The Saga of the Trans Am Parking light

**JayTA98** · 06-21-2012, 05:55 AM

I guess is the way they made them. I have another friend that got them and same issue.

**Firebirdjones** · 06-22-2012, 04:54 PM

That's odd, I thought LED's weren't supposed to get hot

***Cutlass*** · 06-22-2012, 07:03 PM

With too much voltage they can get hot. We used to burn LEDs all the time in electronics class. Most of the LEDs we used were rated at 2 volts. We'd crank them up to 12...20...30 volts and watch them burn. If those LED bulbs weren't built correctly they could get hot. They were possibly overdriving 2 volt LEDs to make them brighter.

**GULLETT17** · 07-10-2012, 12:07 PM

I just ordered two 18 LED Towers from superbrightLEDS ($18 ea). They said that the problem with the GM DRL application would be if the bulb/tower is polarity sensitive, which these 18 LED Towers are not. I've confirmed this with them a couple times. They seem to have good customer service; let's hope their product is better than their competition's.

**JayTA98** · 07-10-2012, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by GULLETT17

I just ordered two 18 LED Towers from superbrightLEDS ($18 ea). They said that the problem with the GM DRL application would be if the bulb/tower is polarity sensitive, which these 18 LED Towers are not. I've confirmed this with them a couple times. They seem to have good customer service; let's hope their product is better than their competition's.

cool I hope they work out for you. Keep us posted.

**GULLETT17** · 07-20-2012, 06:55 AM

Superbrightleds' bulbs do seem to be better quality. However, they are not showing the low intensity for some reason. They only flash on, off and don't change intensities with lights on. I contacted Superbrightleds, and they say it must be something in the circuitry of our cars. They didn't have a solution.
They may not be quite as bright as the 45 LED's, but the passenger side looks very close. My driver's side housing seems like it's loosing its reflectiveness again, as seen in the photo. This could be a sign of moisture still getting into the housing.
They sure seem to be polarity sensitive, unlike what Superbrightleds claimed. If I put them in the wrong way, they cause all my lights to flash when the turn signal is on. Superbrightleds, again, had no solution.
We'll see how they do over time. I plan on getting a different brand to try in my vert.
Below is picture of the passenger side Autolumination 45 LED. It was working fine, but check out the corrosion in the dielectric grease. I'm still not sure what is causing this.

**GULLETT17** · 09-25-2012, 11:26 AM

UPDATE-

The last few weeks, I've been having other issues with passenger site bulb randomly not working. After talking with Superbrightleds' customer service, they recommended taking out the LED protectors that I purchased from Autolumination. They said these usually cause more problems than what their worth. They also assured me that the bulbs I purchased should be able to handle the surges that the LED protectors were in place for. This worked. It fixed the randomly not working bulb and the dual intensity problem I had in the beginning. They now seem to operate just like the stock incandescent.

**GULLETT17** · 08-15-2013, 10:54 AM

The saga never ends. . .

I noticed my driver's side marker on my vert was quite a bit dimmer than the passenger, and this is what I found when I removed it; melted and no reflective inside coating remaining. It seems that the passenger side had be replaced before I purchased the car. Looks like I need to convert the vert to LEDs.

**JayTA98** · 08-15-2013, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by GULLETT17

The saga never ends. . .

I noticed my driver's side marker on my vert was quite a bit dimmer than the passenger, and this is what I found when I removed it; melted and no reflective inside coating remaining. It seems that the passenger side had be replaced before I purchased the car. Looks like I need to convert the vert to LEDs.

Damm that looks like there a bulb that was brighter than usual in it. I seen them crack and get condensation in them but never melted down like that one. That looks like the bulb was out of place and it melt down the plastic.

**SS Camaro UK** · 08-16-2013, 10:26 AM

I'm gonna stick my neck out here, is this an issue just for the Trans Am or should Camaro drivers keep an eye on things too?

**GULLETT17** · 08-16-2013, 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by JayTA98

Damm that looks like there a bulb that was brighter than usual in it. I seen them crack and get condensation in them but never melted down like that one. That looks like the bulb was out of place and it melt down the plastic.

I've seen some be a tad deformed, but not this bad.

Originally Posted by SS Camaro UK

I'm gonna stick my neck out here, is this an issue just for the Trans Am or should Camaro drivers keep an eye on things too?

I think anything with daytime running lights in a small housing like this is susceptible. However, the Trans Am's housing design is one of the most flawed.

**sjgreen6** · 08-16-2013, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by GULLETT17

The saga never ends. . .

I noticed my driver's side marker on my vert was quite a bit dimmer than the passenger, and this is what I found when I removed it; melted and no reflective inside coating remaining. It seems that the passenger side had be replaced before I purchased the car. Looks like I need to convert the vert to LEDs.

Take a look at the bulb and see if it was actually the right one, should be a 4157NAK. You also might want to take a look at Autotrix and grab a pair of their larger gaskets for the bulb sockets. They seem convinced that this is the source of most of the leaking on these housings.

**JayTA98** · 08-17-2013, 08:53 AM

Originally Posted by GULLETT17

I've seen some be a tad deformed, but not this bad.

I think anything with daytime running lights in a small housing like this is susceptible. However, the Trans Am's housing design is one of the most flawed.

I never had an issue with my housing except the bulb electrical sockets at least twice a year I replace them.

**GULLETT17** · 08-20-2013, 07:23 AM

Originally Posted by sjgreen6

Take a look at the bulb and see if it was actually the right one, should be a 4157NAK. You also might want to take a look at Autotrix and grab a pair of their larger gaskets for the bulb sockets. They seem convinced that this is the source of most of the leaking on these housings.

They are 3157, I just replaced them a few months ago.

I don't think the gaskets are the primary issue.

Originally Posted by JayTA98

I never had an issue with my housing except the bulb electrical sockets at least twice a year I replace them.

Do they just get corroded or do they melt?

**JayTA98** · 08-20-2013, 07:47 AM

Originally Posted by GULLETT17

They are 3157, I just replaced them a few months ago.

I don't think the gaskets are the primary issue.
Do they just get corroded or do they melt?

They get burnt. I have never had any meltdown ones.

**chuckie669** · 08-21-2013, 02:57 PM

Wow, you guys get some crazy issues. I remember that I had to reseal the housings and replace the burnt sockets. After led and after market flasher they were perfect

**eteller** · 07-10-2014, 06:43 AM

I know this is an old thread but where are you guys finding new sockets and housings at? I'm getting tired of this and am going to swap out my melted crap and disable the DRL's.

**TransAmTerry** · 07-10-2014, 09:01 AM

[BLUR][/BLUR]

Originally Posted by eteller

I know this is an old thread but where are you guys finding new sockets and housings at? I'm getting tired of this and am going to swap out my melted crap and disable the DRL's.

The sockets from a parts store but the housings i'm not sure ..maybe a bone yard. There's some good info back in this thread on page 7 that I and some others had posted. My fix for this has lasted even up to now and that has been quite some time. You can even JB Weld the melted part if you can't find replacements. I love the look of my DRL's, disabling is not an option for me. I'll do LED's before I do that.

**GULLETT17** · 07-10-2014, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by eteller

I know this is an old thread but where are you guys finding new sockets and housings at? I'm getting tired of this and am going to swap out my melted crap and disable the DRL's.

Prices have fluctuated over the years, but I'd just check the usuals; rockauto, ebay, and your local parts stores.

**DarrenWS6** · 08-28-2016, 01:08 PM

Bump for an old thread.

I bought my WS6 ( a 2000 ) in early 2015. Only once did I have a DRL issue but the entire time I had the car I had an odd flash issue. It hyper flashed on signals, but not the hazards. I got on google and learned we have dual flashers, one for signals, one for hazards. The Signal relay is on the right of the steering column under dash, hazard on the left.

I pulled out the passenger light which had burnt out, and noticed the burnt up socket. I swapped the drivers side to a new amber 3457 since I like to always replace things in pairs. That harness was much longer and looked like it was once changed. So I ordered a new harness for the passenger side, and the hype of the new Sylvania Zevo series LEDs lead me to buy a pair of 3457 LED bulbs. My housings were not cracked but they are hazed from age so I will later replace them for aesthetic reasons. I eliminated the heat issue with the LEDs and they fit perfectly, are just as filament bulbs. The hyper flash naturally remained due to low current of the LEDs. Research lead me to buying a Novita EL-12 flasher. I installed it and everything is working perfectly.

So in short,

New harness to replace OE burnt one
Sylvania Zevo 3457 Amber LED bulbs
Novita EL-12 electronic flasher
Perfect operable system.

A short video I made displaying my issue of the hyper flash and the LED change.