECU-MAN]

very nice mod dude.

great DIY, very simple

[tune2look]

Great post.
got mine done today.
I did mine like EK9 so bottom bit is only used for parker, not brake.
4 break lights might be to bright for ones behind?

and... if anyone wanna get this done cheaper, goto wrecker and get wiring for only one of the side.
then you can use sockets for blinker and indicator as bottom parker light.
for 10 bucks I even got working bulbs.

[EK4R]

i got mine all new for 6 bux...

[neil1112]

i did mine a while ago but one light bulb is brighter than the other? ive tried taking it out and in but still brighter... any suggestions?

[destrukshn]

change the dull bulb.
when bulbs get old they get dull.

[uetecu]

Great post.
got mine done today.
I did mine like EK9 so bottom bit is only used for parker, not brake.
4 break lights might be to bright for ones behind?

and... if anyone wanna get this done cheaper, goto wrecker and get wiring for only one of the side.
then you can use sockets for blinker and indicator as bottom parker light.
for 10 bucks I even got working bulbs.

Can you show how you did the wiring for this setup?
I'm interested in doing it this way as well. :thumbsup:

[EK4R]

Can you show how you did the wiring for this setup?
I'm interested in doing it this way as well. :thumbsup:

buddy its the same but instead of doing the brake light for the bottom you dont connect it. so the bottom light only light up on parkers and when you press the brakes nothing happens.....simple

[mrwillz]

if i giv u 6bux george, do it?

[EK4R]

6 + 50 bux asian labor y0 + petrol goin to ur house n coming back

[tune2look]

please dont hesitate to delete this if I am hikacking this thread in any way.


Can you show how you did the wiring for this setup?
I'm interested in doing it this way as well. :thumbsup:

If you get the wiring for one taillight, you have one socket that has 3 wires and two that has 2 wires. You are using the two same ones that has only 2 wires coming out.

When you pull out the taillight, you will see 3 sockets, you need the top one which is parker/brake socket.

there are 3 wires, black(oviously ground), green(brake) and red(parker).
You just need 4 simple wiring in total,
existing black + black on new(secondhand) socket,
existing red + the other wire left.

Unless your taillight gasket is damaged, I dont see any reason why you need to weld the wires.

gasket is stopping water to leak in so you dont have to worry about short circuits.

just use electrcal tape and hold them tight.

Sorry no pictures as I am working right now and I dont want to hijack this thread.
My way is nothing different to EK4R but less wiring.

[uetecu]

buddy its the same but instead of doing the brake light for the bottom you dont connect it. so the bottom light only light up on parkers and when you press the brakes nothing happens.....simple

ah cool thanks :)

Still havent been able to find the holder yet. I went to Supercheap Auto but they didnt have it. Will try Autobahn next time.

[mrwillz]

6 + 50 bux asian labor y0 + petrol goin to ur house n coming back

say waaaaaat
lol
nah seriously..
pm me where to get parts and i will get em.
coz ill b changing one of my rear brake lights so mite do this.

[mrwillz]

legality of modifying tail lights???
i was advised its illegal outright
if say i didnt do a good wiring job.. will this affect the stock brake light or jus the newly added brake light/???

[EK4R]

just do it willll........its legal cos u imported from japan off an EK9. how they gona know. gee lol

dont think it would affect the the main wiring , its just an extra lil bulb ? im no pro some1 else answer this

[davec]

i did this mod for my mate today, we got the sockets from the wreckers in deerpark for free..... looks awesome, great DIY

[pedomorphic]

if i follow this wiring, would it make the new bulb turn on parker lights and then glow brighter when the break is pressed?


please dont hesitate to delete this if I am hikacking this thread in any way.



If you get the wiring for one taillight, you have one socket that has 3 wires and two that has 2 wires. You are using the two same ones that has only 2 wires coming out.

When you pull out the taillight, you will see 3 sockets, you need the top one which is parker/brake socket.

there are 3 wires, black(oviously ground), green(brake) and red(parker).
You just need 4 simple wiring in total,
existing black + black on new(secondhand) socket,
existing red + the other wire left.

Unless your taillight gasket is damaged, I dont see any reason why you need to weld the wires.

gasket is stopping water to leak in so you dont have to worry about short circuits.

just use electrcal tape and hold them tight.

Sorry no pictures as I am working right now and I dont want to hijack this thread.
My way is nothing different to EK4R but less wiring.

[EK4R]

yes mate

[pedomorphic]

kewl! thanks. will be working on it after getting parts :)

[MrRocafella]

freakin' awesome DIY mate! did it today, lights look fully sick now :D

[MrRocafella]

oh btw...
for my right tail light: black to black, red to green, green to red
and for my left: black to black, red to red, green to green

had to experiment a bit... but turned out all good :D

[obsessionz]

aren't you forgetting something son? how about the back wiper? lol

[EK4R]

^^ back wiper is part of the taillight? last time i checked it was on the boot... :S

[obsessionz]

your missing the point... your going to all this trouble to make ek9 lights when you have a wiper on the rear of your car... ek9 has no rear wiper... its completely deleted from boot... =o)

http://www.jdmyard.com/jdmyard_2006/images/papz/7.jpg

[EK4R]

yea i get you. i know the difference between ek9 and a ek4. its not part of this DIY thats all.

[preludacris]

your missing the point... your going to all this trouble to make ek9 lights when you have a wiper on the rear of your car... ek9 has no rear wiper... its completely deleted from boot... =o)

http://www.jdmyard.com/jdmyard_2006/images/papz/7.jpg

from the looks of the DIY, it doesnt even look like much trouble.

and imo, it looks a shitload better, not just coz its ek9 jdm y0.

george, u modded ur tail lights, i think ur gonna have to spray ur car championship white now, otherwise, all ur hard work of 10 mins doing the tail lights will be wasted. oh dont forget full ek9 interior and genuine b16b motor :P shit u should prolly get 5 stud conversion too... what have u done!!:eek:

[obsessionz]

yeh should ay .... fake boy lol

[preludacris]

i can't find the type R sticker tho ..

where is it obsessionz, u should be able to find it seeing as ur the expert on type R's...

[obsessionz]

what sticker? just leave it at that ... why u cut for?

[preludacris]

exactly, What sticker, he's not pretending to be a real ek9

and i'm just pointing out, how retarded your posts are.

[EK4R]

yeh should ay .... fake boy lol

like preludacris says, im dont want my car to be a EK9. it never will be. im doing it the way i like it and it just so EK9 has some subtle things which makes the whole package stand out.

if i wanted the ek9 taillights btw. i wouldn't have had both of my brake lights light up at the same time cos EK9 lights only light up the top...you knew that ofcos :o

[VTEC16]

Thanks for the writeup! I did it yesterday.... wired it up (yes - soldered too!) wrong the first time =(

Other then that it was real easy and looks cool - cheers!

[EK4R]

^^ np!! glad you liked it.
looks even better at night

[adu]

ey guys ..

where can i get thoses universal bulb holders from?

thanks ..:p

keen to do this DIY

[EK4R]

autobarn...2bux each.

repco...around same price, they can order them in for you.

supercheap also had it

try your local auto shop, they all should have it. if not. they can order it for you. you just have to wait.

[adu]

yeh imma go supercheap auto now at rockdale ..

thanks ek4r

[adu]

ey guys .. i went to supercheap at rockdale and auburn ...

dey say that they dont stock the sockets in-there store anymore ..

autobarn in auburn is shit .. (they dont know anything) they never have stock ...

REPCO is the best .... went to auburn repco.. he said he will get it for me tomorrow...

THANKS guys

[EK4R]

^ good to know. hopefully you have your sexy lights running by tmrw. GL

[Dell99]

ok i followed all the instructions. The problem is now that of the two new lights that i have installed. One of them is exceptionally brighter ?? :confused: while the other one is the same brightness as the rest. Keep in mind that both are new bulbs and such.

Any ideas on how to fix?

note: the bulb that is bright, is the right hand side + its brighter than the rest during parker... as well as brake lights

any help thanxs

[chartinael]

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16752

Just in case anybody wants to see another version of this guide. One thing, we have reflectors in the lower drivers side portion needs removing for even illumination. I have the rear fogs on my drivers side lower section and brakes on upper.

I also went and bought usdm tails, like them better than the jdm/edm/audm tails. are a tad different.

At Dell - do you have a rear fog on the drivers side? if so, it is the reflector inside ... taking it out is a pain. but doable. keep some silver paint handy for the scratches you are about to make ;-)

Kristin

[Dell99]

thanks for ur input i was wondering is there anyone out there that would help me. The car is just a standard EK1 plus its only one side is brighter.. Thus if there was fog lights wouldn't it effect both

[EK4R]

hmm could be a faulty bulb? i know they are some bulbs with different intensity. mine turned out even...

[chartinael]

thanks for ur input i was wondering is there anyone out there that would help me. The car is just a standard EK1 plus its only one side is brighter.. Thus if there was fog lights wouldn't it effect both

The fog light reflector is only in one tail light ... usually the driver's side.

[Dell99]

well i guess i will try to get a new bulb first... but if it is the fog light can u tell me how to remove it or at least fix it pls?

[chartinael]

well, most likely you put in the wrong bulb, the reflector is noted when you look into the hole ... you cannot miss it as it is a second item in there ... you take it out with two pairs of pliers and a screw driver, it is made of some plastic and needs to be broken into pieces and taken out through the hole. painful process, go slow ...

[Dell99]

ar crap.. Well i guess i am going to switch the new bulb with the old one that is no the brake lights. If just as bright then dam.... got to get out the tools n break that reflector.. If not.. easily solved.. get new bulbs

sounds good ya think?

[adu]

ey

SPECIAL THANKS TO EK4R for the thread ..keep up the good work & DIY ..


Brought my Universal Globes from Repco

Ask for
http://www.narva.com.au/Globes_Holders_2.html

Bayonet Cap Globe Holder
Product number: 49838 $2.45 each (x2)

+ Globes (x2) $2.00 a packet

[EK4R]

nice :thumbsup:

keep it up and try out some other simple DIY's i wrote in this thread for your EK

[Dell99]

adu, u hav the same prob as me. The lower right hand side is definately brighter

[chartinael]

looks brighter to me.

[Dell99]

chartinael, in that case both our situations are the same. Fog lights/reflector then?

[chartinael]

would be my guess, take out socket and have a look, if it doesn't look empty like the one where you made the hole (refer to pictures in either my or this thread) then it is the reflector.

See, this is an empty hole ...

http://eurostylez.watt-is-dingens.de/storage/diy/civic-rearlights/passenger-cutout.jpg

If there is a reflector in it you will see a whitish gray type of additional rim.

BTW original poster, why exactly do you think you need to take the rubber gasket off? No need to remove that, just remove the harness to work on it.

Also, a word of advice: learn to use soldering gun and heatshrinking tubes when you do automotive wiring, I did't at first cause I decided to do at the spur of the moment but went back it did my half ass job the right way ;)

[Dell99]

thanks for ur input chartinael, but unfortunately i opened mine up and it was the same as urs. Was going to post up a pic then i did the following isolation test so it would be useless if i did post it up.

First checked if it was the same as urs = yes
Checked the passenger side if was same = yes
Switched original honda brake BLUB with new bulb = still bottom is brighter

now i'm stumped????

[EK4R]

i dont believe we have fog lights at the back, mine certainly didnt have anything it was clear on both taillights so maybe its only in Europe?

[Dell99]

any idea's y mine is brighter on one side then?? BTW aussie ek1

[adu]

dell999

u tried muckin around with the wires ..

1 side of the tail light on mine ... were red with red .. green with green .. black with black ..

the other was

red with green .. green with red .. and black with black ..

try the brightness on your car battery ..

the little one is the brighter one .. so thats = BRAKE

the dull one is the longer one = parkers ..

p.s.

try muck around with the globe too .. sometime it looks brighter and sometime if u muck around with it .. it turns out ok ...

hope thats any help .

[EK4R]

dell999

u tried muckin around with the wires ..

1 side of the tail light on mine ... were red with red .. green with green .. black with black ..

the other was

red with green .. green with red .. and black with black ..

try the brightness on your car battery ..

the little one is the brighter one .. so thats = BRAKE

the dull one is the longer one = parkers ..

p.s.

try muck around with the globe too .. sometime it looks brighter and sometime if u muck around with it .. it turns out ok ...

hope thats any help .

lol maybe you put on the wrong wires? did you test your bulb firsthand on the battery like i suggested ?? you might actually have parker hooked to brake light instead

[Dell99]

ar crap, its all heat shrink n stuff. I took for granted that on the left was black = black, red = red, green = green thus i did the same for the driver's side. But Adu ur lights are brighter also on the drivers side mate

[adu]

dell99

which ones?

i seriously cant tell the difference? hahahah

for me in real life .. its actually fine .. maybe its the picture ...

good luck dell999:D


:)

[Dell99]

ur bottom right is definately brighter mate. But does anyone know if the wires would be different for the sides.

What i mean is that on passenger side that the red is for the brake and the green is for the parker. Wouldn't logic dictate that on the driver side it is also red for the brake and the green for the parker.

Cause since i have used heat shrink for the wires it would be a B!tch to get it out and such.

[EK4R]

could just be the angle of pic it was taken and its affect to the lense. ??

[Civic Type R]

George.. mate I soooo was going to put Euros in there !
I thought of JDM tailights but cbf'd in the end :)

Its looking good !

[chartinael]

the wire colors are identical left and right. in the link I posted you have all applicable wire colors and their functions in the connector diagram. Not hard to figure out, what needs to go where.

[steve88]

went through repco peakhurst for those bulb holders, they ordered some for me and will get them next week :D

[ddaann]

did this the other day, a really simple but effective mod ! nice post :)

[steve88]

same here, took me about 2hrs and i love it! but i had too pull extensively the plastic around my boot (hatchback). and for my left backlight i had to take the bracket that holds speakers up off, couldnt fit a ratchet in there (i even had a flexible small one)... but i had a small blowtorch ($20 bunnings, burns off lighter fluid) and it cut those holes perfectly with its pencil tip blade + my knife!!

[LUD35]

hey guys! i need help lol

ive wired all the lights up correctly(i think) BUT now only the parker lights come on, NOT the brake lights!!! UH OH!

if someone could give me a bit of guidance i would really appreciate it.

[Dell99]

happened on my frnds car. Which every side is causing the trouble just rewire it.

My frnds.

Driver Side = red to red, green to green.
Passenger = red to green, green to red

dun ask me y but it worked for him lol

[LUD35]

its both sides that arent lighting up...im going to have a look into it tomorro, any advice would be greatly welcomed

[br3nny]

check you havn't blown a fuse by accident by some odd chance ?

[philip_pc]

just went repco today, they ordered it in for me, but got 2 different holder (OMG)
one with 3 wire and one with 2
so now i have one side which is done and the other side still normal.
picking up the other holder tomorrow, will get it done by the weekend.

excellent writeup EK4R, cheap and awesome mod

[philip_pc]

all done.

Park Lights
http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/1486/parksl9.th.jpg (http://img396.imageshack.us/my.php?image=parksl9.jpg)

Brake Lights
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/5711/brakekv8.th.jpg (http://img505.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brakekv8.jpg)

how cool does it look...

[EK4R]

nice work there !!

[ceeazian]

could philip pc or EK4 being the original DIY enlighten us on the finalised wiring setup again? im getting lost and confused between one persons right tail light being brighter than the other etc !

black to black? red to red? green to green? both sides? for parkers + lighting up when braking!

ERGH! ohh and i cant FIND universal light bulb holders anywhere in perth.supercheap are useless and repco!

[EK4R]

could philip pc or EK4 being the original DIY enlighten us on the finalised wiring setup again? im getting lost and confused between one persons right tail light being brighter than the other etc !

black to black? red to red? green to green? both sides? for parkers + lighting up when braking!

ERGH! ohh and i cant FIND universal light bulb holders anywhere in perth.supercheap are useless and repco!


ask them to order one in for you. or try autobarne if you have them there in perth? or repco ?

as with the wiring.

you would need to test your holder first with your battery. the black wire is always the earth or negative. so place that on your negative and then just put the other two wirings on your postitive and check the lighting. one should light up brighter than the other (thats your brake wire).

then just wire the corresponding wiries to your existing harness.

it is alot easier if you had the holder. so get that first and read again.
should be quiet straightforward.

[philip_pc]

as for my wiring, i used the same for both sides.
the wiring that was already in the tail light (green=brake, red=park, black=ground)
this was the same on both sides for me.
just try wrap it that way first (dont tape it up yet though) and if it dosent turn out to be correct just switch the wiring around to what you previously had.
not hard at all, once all done just tape it all up.
i didnt get any problem with one side being brighter then the other, the only thing i can think of is maybe perhaps different wattage of the globes, makes sure that they are all 5W globes, to match the light up the top. if all 5W globes then it should all appear to be of the same brightness.
hope i'm not confusing anyone =)

[Lex_EG93]

just did my gf EK1. turned out madness!!!!

jus letting you know for EK1 the wires match up the same. . .

so green-green, red-red, black-black. . .

[roar]

i had a go at this today...turned out well

tried using a knife + a ciggie lighter to cut thru the plastic...but that sucked...ended up drilling it and using a round bastard file...turned out perfect...the holders even snap into place oem styles

i went about this a different way...i used indicator (1 filament) globes...

so parkers looks exactly the same as stock...but when i brake...the lower portion lights up aswell...i did it this way for maximum visual impact when braking...

oh...and for 1 of the bolts each side use an 8mm ring spanner to undo coz getting a socket in there was close to impossible

[1996ek1]

Umm everyones parkers are same as the top parkers, when they brake their lower portion lights up as well. Thats why they use 3 wire bulbs....

As for my car, i was looking into this, my right light has the hole already cut out, perfectly, just like the OEM hole, it had the bits that stick up, and it had a bulb in it, but it was only a 2 wire and the connector that joined into the harness had 6 pins like this
. .
.
.
. .

whereas the left side had the covered up hole, and the connector only had 5 pins like this

.
.
.
. .


Looks like its had a replacment light?

[neil1112]

(quote)so parkers looks exactly the same as stock...but when i brake...the lower portion lights up aswell...i did it this way for maximum visual impact when braking...(quote)


yeh when i did mine it turned out like that but i changed it to only the top light only comes on when i brakes..i.e ek9 style...i figured out that ek9 taillights are completely differently to diy...the top light are bit brighter and the bottom and when they indicate its white and looks different ...

i mite consider buying genuine soonnn...but for the meantime diy looks sweet =]

[Mingy]

(quote)so parkers looks exactly the same as stock...but when i brake...the lower portion lights up aswell...i did it this way for maximum visual impact when braking...(quote)


yeh when i did mine it turned out like that but i changed it to only the top light only comes on when i brakes..i.e ek9 style...i figured out that ek9 taillights are completely differently to diy...the top light are bit brighter and the bottom and when they indicate its white and looks different ...

i mite consider buying genuine soonnn...but for the meantime diy looks sweet =]

is there a way to make the EK OEM tail lights function like the ek9, maybe buying some lighter bulbs so the top light, light(s) up in idle/parker mode?

plz correct me if im wrong?? :confused:
through what i've noticed about the OEM EK9 tails, when lights are switched on, in parker/idle mode the top and bottom lights are lit, top ones are abit brighter than the bottom. when braking, ONLY the top light(s) light up like a christmas tree. cheers

[EK4R]

read my pm

[1996ek1]

Yea, turns out my car has a right side EK9 taillight.
Bad thing is alittle bit of the end doesnt light up, compared to the regular taillight. Very annoying

EK9 tail lights wont function the same in a non EK9 because they are 6pin connector compared to 5pin from EK1/EK4. So their is no point in buying genuine EK9's.

[Mingy]

Yea, turns out my car has a right side EK9 taillight.
Bad thing is alittle bit of the end doesnt light up, compared to the regular taillight. Very annoying

EK9 tail lights wont function the same in a non EK9 because they are 6pin connector compared to 5pin from EK1/EK4. So their is no point in buying genuine EK9's.

perhaps changing the ek1/ek4 pin to a 6-pin???

[1996ek1]

perhaps changing the ek1/ek4 pin to a 6-pin???

Well also some one said

The reverse lights are different, and when they indicate its white.

I dont think so, its just the same when you indicate and i actually havnt looked at the reverse lights..

I dont see the point in spending for EK9 tail lights, better off spending for 99+ taillights :D

[Mingy]

i was playing gran turismo 4 the other day just so i can perve on the EK9s. you can't indicate in the game. so i didn't get to see the colours of the indicators.

[EK4R]

Well also some one said

The reverse lights are different, and when they indicate its white.

I dont think so, its just the same when you indicate and i actually havnt looked at the reverse lights..

I dont see the point in spending for EK9 tail lights, better off spending for 99+ taillights :D

better off buying 99+ with diy my style NOT ek9 style. i like my style better > the ek9 style

indicator lights are amber in the ek9, why would it be white? thats not street legal

[1996ek1]

better off buying 99+ with diy my style NOT ek9 style. i like my style better > the ek9 style

indicator lights are amber in the ek9, why would it be white? thats not street legal


Dunno, someone else said they different, but i don't know what would make them think that....

And i agree, the 99+ lights are better...

[steve88]

just tint the indicator/reverse on the 96-98 tail lights ;) steve domestic market
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/casmira/IMG_253.jpg

[1996ek1]

it acctually does look beter then OJ

but 99+!!!!!!!!
i really cbf tinting just the oj... too much work

[steve88]

whole thing got tinted, then the indicator/reverse got tinted in heavier coats, and polished. very lengthy

[ATSE]

dell999

u tried muckin around with the wires ..

1 side of the tail light on mine ... were red with red .. green with green .. black with black ..

the other was

red with green .. green with red .. and black with black ..

try the brightness on your car battery ..

the little one is the brighter one .. so thats = BRAKE

the dull one is the longer one = parkers ..

p.s.

try muck around with the globe too .. sometime it looks brighter and sometime if u muck around with it .. it turns out ok ...

hope thats any help .

Sorry to bring this up,... but have you tried flipping the bulb over. They have two fillaments (one to light up and one to brake) so if the light up fillament is at the bottom of the globe and the other side is the other way around... it will look brighter.

[vinnY]

if you want the easy way out, just wire it up directly and have a 24v bulb on the bottom, it'll still light up the same but it won't be as bright as the top or wedge bulbs on the wing :)

[LLS]

I've just did mine! looks hela nice! though I used 2 wire bulb holders, which turns out the top lid up only when the brakes applied...instead of both :)

Normal:
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/9467/dscf0112mediumns2.jpg

Brakes on:
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/7820/dscf0113mediumzt8.jpg

[DvSnGuYeN]

sorry for thread revival peeps... just need a little help... LoL

I did these lights.. tested it before i soldered.. everything went fine.. after i soldered the wires, the brake lights don't turn on unless the brakes are applied.. and that's what headlights on too.. i tried red-red, green-green and red-green.. what am i doing wrong?..

[Bludger]

haha i meant.. when you have parkers on.. they both light up. when you break, the top bit goes BRIGHTER. and hte bottom bit stays the same.there prolly is a way to do this if you're savvy with electrical, I just cbf working it out:p

[Bludger]

sorry for thread revival peeps... just need a little help... LoL

I did these lights.. tested it before i soldered.. everything went fine.. after i soldered the wires, the brake lights don't turn on unless the brakes are applied.. and that's what headlights on too.. i tried red-red, green-green and red-green.. what am i doing wrong?..if everything went fine b4 you soldiered it, you must have soldiered it wrong, cos nothing will change between testing and soldiering. unless you changed something.

I mean, common, pretty hard to **** up 3 wires.

you must be an ABV

FOB viets are resourceful and won't be asking the sort of questions that you just asked

lol:p

[vinnY]

there prolly is a way to do this if you're savvy with electrical, I just cbf working it out:p

well i'm sure thats why there's three wires for the plug

ground
parker
brake

why can't you just hook up the ground and parker, leave the brake? that way it'll come on only when you have the parkers on and do nothing with the brakes applied(same sorta concept as the hb4 bulbs isn't it?)

[Bludger]

well i'm sure thats why there's three wires for the plug

ground
parker
brake

why can't you just hook up the ground and parker, leave the brake? that way it'll come on only when you have the parkers on and do nothing with the brakes applied(same sorta concept as the hb4 bulbs isn't it?)duh

I knew that.....:0

[Mooks79]

nice.......ive tried this today it works fine..............looks much better, when i have a dark tailight.......

[purple_200]

did mine today, looks great

[EK4R]

good to hear boys!

now buy some of my leds to even better look at night lol

[flipfire]

Just did this mod on my spare time, great guide.

Btw the wire orientation (red/green) doesnt matter. Its actually the bulbs orientation that matters. The bulb has negative and positive pins/ends, so you just need to rotate it. I realized this when i was switching and testing bulbs.

This is why people on this guide are getting different connections (red/green, green/green)

[eeKayFouR]

Hahaha I planned to do this on my car, but it turns out it's already been done :p It doesn't look like it lights up as much as yours does EK4R. Mines a bit dimmer, but idm I still like it haha

[EK4R]

hehe nice man! sick mod for any EK :)

[tayl51601]

Just did mine this morning, the left light already had a hole waiting for a globe........ wtf??
My car was fully stock when i bought it lol...... Not complaining because it saved me time but just found it weird.............

Right one had a circle waiting for a globe but no hole lol

After all, it looks awesome and lights up just as bright as the top with lights.... brakes... whatever lol

[kleo]

that's really good ek4r. great job. :D

[jay_freaker]

hey, ive got a problem with mine. i did my ek4 and at first they were fine, then my right parker didnt work. only the brakes worked. so i had a look at the bulb, i found the the pastic piece that touches the globe, melted. so the bulb holder was connected to the bulb properly.

i bought another bulb holder. this time when i was taping the wires with electric tape. i did it extra carefully. at first it was ok. then 1-2 days later. same thing happened the parker didnt work. the bulb holder peice had melted again. issert my earth wire that is not wire propely>? plz help me out.
. thanks dudes

[Reloaded]

just done mine yesterday ! looking hot :)

[g_kn]

Did this on my EK about a weeks ago..
turned out Great!!

[EK4R]

good to hear this diy is still helping out :)

rep it up!! lol

[redefine]

just did mine today. nice writeup!

protip1: check your wiring before you install or solder (if you are going to solder). i didnt, and i had to rewire them. :/

protip2: if you cut the whole a little smaller, you can then cut extra slots, and dont have to worry about tape, as the in+turn will hold them in.

nice diy!

[Riviera]

hey, ive got a problem with mine. i did my ek4 and at first they were fine, then my right parker didnt work. only the brakes worked. so i had a look at the bulb, i found the the pastic piece that touches the globe, melted. so the bulb holder was connected to the bulb properly.

i bought another bulb holder. this time when i was taping the wires with electric tape. i did it extra carefully. at first it was ok. then 1-2 days later. same thing happened the parker didnt work. the bulb holder peice had melted again. issert my earth wire that is not wire propely>? plz help me out.
. thanks dudes


just go over your wiring again soundz like its melting from being either over powered
or wired incorrectly, even check the bulb is 12V not 24V they may look the same
but the 24V are for trucks... i almost bought 24V bulbs once, not hard to do...


nice DIY imma do this too... but i'll solder and cut the hole correctly for the holder :p

[neo_phase]

How did you guys managed to remove that LAST screw that's right below the bend at the top!?!?!? I have really small hands :o and still couldn't get enough in to twist that damn nut/screw.

I had to remove the speaker cover etc at the top just so I could get a little more space.

When I finally got the light out, I can't remove the wiring attached to the light and I was afraid of damaging it. Any tips or tricks here? Sorry for the noobness.

[redefine]

what did you use to get the nuts off? i used a spanner (4 or 5 mm, i cant remember) to take them off, it should give you enough extention to work from the cavity, rather then that small space (it is a little fiddly up there.

as for the clip, its a hard one to get out, you just have to keep pulling, but make sure you've got the clip depressed. i cant remember which side its on, but once its in you should be able to get it. it is tight though.

[Huggyb]

yeh a small ring spanner does wonders to get those nuts off (i believe they are 8mm nuts)

[redefine]

just make sure you dont drop it while still inside the trim XD

[antO]

nice work :D
looks really great

[1CYE365]

now my ek looks much better, thanks for posting this!

[neo_phase]

Finally got this DIY outta the way. Took me ages to remove that damn screw at the top corner under the trim. :mad:

Cutting the hole for the bulb holder wasn't that bad. All you need is a good blow torch :thumbsup: to soften the crap outta it.

Here's the end result:
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/neo_phase/P1010896.jpg

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/neo_phase/P1010895.jpg

The one on the right does seem brighter. Not sure what makes it like that but I'm proud of this one!

:thumbsup:

[Huggyb]

i found a holesaw really helped to cut the holes...

[neo_phase]

Ah I just read about the earlier posts on how the reflectors might be on the driver's side. Now I gotta remove everything...........

[flipfire]

Before you pull anything apart, rotate the bulb to make sure its not just the polarity. It looks like the 5w parkers are just on.

Also swap the bulbs to see if the same thing happens.

[Bludger]

what did you use to get the nuts off? i used a spanner (4 or 5 mm, i cant remember) to take them off, it should give you enough extention to work from the cavity, rather then that small space (it is a little fiddly up there.

as for the clip, its a hard one to get out, you just have to keep pulling, but make sure you've got the clip depressed. i cant remember which side its on, but once its in you should be able to get it. it is tight though.I don't think there are any nuts & bolts on any Honda that use 4 or 5mm.

Smallest nut or bolt I've encountered on a Honda is 8mm.

[neo_phase]

Yea I'm 100% certain it's an 8mm nut on the tail lights. I did however, remove the trim on the speaker that's sitting above the lights in order to get to that cranky nut.

I believe I did connect the wrong wires. Didn't bother checking before connecting them as I got the passenger's side correct the first time.

On the passenger's side: Red (new bulb) to Red (tail light) and Black to Black and Green not connected. So I just took it for granted that it's the same on the driver's side.

What a flop!

[redefine]

my bad, i couldnt really remember the nut sizes. 8mm :thumbsup:

[neo_phase]

Funny enough the wiring on the driver's side was indeed the opposite of the passenger side.

Did a quick swap and it's all even now on the brightness.

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/neo_phase/P1020020.jpg

[Hiikaru]

hey, how did you guys take out teh light? i cant reach three of the nuts, socket wrench too big lol
i took off the speaker cover too, no luck there lol. do i have to take teh whole panel off or something?

[Huggyb]

use a 8mm ring spanner...its easy to get in there

[Hiikaru]

boooooo gotta buy more tools, thanks

[neo_phase]

hey, how did you guys take out teh light? i cant reach three of the nuts, socket wrench too big lol
i took off the speaker cover too, no luck there lol. do i have to take teh whole panel off or something?

What I had to do was remove the trim on top of the light where it connects to the speaker cover just so that I can pull apart with enough space at the top to remove the nut.

If you like I can post some pictures up later.

[outatime]

i'm gonna do this tomorrow..

EK4R, can you please tell me where exactly did you purchase the universal bulb holders? thanks!

[neo_phase]

i'm gonna do this tomorrow..

EK4R, can you please tell me where exactly did you purchase the universal bulb holders? thanks!

I got mine from Autobarn. Around $3 for the universal bulb holder. They come in 2 forms - 1 with dual wiring for park + brake lights and another with just 1 wiring. Doesn't matter if you get the dual wiring as you can choose not to connect the other wire.

[flipfire]

i'm gonna do this tomorrow..

EK4R, can you please tell me where exactly did you purchase the universal bulb holders? thanks!

$6 for a pair of Narva bulb holders at Repco. Another $4 for a pair of brake bulbs

Cutting the hole is the annoying part.

[Gio]

This makes the car look somewhat 'fuller' and more rounded. I like.

[redefine]

yeah, imo much better then just the triangleish lights at the top

[EK4R]

glad u boys liked it.

ahh miss the ek

[Hiikaru]

yeah cutting teh hole is teh annoying part, im still working on mine as we speak haha

[outatime]

can a dremmel cut it? what do you use to cut the hole?

[flipfire]

I used a drill + hole saw drill bit.

A dremel will cut it but im not sure which bit you can use.

The part you need to cut through is only like 2-3mm thick

[redefine]

i used the hole saw drill aswell, but i didnt have the right size, so i had to file it out a little.

[Hiikaru]

i got my screw driver and smashed it in and then broke teh rest off LOL

[Huggyb]

hahaha...yeh i used a hole saw too but had to file it a bit as well...which was no big deal...and i filed out the notches as well so the bulb holder locks in properly

[neo_phase]

Blow torch to soften the plastic then use a blade to cut the hole and you can still smooth out the edges.

Just remember to wear a mask though. I got a little high from all the butane and melted plastic fumes. :confused:

[Hiikaru]

i accidentally bought teh 2 wired bulb holders, so my lights only come on when i break. haha still good tho. good guide *thumbs up*

[neo_phase]

^ If you bought 2 wired bulb holders you can have the lights go on when you turn on the parker lights. Just need to connect it to the other wire from your main bulb.

[redefine]

eh, if you only have the 2 wire holders, imo its better to have it breaking, you get a bigger change from parkers when your driving at night.

[Huggyb]

imo i think just having parkers is better than just having brake lights, makes it look better at night all the time rather than just when braking...

[neo_phase]

lol i suppose it's really up to personal preferences. It's not too much trouble to switch it around to suit your liking once you've done it once.

[outatime]

did u guys use heatshrink to bind the wires? or did u just use electrical tape?

[flipfire]

Electric tape will suffice. I used heatshrink and solder to make it look cleaner though

http://www.flipfire.net/pix/photo0202.jpg

[neo_phase]

LOL I wanted to solder it too but when it came to do it I CBF. :p

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/neo_phase/tail-light-02.jpg

PVC tape FTW

[eeKayFouR]

Hmmm, I didn't do this to my car, it was already done when I bought it.. but it looks like the previous owner did something wrong hahah. So, when I turn on the parkers/lights the 'extra' lights turns on :thumbsup:, but when I step on the brakes, they turn off :o. So at night people behind me get confused :p "Is he on or off the brakes..? :confused:" Yeh :cool: Good times, so what part of this DIY do I follow to correct this? :) Slice and dice some wires ? :cool:

Cheers bruh :wave:

[neo_phase]

^ I suppose you need to open up the taillights to begin with LOL. It's funny that it goes off but the brake wiring from the bulb (bottom) is connected to the parker wiring coming out from your existing light (top bulb). Try connecting the other wire from the bulb to the other wire on the existing bulb.

Leave the other wires untouch and see what happens after that. Just connect the wiring docket back without fixing the screws so you don't have to remove it again.

[redefine]

...tbh, if my lights were like that, i'd cut all the wires to the bottom one, and do it again, from scratch.

[eeKayFouR]

...tbh, if my lights were like that, i'd cut all the wires to the bottom one, and do it again, from scratch.

I think I might go with this :p Had a look just before and it the bulb that was added only has 2 wires, and they're both black. Both hooked up to the original wires and wrapped in duct tape. RESTART! :thumbsup:

[Huggyb]

what might be happening is if the two wires are hooked up to the red and the green wires, when u arent braking...the brake light wire acts as a ground so it works fine as a parker, but when u hit the brakes, this isnt the case anymore so the light turns off...try hitting the brakes without ur lights on and see what happens...if the light turns on u might be able to get away with just cutting one wire and joining it to the black ground wire (depending on how u want the lights to work)

[redefine]

I think I might go with this :p Had a look just before and it the bulb that was added only has 2 wires, and they're both black. Both hooked up to the original wires and wrapped in duct tape. RESTART! :thumbsup:

:thumbsup: sometimes its easier to just go fck it and start again...lol.
if theyre both black, dw bout the polarity. you can go and get the 3 wire holders if you really want, as the hole would already be there. its all up to you from here.

[Riviera]

Hmmm, I didn't do this to my car, it was already done when I bought it.. but it looks like the previous owner did something wrong hahah. So, when I turn on the parkers/lights the 'extra' lights turns on :thumbsup:, but when I step on the brakes, they turn off :o. So at night people behind me get confused :p "Is he on or off the brakes..? :confused:" Yeh :cool: Good times, so what part of this DIY do I follow to correct this? :) Slice and dice some wires ? :cool:

Cheers bruh :wave:

you should set them up exactly the same as the brake lights :cool:...
then you shouldnt have that problem...:thumbsup:

thats how im going to do mine... 2 brightness levels... constant and braking..

definatly solder+tape then shrink where the tape ends :thumbsup:

[mystic0l]

ohh thanks dude...
nice write up
lols my faded red into pink civic now looks slightly better
HAHAHHA

[turtle187]

doing this on sat, should turn out good, thanks for the diy dude

[EK4R]

update:

just got my hands on some 45led red brake lights...haha these are awesome. i got a few sets left if ppl want some and 35leds

[outatime]

how do they look like?

[syx_ek]

awesome write up doing it right now with the lap top in hand also navara part number 49836 is perfect for this as mentioned in page 3 or 4

[EK4R]

leds r even better :)

check my fs thread for more leds for sale

[hondaEK4]

where can you purchase some bulb holders?

[redefine]

where can you purchase some bulb holders?

anywhere...well any auto store...i picked mine up for a couple of dollars at repco

[StrawberryFace]

i got my bottom and top to light up but when i step on the brake they dont light up brighter they stay the same and even when the lights are off and i step on the brake nothing lights up what do i need to doo?? PLEASE HELPP

[wtfalfred]

good stuff,
but its very hard to cut a hole there.. i don't have the hot blade.
anyway, where do you guys get the bulb holders and bulbs ?? i can't find it in supercheap. lol

[Mooks79]

conected black with black, green with red, and red with green.

What happens if u connect all the wires with the same colour?? Black with black, Red with Red, Green with Green.......... cause its still works........

[vinnY]

i'm guessing it's positive switched
so the ground is common and i'm guessing they're dual elements
so if you connect up the same colours to each other both lights will do exactly the same
if you switch it around it'll just do the opposite
I.e. top bright/bottom low, top low/bottom high

[Frosty-Civic]

this was great. who would of thought minor changes would make a huge difference.

[EG52NV]

good stuff,
but its very hard to cut a hole there.. i don't have the hot blade.
anyway, where do you guys get the bulb holders and bulbs ?? i can't find it in supercheap. lol

Repco, they are behind the spare parts counter now $3 each

I did mine today, best to have a hole saw, a dremel, liquid paper, electrical tape and a wire stripper...

As well as 8mm spanner.

[hondaEK4]

if it makes it easier i used one of these to get the hole perfect http://windsweptsoftware.com/myhouse/2007/Holesaw1.jpg
then a paper blade heated up with a lighter to cut out the little locking tabs.

[kyzz]

love this, doing it tomorrow

[minhquan]

yeah i used the holesaw as well mine turned out alright
(before)
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/301050_10150291592443100_670108099_7857242_1097132 35_n.jpg
(after)
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/308957_10150291506983100_670108099_7856730_1151969 275_n.jpg

[kyzz]

minhquan, try flipping your bottom left bulb, thats usually why its not the same brightness haha

anyways heres mine

19884

[redefine]

nicework guys! its a good idea to test the wires before you solder them, i remember when i did this i got one taillight round the wrong way, so the parkers came on when i pressed the brake LOL! re-doing it is annoying, better to get it right the first time

[minhquan]

hey kyzz what do you mean by flipping them?

[kyzz]

well you have your socket and the bulb, just take the bulb out and twist it like 180degrees whilst outside of the socket, and put it back in and twist it haha

[redefine]

well you have your socket and the bulb, just take the bulb out and twist it like 180degrees whilst outside of the socket, and put it back in and twist it haha

:/ dual filament bulbs wont go in the wrong way, the teeth on the side are uneven, they'll only go in one way, if its not as bright, see if its brighter with only parkers or only brake. if its brighter with the parkers, you've connected it wrong and you need to re-do the wiring.

[kyzz]

mine wasnt as bright when i pressed the brake or even in parkers, flipped the bulb over and now its even

19887

[TbM]

:/ dual filament bulbs wont go in the wrong way, the teeth on the side are uneven, they'll only go in one way, if its not as bright, see if its brighter with only parkers or only brake. if its brighter with the parkers, you've connected it wrong and you need to re-do the wiring.

Depends on the bulb and holder, BA15D #1142 dont have offset "teeth" so they can go in two ways.

[redefine]

Depends on the bulb and holder, BA15D #1142 dont have offset "teeth" so they can go in two ways.

weird, all ones i've encountered you cant reverse...cheers for clearing that up

[TbM]

weird, all ones i've encountered you cant reverse...cheers for clearing that up
No worries mate, lol yeh they arnt very common but ive seen them on led sites and some old american cars seemed to use them. The ones i think your talking about are the BA15D #1157 which come with offset "teeth", More sensible design IMO as you cant reverse it unles you cut teeth off or jam it in the holder too hard.

Heres a link with pics down the bottem of the different BA15 bulbs incase anyone is wondering what the differences are.
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=%2Fspecs%2F115x-x45-T.htm

[redefine]

ahh nice, cheers man!

+1 rep

[EG52NV]

FYI, genuine EK9 tail lights do not have dual filament bulb in the bottom it's a single fillament t10 5w therefore you wanna look real run a single filent bulb holder with 5w bulb

[kyzz]

^ this means nothing to me

noob talk plz

[TbM]

^ this means nothing to me

noob talk plz

Lol hes saying the genuine ek9 ones only have one brightness level(single filament) where as this DIY has two brightness levels(dual/double filament).

A filament is the piece of metal in an incandesent bulb that emits lights.

Single filament = only on when parking lights are on OR only on when braking
Dual/double filament = on dim brightness when parking lights are on AND on full brighness when braking

Hope that makes sense :)

[Bludger]

^^ very descriptive, good post

[McDognalds]

so ive got one genuine ek9 tail light and one ek1 tail light, planning to do diy on the ek1 one.. will there be problems? eg. brightness etc. =S

[MIKO_OL]

so ive got one genuine ek9 tail light and one ek1 tail light, planning to do diy on the ek1 one.. will there be problems? eg. brightness etc. =S

There shouldn't be if you buy the right / same light bulb as the other one.


Good DIY man !

[Spoon-Accord]

on my ek9, the bottom doesnt light up when brake pedal depressed. only top part

the bottom is fitted with a T10 globe (i think 5-10watts)

thats what i see, and how it is from factory

[Spoon-Accord]

Yea I'm 100% certain it's an 8mm nut on the tail lights. I did however, remove the trim on the speaker that's sitting above the lights in order to get to that cranky nut.

I believe I did connect the wrong wires. Didn't bother checking before connecting them as I got the passenger's side correct the first time.

On the passenger's side: Red (new bulb) to Red (tail light) and Black to Black and Green not connected. So I just took it for granted that it's the same on the driver's side.

What a flop!

anyone who is also trying to remove there tailights.

just buy a 8mm open/closed end spanner

worked for me without removing any interior plastics except the ones to change globes

[FRK202]

Cheers for this DIY, I absolutely love the rear of my civic now looks awesome. I admire it everytime I go for a drive at night!

Only difference I did was, instead of having them come up when I broke, I just have them running as parker lights (Like the real EK9) and I used T10 LEDs as well.