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12-01-2017, 07:47 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Gold Bar, WA
Posts: 125
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC 2000
Engine: 5.9 L Cummins Turbo
Rated Cap: 28
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LED bulbs in overhead lights
I just switched out all my overhead lights with LED (1156 BA15S 13-SMD 5050 6500K 12V) and now none of them work, even if I put the original bulb back in a socket or two - haven't tried switching them all back out again. So I admit I don't understand all the numbers that follow the bulb type - is there a type that works and I just bought the wrong ones, or is there some reason that LED can't go in my TC2000 bluebird overhead lights (i.e. does it all need rewiring)? Thanks.
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12-01-2017, 07:53 PM
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#2
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Georgia
Posts: 2,264
Year: 2001
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: IH
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 14
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I think I would have swapped one or two at first, then tried them before swapping the rest. At any rate, I can't imagine a reason they shouldn't work unless the circuit has a reversed polarity (it shouldn't have) or the switch/dimmer relies on the current draw of the incandescent bulbs. 1156 type bulbs are fairly common so this should work.
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12-01-2017, 08:05 PM
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#3
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Willamina, Oregon
Posts: 6,409
Coachwork: 97 Bluebird TC1000 5.9
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Usually the issue is a loss of ground.
__________________
Robin
Nobody's Business
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12-01-2017, 09:08 PM
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#4
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Gold Bar, WA
Posts: 125
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC 2000
Engine: 5.9 L Cummins Turbo
Rated Cap: 28
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It had just occurred to me that I also did unscrew all the plates and have them hanging as I plan to paint - and as they only have one wire I guess that screw holding the light plate to the roof is the ground. Will try reattaching one and see if that helps. Thanks.
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12-01-2017, 09:53 PM
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#5
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Picton,Ont, Can.
Posts: 1,956
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: GMC
Engine: Cat 3116
Rated Cap: 72
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Quote:
Originally Posted by druidwood
It had just occurred to me that I also did unscrew all the plates and have them hanging as I plan to paint - and as they only have one wire I guess that screw holding the light plate to the roof is the ground. Will try reattaching one and see if that helps. Thanks.
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Bingo I call.
John
__________________
Question everything!
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12-01-2017, 10:28 PM
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#6
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Willamina, Oregon
Posts: 6,409
Coachwork: 97 Bluebird TC1000 5.9
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There may be hope for my poor electrical skills yet. I even cleaned my battery terminals without any arc welding recently.
__________________
Robin
Nobody's Business
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12-01-2017, 11:17 PM
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#7
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Georgia
Posts: 2,264
Year: 2001
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: IH
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by druidwood
It had just occurred to me that I also did unscrew all the plates and have them hanging as I plan to paint - and as they only have one wire I guess that screw holding the light plate to the roof is the ground. Will try reattaching one and see if that helps. Thanks.
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Yep. That would do it. One wire - electricity goes in. It has to come out somewhere - in this case, through the mounting screws.
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12-02-2017, 01:48 PM
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#8
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Swansboro,NC
Posts: 2,989
Year: 86
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Ford B700
Engine: 8.2
Rated Cap: 60 bodies
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Something else you could do if you are wanting to use the lights while you are painting or to eliminate the frame screw for ground is to add a dedicated ground wire from each light frame to the body.
I didn't do that to the interior lights but I had a problem with the new lights I added that were surface mounted on top of wood and screwed through the wood to the sheetmetal framing that I added. The first time we went out I Had one of my kids bed/reading light that kept kind of fluttering and everything looked good until I went to back the screws out to check the wiring.
I used painted screws and the light frame was painted so as I turned the screw the scratched spots would spark. So instead of depending on the screws to ground out the fixture I ran a clean and dedicated ground back to the bus body for each of mine.
But I had ran conduit and or tubing for anything new that I did that was inaccessible.
That allowed me the chance to add or replace/upgrade as needed
Have fun and stay safe.
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12-10-2017, 01:39 PM
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#9
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 386
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For LED fanatics. They're diodes so polarity is critical. Testing before installing will give you pos and neg connections. I may convert later but will use the existing coach fixtures they're recessed and look fancy enough for use.
Sent from my LGL64VL using Tapatalk
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12-11-2017, 11:58 AM
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#10
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Gold Bar, WA
Posts: 125
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC 2000
Engine: 5.9 L Cummins Turbo
Rated Cap: 28
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Will do a ground wire on my lights Jolly Roger - as I discovered "condensation" once I was running heat and painting in the bus, so all the metal roofing has to come off, so there goes my ground.
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