CL9 Electrics - maybe an issue?

[jjman]

Hey everyone, got a 2003 CL9.

Runs well and good but a couple of little gremlins i wouldnt mind being able to find the answer for and solve. Might be part of the same issue.

The most noticeable issue is that i have LED parker lights (error free) and after about 10mins of having them on the front right LED starts flickering. Iv changed them out for other ones and it always does this so im figuring that after a while there is something in the system that is causing the resistance to change through that circuit and makes the LED flicker.
Other thing iv noticed is that if i have the headlights on and i then use any other electric such as a electric windows or air con etc then the brightness of the headlights will dip.

any ideas what might be causing this?
cheers
J

[Martin77]

I am assuming (yes it probably will make an ass out of you and me), that your battery and alternator is in good condition.
You could check your grounding cables making sure it is in good condition also. Too much resistance will reduce the power that can be delivered to the car accessories. This cable can deteriorate over time.

[jjman]

honestly no clear idea on their health, will investigate this if no other reasonable leads and known issues are presented.

And yes i did already clean up the battery -ve cable and earth points so im assuming this is ok. might look into it further as well.

[Richard B]

If you can't solve it just put in a cable and run the front right parking light from the front left parking light.

[Shaddow]

Run a multimeter (if you don't own one buy a 12 dollar jobie from supercheap, looks like a kids toy but it works as good as my couple hundred dollar job for basic work) on the battery to check the charge of the battery and then with the power on. If the alternator is doing its job charging the car around 13.7 volts or more, at idle your alternator is fine. Anything less and it could be starting to die. Alternators in Euros are known for short life spans.
If you are running a large sound system it can be to much for a stock alternator.
The older a car gets the more important it gets to make sure all the earth points, the ones for the battery, the lights etc are clean of corrosion and or paint.

[Martin77]

The most noticeable issue is that i have LED parker lights (error free) and after about 10mins of having them on the front right LED starts flickering. Iv changed them out for other ones and it always does this so im figuring that after a while there is something in the system that is causing the resistance to change through that circuit and makes the LED flicker.
J

Have you tried non "error free" LED variety?
The error free LEDs contained a resistor to mimic the resistance of a halogen bulb. This can get very hot and if not designed properly, will damage the LED. You also need to be careful with the LED you use, some are designed with the intention of interior use only (dome light, door light) and does not need to stay on for more than a couple of minutes. They are overdriven so much and appears very bright but does not last a long time. Using LED as a parker requires the LED to stay on for a long time.
Try this:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2-x-T10-W...oAAOSwGIRXYmK0

[Richard B]

Have you tried non "error free" LED variety?

Good point. I bought the cheapest shittiest parking LED's ever and they just worked and kept working. Even when the lamp cracked and collected a Cm of water for months on end, effectively washing the circuit with every stop and corner, that one just stayed on until eventually the board corroded and a couple of the LED's died.