Re-wiring Flashing Lights?

[Tickled Puppy]

I'm buying a 2006Thomas HDX, and it currently has all the standard school bus lights and flashers. They are all incandescent bulbs. Removing the stop sign arms is easy, but I'm curious about the wiring for the flashing stop and caution lights which, as you know, flash alternately front and rear. What I'd like to do is rewire the rear roof red signals in such a way that they become high brake and tail lights, and the amber signals on both front and rear become turn signals only. The front red signals will be removed entirely, replaced with spot or flood lights. I'd also like to switch over to LED lighting. Anyone here with experience in these electrical systems who can give an old man a clue? Thanks! :bow:

 

[Texan-SKO]

An electrical schematic is your friend. Search long and hard to find one. To convert a wire to a different purpose, you need to trace it back to it's relay and reroute it to your intended source. To do that, you may need to route it to a relay that is fed from the battery and triggered by your intended source.

In other words, take the signal that triggers the flashing relay and replace it with power from the flood light switch to use the wires for flood lights.

The rear roof red lights will need to be fed from a relay that is triggered by your rear turn signal lights and fed from constant 12V power. You may not be able to just parallel the rear roof lights with your rear turn signal lights because the circuit may not be able to handle the extra load. Switching to LEDs may make adding them to the turn signal circuit possible. Just be careful about changing wiring willy nilly and keep a notebook to document changes in detail for future reference.

Having an amp clamp handy may help you determine what load you can or cannot add to a circuit safely. You cannot exceed the amp capacity of the wire or the value of the fuse that feeds the circuit. Generally, you want to keep the load at 80% or less of the rated fuse.

 

[o1marc]

I just spliced into the wiring for the lower turn and brake lights. You would have less draw with LEDs, but just splicing into the lowers will work.

 

[Tickled Puppy]

Thank you, Texan and o1marc! I will be looking for the wiring diagram; I may be able to get it from Thomas. The HDX has really good outside access to most fuses, breakers, and relays below the driver's window. I already have a clamp-type multimeter, which I usually use for house wiring, so I'm familiar with its use. I look forward to the diagram, though, because some manufacturers (cars, too) will splice wires or have a junction box or module in some hidden spot.

 

[CHEESE_WAGON]

If doing a simple splice, I would highly recommend swapping at least the upper bulbs, if not all of them, for LEDs to reduce draw on the circuit. Twice the bulb load could overheat the wiring and burn it up.

 

[o1marc]

If doing a simple splice, I would highly recommend swapping at least the upper bulbs, if not all of them, for LEDs to reduce draw on the circuit. Twice the bulb load could overheat the wiring and burn it up.

I would agree with this. The complete housings with LEDs are not that pricey. I change mine to brake and back ups in the rear and turn and driving spot lights in front, drivers on a separate switch.

 

[rffffffff]

I did it a little differently but it wasn't too hard. And then I decided it was terrible so I undid it.

I wired up all four back lights to be brake lights, but people driving behind me complained because they were obnoxiously bright so I disabled them. It seems like a good idea but didn't really turn out to be.

For the front I purchased replacement reverse lights so they're all white and I used the old switch to turn all four on as flood lights when I'm in a dark place and need exterior light. That I kept, and I like having them up there.

Figuring this out was actually pretty easy but I added regular $5 30A 12v car relays to do so.

In my bus wiring panel on the far left were terminals that were labeled and I could find brake lights, turn signals, etc there. A wire from the appropriate 'input' terminal there to the coil of the relay will get the relay to turn on, or you can trace the wire from a switch down to the relay if you want to turn it on manually. You can grab the flasher switch wire that goes to the yellow flasher unit to use that switch, which made it easy. Ground the relay coil to a ground screw right there in that electrical panel.

The power to the main relay contacts can come from one of the bigger wires leading to a fuse block in that electrical panel (or from your house batteries which I did for the front lights) but should be probably 10 awg wire if you are still with incandescent bulbs.

The output of the relay I connected to the wires that came off of the school bus flasher unit yellow box for the appropriate lights. This was kinda easy to figure out because all of the light wires on my bus were fatter pink wires and I could just hook one up to 12V and see what turned on.

If that doesn't make much sense let me know and I can take some pics and draw a diagram but if you're relatively electrically inclined and understand the basics of relays it's pretty easy.

 

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Makes sense. Most vehicles only have two brake lights for a reason. I do recommend rewiring the top reds and ambers to be high-mount brake lights and turn signals. Also recommend swapping for LED replacements. All of which can help prevent being rear-ended by something bigger, taller and heavier than you.

 

[Wuzabus]

Hey o1marc gotta question.. when you spliced into the wires to make the flashers into the brake and signals.. did you use the quick tappers(gauge) and what gauge wire did you use. I'm switching to all LED and doin the same thing as Tricked puppy but have a 97 BB CV

 

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

marc hasnt been here in awhile.
i hate the quick taps because they actually tear the wires.
i use wire nuts and tape the nuts on.
match the wire size that is on your existing brake lights or bigger.
also you can look into wego connectors.

 

[Albatross]

Hey o1marc gotta question.. when you spliced into the wires to make the flashers into the brake and signals.. did you use the quick tappers(gauge) and what gauge wire did you use. I'm switching to all LED and doin the same thing as Tricked puppy but have a 97 BB CV

marc hasnt been here in awhile.
i hate the quick taps because they actually tear the wires.
i use wire nuts and tape the nuts on.
match the wire size that is on your existing brake lights or bigger.
also you can look into wego connectors.

Definitely use Wego connectors. They're superior to regular wire nuts

 

[Wuzabus]

Hey thank you so much. I saw those wegos. They look simple enough!

 

[Wuzabus]

Hey Jolly.. Thanks man. Prayers for 01marc. Hope all is well wit'em.

 

[Wuzabus]

I amaze myself..LET THERE BE LIGHTS

Hey everyone...just a lil project that I'm almost complete with. Wire taps REALLY HELP Y'ALL! EASIER THAN I THOUGHT! Do the new lights my backside look big?? What'ch-y'all think

 

[cadillackid]

the OCD in me says fix the darn order of the upper lights .. match the lower.. im a big fan of rear visibility so this is a win to me!

 

[Wuzabus]

Aye thank you! Cadillackid I agree...make it match! I'mma post some night pictures when get the other side done so y'all can see it better!

 

[s2mikon]

If you had checked 49 cfr sec 393.11 you could have saved yourself some time, and maybe a fix-it ticket in the future. Some small jurisdictions capture a lot of income on these kind of citations. One of our drivers left his flashing amber strobe on going down the highway and got himself a ticket and had to contribute 90 dollars to our local economy. Armed tax collectors are always looking for ways to justify their hire.

 

[cadillackid]

If you had checked 49 cfr sec 393.11 you could have saved yourself some time, and maybe a fix-it ticket in the future. Some small jurisdictions capture a lot of income on these kind of citations. One of our drivers left his flashing amber strobe on going down the highway and got himself a ticket and had to contribute 90 dollars to our local economy. Armed tax collectors are always looking for ways to justify their hire.

ive seen tow trucks and now even some new semi trailers with upper ambers and reds.. as long as he paints away "school bus" and doenst keep it yellow he has a darn good argu,ent that they are simply brake and turn lights..

 

[Wuzabus]

If you had checked 49 cfr sec 393.11 you could have saved yourself some time, and maybe a fix-it ticket in the future. Some small jurisdictions capture a lot of income on these kind of citations. One of our drivers left his flashing amber strobe on going down the highway and got himself a ticket and had to contribute 90 dollars to our local economy. Armed tax collectors are always looking for ways to justify their hire.

Well I'm not downing your state..but NM sucks anyway. I currently operate a commercial truck across the continuous 48 and they along with some other states small cities the harassment generates revenue....I get it.. and I thank you for sharing that information, however I don't have my sites set on travelin West wit my rig.

 

[desrtdog]

ive seen tow trucks and now even some new semi trailers with upper ambers and reds.. as long as he paints away "school bus" and doenst keep it yellow he has a darn good argu,ent that they are simply brake and turn lights..

If I follow what he's done, it's just hooking up the overhead flashers as additional brake and turn signal lights....Did the same on mine, swapping the reds/ambers from outboard/inboard to inboard/outboard (so same order as the lower ones). Also added a couple of rocker switches up front to provide isolation capability for turns and brakes separately - so not always active...figured this would be good for low vis situations, and plan (sometime) to tie in the rear reds (brakes) with front driving lights.

I looked through the regs in TX and could not find anything that would seem to restrict having higher mounted turn/brake lights...