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10-27-2021, 01:46 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 116
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2018 3011DS rear clearance light # needed
I have my unit in for a vehicle inspection and what should be a 45 min job is now stretching to a full day + . They found two rear clearance lights out and have wasted hours not telling me. They just told me that it will take 4-5 days to order them. I refuse to have the rig stay there because its not fenced and they won't guarantee its safety. They said that they have to slap a FAILED sticker on the window and when the lights they order come in I have to bring it back.
I wonder if the lights are special or a common fixture used on all sorts of vehicles. Does anyone have any knowledge or experience with these lights. I am 20 miles away as i write this, but I think they are probably LEDs and an auto parts store should have them. Any ideas ?
Thanks
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10-28-2021, 02:50 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 116
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3011 DS 2018 marker lights
I picked up my rig, they gave me a pass on the inspection.
I find that the marker lights are LED - one is completely dark, two are half dark. The marker lights have twin LEDs under the lens, I thought LEDs are supposed to last thousands of hours? I find that the replacements cost $12-16 ea.
I guess I have some ladder time in my future, first I'll check for power and connections. I'm toying with the idea of just buying some LED pigtails (10 for $10) and splicing them in under the lens. I'm glad I enjoy working on my RV, there is never a dull moment.
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10-28-2021, 07:08 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: x
Posts: 12,423
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Any owner regardless of the class or type of rig should do a pre travel walk-a-round so that things like lights are not a surprise at an inspection. I have always felt it takes just as long to do something right as to figure and do a workaround. JMHO
__________________
Retired Navy
Jake my sidekick (yellow Lab) 10/04 - 05/20
2017 RAM 2500 CC 4X4 Cummins Diesel
2016 Flagstaff 26 FKWS
AF&AM & El Korah Shrine of Idaho
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10-28-2021, 08:10 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 116
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3011 DS 2018 marker light
Sea Dog, As you say you were giving me your honest opinion about my apparent lack of good RV safety habits. I offer a simple but wrong excuse about not knowing a couple of my marker lights not working.
The fact is every time I get ready to hit the road I spend a lot of time checking my rig, tires, fluids, etc. When I hook up the Toad I double and triple check every connection and check that the brake and turn signals work on both vehicles. I do a complete walk around and look at everything. I told my DW that you called me on this and she said "But we never drive in the dark, how would you know they weren't working?". I don't know when the last time was that we were out after dark.
I have no hard feelings about your comment "doing it right" and chalk it up to a Navy guy picking on a poor Marine (but you didn't know I am a former Marine).... A VERY CONCENIOUS FORMER MARINE.
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10-28-2021, 12:11 PM
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#5
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Member
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 35
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Need those
I need a marker light too. Do you have a part #? Thank you
__________________
Flippin
2018 Sunseeker 3010 DS
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10-28-2021, 01:03 PM
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#6
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Kanadian Kamper
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Southern Ontario
Posts: 8,169
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hailey
Sea Dog, As you say you were giving me your honest opinion about my apparent lack of good RV safety habits. I offer a simple but wrong excuse about not knowing a couple of my marker lights not working.
The fact is every time I get ready to hit the road I spend a lot of time checking my rig, tires, fluids, etc. When I hook up the Toad I double and triple check every connection and check that the brake and turn signals work on both vehicles. I do a complete walk around and look at everything. I told my DW that you called me on this and she said "But we never drive in the dark, how would you know they weren't working?". I don't know when the last time was that we were out after dark.
I have no hard feelings about your comment "doing it right" and chalk it up to a Navy guy picking on a poor Marine (but you didn't know I am a former Marine).... A VERY CONCENIOUS FORMER MARINE.
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Navy, Marine, whatever.
Thank all of you for your service from the rest of us.
__________________
Ken and Terry
2018 Sunseeker 2430S-CD, nicely modified and carried by a 2017 Ford E450 Sport
Former Georgetown 330TS owner for 10 years with more mods than I can count, pushed by our 2017 GMC Terrain
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10-28-2021, 01:33 PM
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#7
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2018
Posts: 32
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I ordered mine from e-trailer.com
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10-28-2021, 02:00 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Houston
Posts: 269
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https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Lig.../328-K-52.html
These are the LED my 2018 Forester has, from Command Electronics, I had 3 of the top clearance lights out. Not very good longevity for a rig with 16k.
__________________
2018 E450 Forester 2291S
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10-28-2021, 09:05 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 9,574
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LED lifetime
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hailey
I find that the marker lights are LED - one is completely dark, two are half dark. The marker lights have twin LEDs under the lens, I thought LEDs are supposed to last thousands of hours? I find that the replacements cost $12-16 ea.
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Aha! One of the several assignments I had during my 45-year career at IBM was doing reliability physics. I had the honor of testing LEDs when they first came out--this was 1970--to see if they were sufficiently reliable for use in IBM products.
The issue with LEDs is not the semiconductor chip--it will last for centuries--but the packaging. If the package allows any moisture intrusion, it's a goner. On those early LEDs, one internal connection was a fine gold wire bonded to the face of the chip. Then a clear epoxy bead was applied. Over time, in warm conditions, the epoxy shrunk and pulled away from the rest of the package. Moisture intrusion might have been a problem, but more likely, the gold wire could be torn off. We set up to test 5000 units for 5000 hours in varying conditions. At, I guess, around 3500 hours these failures started showing up on the units in elevated temperatures and we called the test off. LEDs were submitted later in better packages, but by then I was drafted into the Army and someone else ran the test.
Today's LEDs are in much better packages, but we still see lots of early failures. The High-Mounted Stop Lights (HMSL) on GM 2001-2006 Suburbans, Yukons, and Tahoes are notorious for early failing. The LED traffic lights in my neighborhood often fail, too. The "corncob" LEDs in our trailers fail, as do some other shapes. In all of these cases, the enemy is heat!
An LED has the same voltage-current (V-I) characteristic as any other diode. When you apply an increasing positive voltage, the diode appears greatly resistive (barely conducts) until a threshold is reached. Then the resistance drops greatly. A red LED barely conducts until 1.5 volts is applied, but then the current will shoot up and destroy this device. LEDs can't be operated from a voltage source. They must be operated by a current-limited source.
But, of course, our cars, trucks, and RVs are operated from 12v. The easiest way to provide current limiting is to place a resistor in series with the LED. For example, the fuse-blown indicator in your power center is simply an LED and a 330 ohm resistor in series. The LED drops 1.5 volts and the voltage drop across the resistor is 10.5 volts.
Quote:
{Begin Algebra}
Calculate current for typical LED
V=IR
I=V/R = 10.5/330 = 30 ma (a reasonable number for a small LED)
Calculate power dissipation in LED and resistor
P=VI
LED: P=1.5 * .030 = .045 = 45 milliwatts
Resistor: P=10.5 * .030 = .045 = 320 milliwatts
{End Algebra}
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And that is what kills LEDs. It's not the LED. It's the HEAT from all those resistors, each one dissipating almost TEN TIMES as much power as the LED.
Now in a big device using a lot of LEDs like a billboard or a device where power consumption is important like a smartphone, they don't do this. They drive everything with current-limiting circuits, but in these little indicator lights they take the cheap way out. The heat expands the circuit board at a different rate than the (surface mount) LED or (surface mount) resistor and the component rips loose from the printed circuit. It's not unusual to see scorch marks on the board.
Enclosed lights (I'm talking about marker lights, traffic lights, and HMSLs here) are the worst cases because the enclosure hinders heat dissipation.
Hope I haven't wasted your time with this.
__________________
Larry
"Everybody's RV is not like your RV."
"Always take pictures with the button on the right."
"Always bypass the water heater before opening the low-point drains."
Sticks and Bricks: Raleigh, NC
2008 Cherokee 38P: at Ivor, VA permanently
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10-28-2021, 09:50 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: x
Posts: 12,423
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I didn't see this as a waste of time at all and very interesting reading and answers the questions why something that is supposed to have an extended life fails early.
__________________
Retired Navy
Jake my sidekick (yellow Lab) 10/04 - 05/20
2017 RAM 2500 CC 4X4 Cummins Diesel
2016 Flagstaff 26 FKWS
AF&AM & El Korah Shrine of Idaho
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10-28-2021, 11:14 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Houston
Posts: 269
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So the LED enemy is heat like with almost all electronics. Then with our bottom of the barrel cheap lights they are going to fail. Or moisture will kill them. I’ll just buy a few spares and replace them as needed, just like with any other light bulb. Better than trying to reinvent the wheel.
__________________
2018 E450 Forester 2291S
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10-29-2021, 05:05 AM
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#12
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Certified Curmudgeon
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Here
Posts: 3,999
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Clearance Clarance
Not all units have the same marker/clearance lights. Mine is a 2018 and uses the small button led’s. I also do not drive in the dark so they are not as important until I encounter heavy rain.
They do come on when you open either cab door however the fronts are darn near impossible to see in bright daylight because they are so small (nickel size) and recessed.
__________________
Mike Dropped
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10-29-2021, 11:51 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 496
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Great information, Larry!
Ours has those same button lights on the front cap, but the OP asked about rear markers. Ours were incandescent with sockets, and look like this:
I replaced the incandescent lamps with LED and haven't had any issues.
This most likely are not the same as the OP's clearance lamps.
OP, what year is your unit, and what type of rear clearance lights do you have?
__________________
2016 Sunseeker 2250LE/Chevy
Formerly: 2000 Four Winds 26Q/Ford, '96 Kit Sportsmaster 22' 5th wheel, '91 Sunlite truck camper, Wildernest flip-top canopy
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10-29-2021, 12:06 PM
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#14
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Certified Curmudgeon
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Here
Posts: 3,999
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Same Same
Front and rear are the same except for color on mine. The OP said his unit is also a 2018 however others have different lights on 2018’s as well. My point was that just a part number without a photo might not get you what you need.
__________________
Mike Dropped
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11-01-2021, 05:40 AM
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#15
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 95
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The rear clearance markers on my 2017 were LED, and stopped working within 3 years. The problem was that they are not waterproof so water got in and corroded the circuit board. When I replaced then, the guts literally flaked away.
I sourced waterproof markers through e-trailer. The kind that go on boat trailers and can be submerged.
https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Lig.../328-K-52.html
Just pop the lens off of the existing light, then unscrew the probably corroded screws. I found the screw holes in the RV body to be unusable due to the corroded screws. I think I replaced with #10 stainless screws. I also found that the original installer thought that 1" diameter holes for wire egress were the way to go. The body of my replacement lights barely covered the holes. I supplemented with caulking.
The wires were also very short due to the spray foam insulation that is liberally applied to my RV. This will test your wiring skills. I soldered mine with heat shrink to insulate. It was fiddly due to the short wires.
Sorry that I don't have any pics as the RV is in storage.
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11-01-2021, 08:40 AM
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#16
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Kanadian Kamper
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Southern Ontario
Posts: 8,169
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Duckogram
Front and rear are the same except for color on mine. The OP said his unit is also a 2018 however others have different lights on 2018’s as well. My point was that just a part number without a photo might not get you what you need.
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Hey Duck…..
So your photo is of your factory rear facing camera?
I see the moulded recess like on mine…..but your camera has a stand-off bracket.
Being that my unit was a previous rental, they opted NOT to have a camera installed, so renters would insist SOMEONE get out and guide them when backing.
Just wondering why yours looks this way?
__________________
Ken and Terry
2018 Sunseeker 2430S-CD, nicely modified and carried by a 2017 Ford E450 Sport
Former Georgetown 330TS owner for 10 years with more mods than I can count, pushed by our 2017 GMC Terrain
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11-01-2021, 09:00 AM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 9,574
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As I said...
Quote:
Originally Posted by dougc905
The rear clearance markers on my 2017 were LED, and stopped working within 3 years. The problem was that they are not waterproof so water got in and corroded the circuit board. When I replaced then, the guts literally flaked away.
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As I said, the LEDs are robust; the packaging stinks.
__________________
Larry
"Everybody's RV is not like your RV."
"Always take pictures with the button on the right."
"Always bypass the water heater before opening the low-point drains."
Sticks and Bricks: Raleigh, NC
2008 Cherokee 38P: at Ivor, VA permanently
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11-01-2021, 09:07 AM
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#18
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Certified Curmudgeon
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Here
Posts: 3,999
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kenandterry
Hey Duck…..
So your photo is of your factory rear facing camera?
I see the moulded recess like on mine…..but your camera has a stand-off bracket.
Being that my unit was a previous rental, they opted NOT to have a camera installed, so renters would insist SOMEONE get out and guide them when backing.
Just wondering why yours looks this way?
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Hi Ken of the North,
The notch in top is for the coax grommet so it is not exposed. The camera mounting bracket I have is longer so the camera field of vision can get past the slide out topper. You would not need that extension.
HFAD,
Ducky
__________________
Mike Dropped
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11-06-2021, 12:25 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 205
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Duckogram
Hi Ken of the North,
The notch in top is for the coax grommet so it is not exposed. The camera mounting bracket I have is longer so the camera field of vision can get past the slide out topper. You would not need that extension.
HFAD,
Ducky
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Mr. Duck, HFAD??
new one to me... enlighten please?
billw
__________________
billw
2020 Forester 3011DS
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11-06-2021, 12:59 PM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 4,330
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Quote:
Originally Posted by billwww3
Mr. Duck, HFAD??
new one to me... enlighten please?
billw
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Here is what I found on HFAD:
Hip Flexion Assist Device (HFAD)
https://www.amazon.com/Hip-Flexion-A.../dp/B010OERORS
What it has to do with rear view cameras is anyone’s guess.
__________________
2020 Sunseeker 2440DS on 2019 Ford E-450, Trekker cap, Topaz paint
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