TR2/3/3A Rear flasher lamp replacement

[Member 10617]

This should be quite simple, but it is not obvious (to me). How do you get to the bulb in the flasher lamp to replace it. Do you have to remove the three small nuts accessible from the tunk side?

Also, I have a question about the wiring for these lamps. Each one has a wire going into the rubber boot of the lamp holder. One also has a wire attached to one of the posts and nuts (a ground?). The other has the same kind of wire, but it is not attached to the lamp. Any idea about this?

 

[martx-5]

Peel back the rubber around the the chrome piece that holds red lens and they will come off giving access to the bulb. Be careful, the lens is glass. If you drop it it may break.

As far as the wiring goes, sounds like there's only one ground wire hooked up. I don't remember if this is stock, as Triumph used the body itself as grounding duties. I've daisy chained all the lamps in the rear to ground. The one going into the rubber boot supplies the lamp.

Edit: Same procedure for the front lenses, but there's a double filament bulb up there.

I'm still surprised every time I think about how well that rubber holds on that lens. I've never had one fall off while driving.

 

[Geo Hahn]

Peel back the rubber around the the chrome piece that holds red lens and they will come off giving access to the bulb...

I usually use a plastic 'orange stick' though a small screwdriver will work if you are very careful (can slice the rubber). Basically you want to lift one bit of the rubber off the metal ring then, once the tool is under part of the metal ring you zip around the edge freeing the rubber (like de-mounting a tire).

The metal ring is a locking ring, once it is off the only thing holding the glass lens in is a slight lip of rubber. I'm klutzy enough that I position a blanket or towel on the ground below just in case I fumble.

I think the stock set-up had no ground wires, just the single lead to each lamp -- but a direct ground is always a good idea.

 

[Member 10617]

Many thanks! I don't think I ever would have figured out that the rubber ring around the chrome piece is all that is holding the lens in place. I would have expected a screw or a clip of some sort.


I recently replaced the incandescent lamps in my tail lights with LED lamps. The lens, as you know, comes off by removing two screws (logical). The LED lamps are such a tremendous improvement, that I plan to replace the rear flasher lamps with LEDs as well. (My only hesitation is that I don't know if LED lamps come on quickly enough to be used in the rear flashers. Moss sells them, so I guess they work. Any one have experience with them?)

 

[Andrew Mace]

If you use LED bulbs for the rear flashers, you'll probably have to swap out your flasher unit for an electronic version, as the original are load-sensitive.

 

[TR3driver]

You will most likely have trouble with the flasher not wanting to work with LED turn signals. A "heavy duty" flasher may work if you only convert the rear ones, but if you convert both ends then you will need to either add a dummy load (resistor) to the circuit; or install a special LED flasher that has an extra wire to ground. The original type flasher relies on the current through the bulbs for proper operation, and LEDs draw a lot less current than the original incandescent bulbs.

I believe the original mounting for the rear turn-only lamps used clip nuts, which can only be removed once the lamp is out of the hole. At any rate, my added ground wires ran inside the boot, to the terminal provided on the socket, similar to the way the front turn lamps are wired. (This was on my former 3A, the current TR3 doesn't have the separate turn lamps in the rear so I have modified it to have the same filament double as stop and turn.)

FWIW, I have a small screwdriver that has been modified by grinding away the corners, which is what I use for prying the ring & lens out of the rubber. Or in a pinch, I use the screwdriver blade on my pocketknife, which is rounded from the factory.

 

[Member 10617]

Seems to me I read elsewhere that it is not just a case of replacing incandescent with LED for the flasher lamps. I will continue using LEDs for the stop lights, but will leave the turn-only lamps as they are -- with incandescent.

Thanks the the information.

 

[Geo Hahn]

I use LEDs for the turn signals. I have a stock Lucas flasher but increased the load with a pair of these:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-50W-6...Parts_Accessories&hash=item27cc3d449d&vxp=mtr

I epoxied a pair of little super-magnets (Harbor Freight) to the bottom of each resistor and put bullet connectors on each end. They are up front on the inner wing out of sight under the apron. I only have LEDs in the rear. The resistors are up front just because it was easy to add them there -- so long as they are on the left & right circuits it doesn't matter which end of the car they're on.

 

[martx-5]

Isn't the Tridon EL13A2 flasher supposed to work with LEDs?? I've read online that it's supposed to. (If it's on the internet it's true, right?). Anyway, a much easier answer to the problem then adding an extra load.

https://www.ledlight.com/electronic-led-flasher-el13a2.aspx

 

[TR3driver]

Interesting. Apparently the EL13A2 is new, it isn't listed in my 2006 Tridon catalog. But that site lists a lot of other Tridon flashers as being "compatible", while the Tridon catalog implies that they require a minimum one bulb load. Certainly the EL13 (which is what I use) does require a minimum one bulb load.

I also found some reviews of the EL13A2 that say it requires a minimum load:
https://terrys-small-engine-repair....on-EL13A2-Electronic-Flasher/A/B001QF16BU.htm

In addition, I suspect that the EL13A2 will not work correctly with the TR wiring. It is a "wig wag" flasher, meaning it should flash if there is a load on either output terminal. But the TR has a constant load on one terminal (the dash light), which has to be open circuit until a load is applied to the other terminal.

But feel free to order one and prove me wrong!

BTW, lots of flashers are listed as "LED compatible", which just means they will work with some LEDs in the circuit; but not necessarily with just LEDs and nothing else. IOW, they will work with one incandescent bulb (like a side marker light) plus LEDs front and rear; but if the marker burns out, the LEDs won't flash.

 

[Geo Hahn]

Isn't the Tridon EL13A2 flasher... a much easier answer to the problem then adding an extra load.

But I just like the look of the correct flasher (and other parts) under the bonnet & the load resistors can be concealed.