LED Lights and cruise controls

[Bob Kopicki]

Although I usually post on the Newell Guru's site, there aren't a lot of vintage folks on that site so I thought maybe I should start posting here too.

My friends frequently ask me how I learned to fix so many things. I usually answer, "because I've broken so many things!"

I'm not sure if this fits into the "broken" category since technically it wasn't broken.....but I had to fix it anyway.

If you want the short story, skip to the end. Otherwise read it and weep.

Last year, before our 3000 mile venture in our '72 Newell classic, I had some engine work done. The day before our venture my wife asked me to replace the tail lights with a set of LED lights that I had purchased. The original lights were painfully dim and she was worried that no one could see the brake lights in the daytime. I obliged and replaced the lights.

Next day, as I'm getting on the highway the darned cruise control won't work. DANGIT!!!! I assume that the engine shop broke/cut/fried something and each night on our 3 week venture I would try to save my right leg from further pain by attempting to trouble shoot some part of the cruise only to resign that the circuit board must have fried. Naturally upon returning home I purchased a brand new Rostra unit from eBay with a 3 year warranty to be installed this winter.

Of course I was busy with other projects this winter and did not get it installed.

Fast forward to the beginning of March and once again I'm pressed for time before we take the coach on our first outing of the year to Kentucky. I carefully pull out the old unit and vacuum actuator (the control stalk was removed when we replaced the steering column earlier in the year....say, other projects!) and re-engineer the installation of the new unit with an electric throttle control. I get it all neatly installed the night before our trip, of course I can't test it since my dear bride is loading the coach but what could possibly go wrong, I installed it EXACTLY as the instructions directed and I'm an expert at wiring now that I have at least 500 HOURS! wiring this or that on our classic coach!

Didn't work Sad

My right leg again suffers the rigors of the trip, albeit a short 300 miles each way.

Once I get to Kentucky I start reading the TROUBLESHOOTING section of the owners manual where it clearly states that the unit needs to see a ground through the brake light bulbs and if you have LED's it will not be able to do this. I'm thinking that would be a nice thing to include in the INSTALLATION SECTION! Once I calm down I drop the eBay seller a note and he kindly sends me a relay (free of charge...he must have felt my pain) that will fix everything and get me going down the road.

......which also means that the OLD unit was probably fine and didn't need replaced after all!!!!!!!

So......

If you install some nice bright LED brake lights in your classic coach and suddenly your cruise doesn't work, you're (probably) going to need a brake light bypass relay.

Bob Kopicki
1972 Newell Chauffeur
1964 Land Rover 88 Series IIa TOAD

[Dawn Michelle]

Talk about aggravating!!  Well, glad you got it figured out.  Nice rig!

[Rich Thomas]

That's a nice rig Bob, Thanks for posting here, I put LED's on a utility trailer and had to supply a ground for them that wasn't in the instructions either. Not the same as your problem but, I can sympathies with the lack of instructions.